Saturday, January 10, 2015

HUSKY OFFICIAL SAYS LIMA OHIO REFINERY FIRE UNDER CONTROL, AFTER AN EXPLOSION AND SUBSEQUENT FIRE ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015. NEIGHBORS REPORTED EXPLOSION DEBRIS IN THEIR YARDS.



HUSKY OFFICIAL SAYS LIMA OHIO REFINERY FIRE UNDER CONTROL, AFTER AN EXPLOSION AND SUBSEQUENT FIRE ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015. NEIGHBORS REPORTED EXPLOSION DEBRIS IN THEIR YARDS.








LIMA — A loud explosion at the Husky Lima Refinery shook Lima and the surrounding area early Saturday morning. Authorities said there’s no immediate danger to the area, although the fire continues to burn.



Roads are now open around the refinery.



An isocracker at the refinery exploded around 6 a.m., said Russ Decker, director of Allen County Emergency Management. While the isocracker continues to burn, the flames and fumes neighbors notice are strictly oil burning off and shouldn’t pose a threat to the environment or residents, Decker said.



At a press briefing at 2:30 p.m., officials said the fire was contained and under control by 1:45 p.m. Outside fire agencies planned to leave the facility, leaving the task of controlling the to the refinery’s internal fire department. They said there’s no current danger in the fire spreading to other structures.



Mel Duvall, a spokesman for Husky, said the company was “managing the situation” at 8 a.m. He said the fire started on a processing unit. All personnel had been accounted for, and there were no reported injuries, he said. There was one unrelated injury of a man with a head injury.



Environmental Protection Agency staff were on the scene, Duvall said. Those officials continue to monitor air quality, but they’re not showing dangerous levels so far. Decker said there was no immediate danger, with the biggest impact being the loud whooshing noise heard nearby.



Husky, EMA and EPA officials were all testing the air quality and didn’t find a dangerous amount of harmful chemicals in the air.



Around noon, the Shawnee Township Fire Department’s Platoon Chief John Norris reported the initial fire was “well underway to being contained.”



Sgt. Andy Green, of the Lima Police Department, said the fire was still burning, but residents should be safe if they remain in their homes. Traffic was originally restricted in all directions near the refinery, essentially from Fourth Street to Vine Street until about 12:45 p.m. Only emergency responders were allowed to approach, according to the Lima Police Department.



There were no evacuation ordered. If anyone comes saying people should evacuate, they should call the Lima Police Department at 419-221-5264 before leaving their home.



The incident also caused an electrical outage, affecting the facility’s industrial neighbors. PotashCorp reported the PCS Nitrogen facility lost power, shutting down several units. The facility is re-starting the units over the next few days. The company warned residents they may hear elevated noise levels during the shutdown and startup.



Neighbors reported feeling an explosion shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday, followed by a brighter flame than is typical for the refinery.



Decker said windy conditions actually helped the situation, as it’s helping dissipate the burning oil and fumes. He did acknowledge it also spread the smell of smoke farther.



Some neighbors reported seeing ash and debris in their yards. Decker said they were hydrocarbons from the burning material. If neighbors have concerns or want the debris cleaned up, they’re asked to call Husky’s local number, 419-226-2300.



The burn-off of the flares lit up the early morning sky in Lima.



People as far away as Bluffton, Delphos and Wapakoneta reported feeling the rattle from the explosion, which woke many people in Lima on Saturday morning.



Decker said the explosion was worse than any other he’s dealt with in his 17 years as EMA director. That’s including the 2006 explosion of an oil tanker on Allentown Road. He noted that incident involve 10,000 gallons of fuel and this was “significantly more than that.”



The isocracker that exploded was the first step in refining the crude oil, Decker said. It’s the unit that brings to crude oil up to temperature to start breaking down the oil into other products.



LIMA, OHIO — 


UPDATE @ 4 p.m.


The fire is now under control as some remaining product is being allowed to burn off, according to Husky Spokesman Mel Duvall.

