CALGARY - A fire broke out around midnight Monday night at one of Suncor Energy Inc.'s (TSX:SU) two oilsands upgraders north of Fort McMurray, Alta., the company said Tuesday.
The area around the upgrader was immediately secured and all employees and contractors in the area were safely evacuated, the Calgary-based concern said in a release.
The affected upgrader produces roughly 125,000 barrels of crude a day from the heavy, tar-like bitumen squeezed from Suncor's vast oilsands holdings, company spokesman Brad Bellows said.
A second, newer upgrader produces about 175,000 barrels a day.
Suncor says officials are currently assessing damage and will provide an update on scheduling of repairs when the assessment is complete.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, Bellows said.
"The investigation will be underway as we do the damage assessment," Bellows said.
Suncor Energy Inc. (TSX:SU) is Canada's biggest integrated energy company, whose operations include oil sands development and upgrading, conventional and offshore oil and gas production, petroleum refining, and product marketing under the Petro-Canada brand.
