Geelong’s refinery fire is out – but questions over what it means for our fuel crisis are still raging

Viva Energy said it was still producing fuel at ‘decent rates’ despite the fire at its Geelong refinery. Photograph: Giuliana Elakis/AFP/Getty Images

It was 13 hours before the fire raging in one of only two Australian oil refineries was extinguished.

It could have been far longer: Fire Rescue Victoria deputy commissioner, Michelle Cowling, said it was quite remarkable that firefighters so adroitly overcame flames that, according to some reports, leapt 100 metres into the air at Viva Energy’s Corio refinery, just east of Geelong.