OREGON, Ohio — Two staff members injured in a fire at the BP Huskey Toledo Refinery have died, according to a BP spokesperson.
"Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of these two individuals," the spokesperson said. "All other staff is accounted for and our employee assistance team is on site in Toledo to support our employees impacted by this tragedy."
Details involving the start of the fire are still unknown, but officials said crews responded to an incident at the BP refinery in Lucas County at 6:50 p.m.
According to a BP spokesperson the fire was extinguished around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday night and the refinery was safely shut down. Operations remain offline today.
"Our highest priority remains the safety of our staff, the responders and the public," the spokesperson said. BP will continue to update local, state and federal officials.
BP recently agreed to sell the refinery to its joint venture partner Cenovus Energy Inc. in August.
In January 2022, an explosion occurred at the refinery after a valve release, according to the Oregon Fire Department. No injuries were reported.
The refinery also had a fire in November 2021, again with no injuries reported.
In 2020, a federal judge approved a settlement requiring BP Products North America Inc. and BP-Husky Refining LLC to pay $2.6 million to the U.S. government and Ohio for alleged violations of clean air laws. Under the settlement, the companies paid a $200,000 penalty to Ohio and had to complete a $1.2 million lead abatement project within 18 miles of the Toledo Refinery.
In 2005, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited BP North American Inc. and BP-Husky Refining LLC’s refinery with 42 alleged willful violations, "including 39 on a per-instance basis, and 20 alleged serious violations for exposing workers to a variety of hazards including failure to provide adequate pressure relief for process units." The proposed penalties at that time totaled $3,042,000.
The Toledo Refinery, according to BP, can process up to 160,000 barrels of crude oil each day.
The refinery produces 3.8 million gallons of gasoline, 1.3 million gallons of diesel fuel, and 600,000 gallons of jet fuel each day and has more than 840 employees at the plant.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.