The explosion that shut down the South Philly refinery
Philadelphia Energy Solutions has had a long history of fires and financial troubles. Why was the latest accident a tipping point for the 150-year-old oil refinery?
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Flames and smoke emerge from the Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining Complex in Philadelphia, Friday, June 21, 2019. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)
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Philadelphia Energy Solutions says its closing after an explosion and fire that destroyed one of its units last month. But it was not the first fire in the oil refinery’s 150-year history and the second in only two weeks. StateImpact Pennsylvania reporter Susan Phillips explains why this latest incident was the tipping point for the oldest and largest refinery on the East Coast.
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