LIMA, Ohio — The Husky refinery in Lima was the site of an explosion and fire Saturday, where windows were blown out and the force of the explosion was felt at least 10 miles away. The refinery’s emergency crews as well as those from Allen County are on scene and battled the blaze throughout the day.
Police report there were no injuries.
The fire was mostly out 10 hours after the 6 a.m. explosion, said Husky Energy spokesman Mel Duvall.
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.
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 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.
More details and updates available at http://www.thenewstribune.com/2015/01/10/3580940/explosion-fire-shake-ohio-refinery.html
