Two explosions were reported at the Holly Frontier refinery in El Dorado.
Several people contacted KFDI and our sister stations reported feeling explosions shake their homes and seeing black smoke coming from the refinery Wednesday morning. The refinery reports that a fire started in a pipe rack around 8 a.m.
The black smoke residents saw was reportedly caused by sulfur in the racks. The refinery’s Emergency Response Team handled the situation quickly and brought the fire under control without any assistance from outside resources.
Employees, contractors, and non-essential personnel were evacuated as a precaution. No injuries were reported.
The company released the following statement:
HollyFrontier El Dorado Refining LLC experienced a fire in a pipe rack on March 6, 2019 at approximately 8 a.m. CST. Our Emergency Response Team immediately responded and safely contained the fire. Our employees and contractors are accounted for and safe. As a precaution, we also evacuated all non-essential personnel. We will continue to monitor the surrounding area and do not expect the community to be affected.
