Cause Of Wynnewood Refinery Fire That Injured 2 Under Investigation

The fire that injured two employees at a refinery in Wynnewood happened at its gasoline hydrotreater, said the holding company that controls the facility operator.

In a statement, CVR Energy said company officials were conducting a thorough investigation on the fire, which happened at about 8:20 a.m. Tuesday. 

CVR Energy said its subsidiary operates the refinery, located on South Powell Avenue. Although the company said the fire occurred in the gasoline hydrotreater, it did not explain a possible cause.

CVR Energy said two employees who were injured were taken off site for evaluation. But a representative with the company could not give News 9 an update on the conditions of the workers.

All other employees were accounted for, CVR Energy said.

Crews were able to extinguish the fire, said Garvin County Emergency Management, adding that there was no threat to the community.

Carla Parish, who lives near the refinery, said she was gardening when the fire erupted.

"I heard the boom, I looked around, and then I heard the second boom and a large cloud of black smoke went up," said Parish. "And all the windows in my house were shaking."

Parish said she went inside her home to avoid breathing in contaminants. Parish, who has lived in Wynnewood for 30 years, said there had been other fires at the refinery.

"My father worked at the refinery too, so we always knew when we heard that big boom that it was the refinery," said Parish.

The refinery has a history of incidents, including a boiler explosion in 2012 that killed two employees, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. There was another explosion and some fires in previous years.