It could take several hours before the fire at Viva’s Corio refinery is under control.
The blaze in a plant at the site broke out just after 11pm Wednesday, with locals hearing several explosions.
The fire is now contained, with dozens of firefighters remaining on scene.
It is understood equipment failure was to blame for the fire, with authorities saying there will be a thorough investigation into the cause.
Mick McGuinness from Fire Rescue Victoria said specialist equipment had been used to monitor the situation.
“.. to ensure we have no contaminant products going out into the waterways and the bay,” he said.
“And also no contaminant in the smoke that’s been produced from the fire.”
Two units of the plant that have been damaged have been used to produce petrol and other products.
Refinery manager Bill Patterson said units not impacted by the blaze were still running.
“We’re still running at pretty decent rates at the moment, given that these units are relatively small in the scheme of things,” he said.
Viva Energy CEO Scott Wyatt said their priority at the moment was for staff, but he acknowledged there was also a focus on producing fuel.
“The team here have been absolutely committed to working incredibly hard to keep Victoria and the rest of the country in supply as well,” he said.
“So this incident is so disappointing for everyone.”
