Crews were busy Thursday morning after flames erupted at a west Tulsa refinery.
Nearby residents of Holly Refining and Marketing in Tulsa reported hearing a large explosion around 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning, and seeing a large ball of fire.
Holly Refining and Marketing in Tulsa released a statement Thursday, saying that they "experienced a fire at the Diesel Hydrotreater (the unit that removes sulfur from diesel fuel) at the Company's Tulsa East Refinery shortly after 2:00 AM this morning. The fire was isolated to the processing area around the Diesel Hydrotreater at the Tulsa East plant and is now extinguished. The Tulsa West plant was not affected by the fire."
The fire was contained by the Company's Emergency Response Team. Tulsa Fire Department was on-call to support them, but were later released.
The cause of the fire, extent of the damage, and the impact on Tulsa East operations are currently being investigated.
The company says "there is no risk to the surrounding community. Safety is our number one priority and we practice regular response drills and training for situations like this and as a result, the fire was immediately contained."
"While we are investigating the cause of the fire, safety is our number one goal - safety for our employees, fire team and surrounding neighbors," said Tony Conetta, VP & Refinery Manager. "We appreciate the Tulsa Fire Department's standby support."
The Company will provide an update when more information is available.
