Louisiana Refinery Fire Mostly Contained but Residents Worry About Air Quality

A plume of smoke drifts from the Marathon Petroleum refinery in Garyville, La., on Aug. 25, 2023, toward the Southeast Louisiana War Veterans Home in nearby Reserve, La. AP Photo

GARYVILLE, La.—A massive fire at a Louisiana oil refinery that sent a tower of black smoke billowing into the air above the Mississippi River is mostly contained, but residents still worried about health effects from the fumes and smoke.

Tests have so far found “non-detectable air quality impacts” from Friday’s massive fire, Marathon Patroleum said in a emailed statement Saturday. The state Department of Environmental Quality and a third-party contractor were conducing the tests.