Explosion at Texas oil refinery
An explosion rocked a west Texas refinery, injuring at least 19 people and sparking a blaze that sent a huge black cloud billowing into the sky.
More than 400 workers were evacuated from the Valero McKee Refinery after the explosion yesterday, authorities said.
No fatalities were reported.
Three of the injured people were in a critical condition last night with burns, a nursing supervisor said.
The refinery was shut down after the blast, as were pipelines in and out of the facility, the company said. The refinery has a capacity of 170,000 barrels per day.
Paul Jenkins, fire chief in the nearby community of Dumas, said Valero’s fire brigade was fighting the blaze. Although the blaze had subsided substantially, it had not been extinguished, Valero said in a statement.
Valero Energy Corp said the fire was believed to have started at the refinery’s “propane deasphalting unit,” where fuel is processed at high temperatures.
Witnesses said the smoke could be seen 60 miles away.
A nursing supervisor at University Medical Centre in Lubbock, home of the regional burn unit, said one man was in critical condition and that two more were expected to arrive in critical condition. Patients were also expected in Amarillo.
Valero, the largest refiner in North America, operates 17 refineries, 16 in North America and one in Aruba.
