Fire Breaks Out at New York-Area Oil Facility

A large fire broke out at a Staten Island, N.Y., at an ExxonMobil oil storage facility Friday morning, forcing oil prices immediately higher, news services reported.

The facility is located near the Outerbridge Crossing in the southwestern part of Staten Island.

Transportation in the area is a "nightmare" MSNBC reported. In addition to a half-mile evacuation around the fire, the U.S. Coast Guard has also closed off much of the waterway in the area of the explosion, MSNBC said.

CNN reported that the explosion happened while a barge was refueling at the facility around 10:10 AM EST.

An FBI spokesman told the Associated Press that the fire was most likely not the result of a terrorist attack, but rather a refueling accident. Staten Island City Councilman Mike McMahon confirmed this in an interview with CNN.

A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security told CNN that the agency was "closely monitoring" the situation, but that he had no details about a potential cause for the explosion.

Several television news outlets reported that some eyewitnesses said that the fire started on a barge at the facility.

It wasn't immediately clear whether any of the dozens of oil tanks in the area were burning, AP said

U.S. crude oil future prices soared more than $1 a barrel after the explosion, Reuters reported. Crude oil for April delivery was jumped to an intraday high to $35.95, up $1.21 a barrel.

Heating oil futures also surged, Reuters said, hitting a trading session high of $1.12 a gallon, rising 2.07 cents after the explosion.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro were on their way to the scene, AP reported.