Kuala Lampur, April 16 --  

GEELONG, April 16 - Towering columns of fire have engulfed a crucial Australian oil refinery after a chain of explosions, authorities said today as they warned of disruptions to domestic fuel supply.

Flames as tall as 60 metres (200 feet) erupted late last night after a gas leak caught fire at the Viva fuel plant in Victoria state, firefighters said, one of only two working oil refineries in Australia.

"The major impact at this point appears to be on petrol production," Energy Minister Chris Bowen said.

"It's not great. It's not great timing, is it?" he told national broadcaster ABC.

The refinery, about an hour's drive southwest of state capital Melbourne, pumps out about 10 per cent of Aust...