Fire Hits Nova Scotia Oil Refinery

DARTMOUTH, N.S. (CP) -- Black smoke billowed out over Halifax harbour Sunday morning after a fire at the Imperial Oil Refinery.

The fire broke out around 11 o'clock in the plant's fuel gas system, said refinery manager Brian Fairley.

That's the area where propane and natural gas are held.

``Everything is contained and we are stabilizing all the units,'' said Fairley.

About 200 employees work at the refinery, but it was not clear whether anyone was injured in the fire.

The refinery sits on 260 hectares of land on the Dartmouth side of the harbour.

It first began producing fuel in 1918 to meet the demands of the First World War.

The refinery can process as much as 89,000 barrels of crude oil a day.