Explosion erupts at Sinclair refinery

An explosion and subsequent fire occurred at the Sinclair Oil Refinery Friday night.

Sinclair Chief of Police Jeff Sanders said he reported to the incident at about 10:04 p.m. and conducted scene control until 3 a.m. Sanders said no injuries were reported.

Spokesman for Sinclair Oil Corp. Clint Ensign said in an email the fire was handled internally by the refinery’s emergency response team.

“The SWRC Fire Brigade responded promptly to the scene and had the fire under control by 3:00 a.m.,” Ensign said.

The explosion occurred in the No. 4 HDS unit of the refinery. Ensign said in the email the cause of the explosion was not yet known, but “local contractors, and state agencies are involved in ascertaining potential causes for the event.”

A Occupational Safety and Health Administration is on site and investigating the incident, according to the Wyoming Department of Workfoce Services.

Ensign said the refinery, despite the explosion, is operating at normal rates.