An oil refinery fire in El Dorado, Arkansas, left seven workers injured on Saturday afternoon, several of whom sustained severe burns.
Flash Fire at Former Lion Oil Refinery Shook El Dorado Homes
First responders were called to the Delek: El Dorado Refinery, formerly known as Lion Oil Refinery, located at 1000 Mc Henry Street, around 3:30 p.m. on February 27th. Initial reports indicated an explosion had occurred at the facility, but it was later confirmed to be a flash fire.
“I was sitting in my living room when my house shook,” one nearby resident who managed to take a video of the fire told the Texarkana Gazette. “I went outside and saw the plant on fire. Then I started to record because this wasn’t the first time.”
4 Burned in El Dorado Refinery Fire Reportedly on Ventilators
Seven refinery workers were hurt in the fire, including six taken to Medical Center of South Arkansas via ambulance. Four of those individuals were later transferred to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Burn Unit, though all were adults.
“Arkansas Children’s has the best burn unit in the state,” an official with MCSA explained. “Pretty much all burn patients are transferred to Children’s.”
Authorities have not commented on the condition of the injured workers. However, one victim’s wife told the El Dorado News-Times that her husband had second- and third-degree burns to his hands and face.
“He is on a vent due to swelling of his throat and neck and will have surgery for skin grafts,” she said “(He) is in stable condition at this time (and) receiving excellent care at ACH burn unit.”
“I believe all are on the vent,” said the girlfriend of another. “Some may be worse than others, but they are stable and going to be okay. Just going to be a long road.”
Fire was Delek: El Dorado Refinery’s Second Since 2019
So far, it’s not known what caused Saturday’s fire, but an investigation is underway.
“Earlier today, a fire occurred at the Penex unit of our refinery in El Dorado, Arkansas. Our on-site emergency response team, with the assistance of the El Dorado Fire Department, extinguished the fire,” Delek US Holdings said in a statement issued Saturday evening. “We immediately began to monitor the air quality within the refinery and the community and have detected no adverse impacts.”
The Delek: El Dorado Refinery was built in 1924 and operated as the Lion Oil refinery for decades. Tennessee-based Delek US Holdings acquired the facility in 2001 and currently produces gasoline, diesel, asphalt, and LPG, with crude oil throughput of 80,000 barrels per day. Around 320 people work at the facility.
An earlier fire broke out at the refinery in 2019. No one was injured in that incident, but the cause was never disclosed.
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