Tulsa - A fire at a west Tulsa refinery burned for nearly an hour Tuesday morning before firefighters were able to bring it under control. It happened at about 10:30 a.m. at the Sunoco Refinery, located near 17th and Union.

The investigation is still going on as to what caused the fire. But, we do know it started in a unit about half the size of a basketball court.

You could see the bright orange flames and the thick, black smoke for miles. It all started from a propane unit that takes the oil out of asphalt.



"The process unit consists of the tower, heaters, pumps, heat exchangers, coolers all connected with piping," says Sunoco’s Andrew Haar.

They don’t know which part caught fire first. But, it was a mixture of propane and asphalt. Tulsa’s fire department responded. But, Sunoco’s own fire brigade attacked it first.

"While we hate to see something like this happen, we certainly have the appropriate people here to keep things under control," says Sunoco’s Jessica Klassen.

Tulsa firefighters staged and waited until they were called in to help the Sunoco team.

"They train our firefighters in types of petroleum-type fires, so we’re here to support them," says Tulsa Fire Captain Hubert Rouse.

They used water to cool the fire to prevent an explosion. Residents were told to close their windows. But, the company says the fumes were not dangerous.

"There were no chemicals or toxins or anything being released into the air," said Haar.

The unit that caught fire helps make lubricants like 10-40 oil. It makes thousands of barrels a day. But, it looks like production is down at least for today.

There were a handful of workers inside the unit when it caught fire. But, they were evacuated and out of nearly four hundred employees, none were hurt.

Sunoco’s Tulsa refinery is the second largest refinery in Oklahoma and has a good safety track record.

The refinery spreads out over eight hundred acres along the Arkansas River. And, within those eight hundred acres are highly volatile and combustible processes that take place.

The company has its own fire department on-site that is trained specifically to handle these types of emergencies. That department trains other groups and works with the Tulsa Fire Department.

Where there is fire, there is always a risk of explosion. Haar tells us extra precautions are taken so that doesn’t happen.

"The cooling water keeps things cool, so that doesn’t happen," Haar said. "You then direct your firefighting effort at the source of the flames, which you use foam and water mixture actually."

The Tulsa facility has been recognized by Sunoco for its safe practices. For the past two years, it’s been given the Chairman’s Award for Excellence. And, in 2003, it had its best safety record in the facility’s history.