After a mysterious odor permeated metro Detroit on Sunday morning, the Marathon Petroleum Corporation confirmed that a flare at their Detroit refinery was the source of the smell and has issued an apology.
In a statement shared with WDIV-TV (Channel 4), Jamal T. Kheiry, Communications Manager of Marathon Petroleum Corporation said they will be keeping relevant agencies and emergency responders informed as they respond to the release at their Detroit refinery, which borders the city of Melvindale.
Around 10 a.m., Kheiry shared the following update with the Free Press:
"Marathon Petroleum has determined that the source of the odor is a flare at the refinery that is not functioning properly and needs to be repaired. In order to make repairs, we must de-activate the flare. Flares are safety devices that allow us to safely combust excess materials at the refinery, and we are working on de-activating the flare as safely and quickly as possible."
The statement added that Marathon Petroleum has deployed air-monitoring resources in affected areas, and while there is an odor, they have not detected dangerous levels of any substances. Marathon Petroleum will also be making their air-monitoring data available to emergency responders and regulatory agencies.
"We apologize to the community for the odor and the inconvenience. Our highest priority is the safety of the community where we operate and those who work at our refinery. We will continue to work as safely end quickly as possible to resolve this matter. We are conducting a thorough investigation to determine what caused this release, and we will implement the necessary corrective actions so that this does not happen again," Kheiry said in a statement.