Crews will continue to watch for flare ups.

“It is still too early to say what the impact may be to production, but we do have substantial product in inventory to continue to supply customers,” Duvall said in a prepared statement.


UPDATE @ 11 a.m.

Husky Energy Spokesman Mel Duvall said the fire continues to burn and crews from within the refinery as well as emergency crews from Allen County continue to battle flames.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is at the refinery and air monitoring devices are in place, Duvall said.

There have been no injuries, Duvall confirmed.

Exactly what kind of harmful toxins if any may be in the billowing smoke was not immediately known.

Duvall said the large Lima Refinery is one of the oldest in the country that produces various oil-based products including gasoline, disel and jet fuel.


UPDATE @ 10:40 a.m.

According to a security guard at the refinery, workers there became aware of a fire in one of the processing units round 6 a.m.

All personnel are accounted for and there have been no reported injuries, the guard said.

Emergency crews remain at the scene and smoke continues to billow into the air.

Corporate Spokesman Mel Duvall said he was in the middle of an updated briefing and would be able to provide more information before 11 a.m.


FIRST REPORT

Firefighters are battling a blaze that is reported at the Husky Refinery in Lima.

Lima Police have confirmed they are on the scene assisting crews at the scene in the 1100 block of South Metcalf Street, but say there is currently no danger to the public in terms of chemicals burning.

Calls into the newsroom have reported hearing explosions as far south as Indian Lake in Logan County around 6 a.m. Saturday.

We will continue to monitor this breaking story and update this page with the latest when it’s available.


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Explosion, fire shake Ohio refinery; police say nobody hurt


January 10th, 2015 by Associated Press in Breaking News Read Time: < 1 min.

An explosion at an Ohio oil refinery blew out windows at homes in Lima on Saturday and could be felt at least 10 miles away but resulted in no injuries, police said.

All workers were accounted for after the blast at the Husky Lima Refinery, according to police.

The blast triggered a fire that burned into mid-afternoon and sent black smoke billowing into the air above the refinery. Crews were monitoring the air to make sure there was no danger to those nearby.

Those tests had not detected anything hazardous in the first hours after the explosion, said Heidi Griesmer, a spokeswoman for the Environmental Protection Agency.

The fire was mostly out 10 hours after the 6 a.m. explosion, said Husky Energy spokesman Mel Duvall.

It was too early to determine the extent of the damage or say how the fire will affect production at the plant in the coming days, he said.

The company has substantial product in inventory to continue to supply customers, Duvall added.

No one had to be evacuated, but nearby streets were closed for about seven hours, said Lima police Sgt. Andy Green.

About 20 homeowners reported that the explosion broke their windows.

"It was felt throughout the city," Green said.

Plant officials were initially worried about secondary explosions before the fire was contained, he said.

The explosion happened in a processing unit where crude oil is heated to begin the process of breaking it down into other products.

The refinery anchors an industrial area in Lima, which is about 80 miles northwest of Columbus.

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LIMA, Ohio, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Firefighters continued battling blazes into the afternoon after explosions were reported at a fuel refinery in Ohio early Saturday. 

No injuries were reported at Husky Refinery in Lima, Ohio, where an explosion reportedly shook the surrounding area around 6 a.m., breaking windows in nearby homes and causing fires at the large plant. 

All personnel at the refinery have been accounted for, and officials say the fire is contained, though it continues to burn as Allen County firefighters attempt to douse the flames.
Smoke from the refinery, which processes gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, has billowed high into the air. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is at the scene monitoring for air toxins, according to Husky Energy Spokesman Mel Duvall. 

Lima Police Sgt. Andy Green told NBC24 there is no negative impact on the environment or danger to the public, as the smoke is drifting high into the atmosphere and dissipating.
According to NBC24, the fire originated within one of the plant's processing units from an exploded isocracker, a device that uses pressure to create naphtha and kerosene.