BP refinery fire probe under way

SEATTLE – State safety inspectors are investigating the cause of a dramatic blaze Friday at Washington’s largest oil refinery near Blaine, as BP launched its own review into why it happened.

The fire broke out in the sole crude processing unit at the BP Cherry Point refinery in northwest Washington, sending plumes of black smoke visible for miles. The fire was extinguished about an hour later, BP spokesman Scott Dean said. One person suffered a minor injury.

It was too early to know what caused the blaze, Dean said Saturday. Other units at the facility are on standby until the company completes an assessment and restart plan, which means the facility is currently not processing crude oil, he added.

Another BP spokesman, William Kidd, said overall production could be halved in the next several days, but the effect on future production won’t be fully known until they know the extent of the damage. The refinery still has finished product in tanks to produce gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, he said, adding: “It’s not like our tanks went dry.”

The 1-square-mile refinery employs more than 800 people and can process as much as 230,000 barrels of crude oil a day, mostly transportation fuels, from Alaska.

A BP report overnight to the National Response Center suggested a flange fire had started between the north vacuum heater and the north vacuum tower of the crude unit.