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Smoke billows from two tank fires Saturday at the Wynnewood Refinery. The fires burned out late Saturday and early Sunday. (PVDD photo by Jim Richardson)
Refinery damage in the millions
The fire is out at the Wynnewood Refinery but the damage one lightning strike caused to the plant last Friday has mounted into the millions of dollars.
The blaze started in one storage tank last Friday morning when lightning from an early morning storm struck the tank, setting the fuel inside on fire.
“That tank was storing a gasoline blending component titled Naphtha. We had about 50,000 barrels of Naphtha in that tank,” said Mike Hampton, a spokesperson for the Wynnewood Refinery Plant.
At first plant officials thought they had that tank fire under control, but late Friday night the fire flared up, causing a portion of the inside wall of the tank to collapse, Hampton said.
The fire from that tank spread to a nearby tank holding approximately 20,000 barrels of diesel fuel, which eventually ignited, creating a huge fire ball in the night sky.
“Tank fires are hard to fight because of the all the fuel in the tanks,” Hampton said. “You pretty much have to let them burn themselves out.”
Hampton said the blaze was contained to just the refinery property and there never was a danger to the general public during the blaze.
As for the damage estimates, Hampton said the fuel in both tanks alone are estimated to be worth around $8 million.
“When you add the tanks to that figure, we’re looking at a loss of around $10 million,” he told the Daily Democrat.
Both fires burned during the day Saturday and by late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, both had burned themselves out, Hampton said.
Hampton said 13-15 fire departments — some as far away as Tulsa and Ardmore — aided in battling the fire and preventing it from spreading any further.
In an unrealated incident, a boiler at the plant exploded Monday morning while employees were firing up the boiler unit.
Hampton said two employees received minor burns and were treated and released from the hospital shortly after the incident.
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Joseph Floyd Bell
Joseph Floyd Bell, 90, of Lindsay passed away Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010 at Norman Veteran's Center in Norman.
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Bill Burgess
Bill Burgess, 66, of Pauls Valley was born Jan. 30, 1944 in Tuckerman, Ark., to John T. and Virginia (Hamilton) Burgess and passed away Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010.
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Janice Karen Fisher
Janice Karen Fisher, 59, was born Oct. 2, 1950 in Tecumseh, Okla., and entered into eternal life on Aug. 29, 2010.
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Sondra Shumate Copeland
Sondra Shumate Copeland of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma was born to Carl A. and Juel (Harkreader) Shumate, Jr. on February 11, 1934 in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma and passed from this life on August 28, 2010 in Pauls Valley at the age of 76 years.
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Tommie Wayne Estes Sr.
Tommie Wayne Estes Sr., a resident of Wynnewood, was born January 15, 1938 in Lula, Oklahoma to Hazel Lucille (Treas) and Joel Estes. He passed away August 28, 2010 at Pauls Valley, Oklahoma at the age of 72 years, 7 months and 13 days.
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TODAY'S FRONT PAGE
Now you can view and download the Daily Democrat right to your desktop on the day the paper is published. Click here to view today's front page and get more information on the Daily Democrat's E-Edition.
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- Letters to the Editor
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In Broadband agreement
To the Editor:
As a business owner and legislator, I’ve learned that the best government is the kind that doesn’t get in the way when private companies choose to invest in our state to make our lives better and more productive. - Questions about HB 2780 and HB 2656
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In Broadband agreement
