Thick plumes of smoke during 'major incident' at Canada oil refinery

Thick plumes of smoke fill the air over the city of Saint John in New Brunswick, Canada as a "major incident" unfolds at a local oil refinery.

Irving Oil confirmed the "major incident" on Monday following reports of an explosion and fire in the morning. "We are actively assessing the situation," they tweeted.

Saint John police have recommended people avoid the area, tweeting, "police are currently responding to an incident at the Irving refinery. Please avoid the area."

Saint John Regional Hospital has gone into "code orange", indicating an external disaster with mass casualties.