Explosions were heard at the Pulau Bukom Shell refinery around noon yesterday where the fire-fighting operations are still going on.

The fire was believed to involve petroleum products from pipes in the tank farm at a manufacturing facility measuring 150m by 50m.

In a statement, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said the situation, however, was under control.

It said the fire was still contained within the bund wall.

Boundary cooling operation is being carried out to prevent heat exposure to the nearby storage tanks.

In the fire-fighting operations, two SCDF fire-engines were badly damaged by the fire, and one fire-engine partially damaged.

As of 8am today, SCDF relieved the fire-fighters who had been working throughout the night with a fresh crew.

Current resources deployed include six fire-engines, 11 support vehicles and 80 firefighters.

About 250 essential Shell personnel are also on Pulau Bukom helping with the operations.

In a statement, Shell said it believed it was an accident. A full investigation will be conducted once the fire is put out.

All non-essential staff from Pulau Bukom have been evacuated from the island.

- Bernama