South Philly refinery fire probe continues; no health concerns found

Officials say it will take some time to determine the cause of last week's fire and explosion at a South Philadelphia refinery, but nothing of concern to public health has been found.

PHILADELPHIA - Officials say it will take some time to determine the cause of last week's fire and explosion at a South Philadelphia refinery, but nothing of concern to public health has been found.

Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel says investigators haven't been able to go to some areas at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining Complex because they haven't yet been assessed by a structural engineer. He also said that even though the fire is out, the incident hasn't been formally declared under control.

The city's deputy health commissioner said Tuesday that aggressive air monitoring has turned up nothing of note and that emergency rooms have not reported increases in people with respiratory distress.

Dr. Caroline Johnson also said air samples tested for 61 chemical compounds found "very minor" elevations of acetone and ethanol Friday but nothing since then.