Updated MONDAY March 27, 2000

No injuries in El Dorado refinery fire

By Jean Hays The Wichita Eagle

A fire at the Frontier El Dorado Refining Co. Sunday morning sent out a plume of black smoke visible as far away as Andover.

The fire broke out about 11 a.m. in a furnace at the hydrotreater unit, which removes sulfur from oil, said refinery manager Brian Meck.

About 65 firefighters, all employees of the refinery, put out the fire within two hours.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Fire crews from El Dorado were notified, but were not needed. The refinery has its own fire-fighting brigade and many employees are cross trained as firefighters.

The refinery called in about 30 off-duty employees Sunday to fight the fire.

Plant employees also tested the air around the plant as a precaution, but did not detect any harmful chemicals, Meck said.

The refinery, 1401 S. Douglas Road, had a fire in December on a different process unit, Meck said.

Another fire on Oct. 24, 1998, injured one worker and caused $215,000 worth of damage, according to Environmental Protection Agency records.

That fire was caused by an equipment malfunction.

The refinery continued operating Sunday without interruption, Meck said.

-- - (x@xxx.com), March 27, 2000

Answers

http://www.wichitaeagle.com/news/local/community/butlerco/docs/refiner y.htm

-- - (x@xxx.com), March 27, 2000.