The HF Sinclair Navajo Refinery stands in Artesia, New Mexico. (AP Photo) Thick smoke emerging from the plant drifted across the city of Artesia Friday following an explosion at the Navajo Refinery in New Mexico, news agency AP reported.
Emergency crews, including police and first responders, hurried to the site and extinguished the fire, officials said. Three people were transported off-site for medical attention, and no other injuries were reported, the oil refinery operator HF Sinclair told the reporters.
A spokesperson of the refinery, Corinn Smith, denied any risk to public safety citing air monitoring on the perimeter of the refinery and the local community. However, it is unclear if refinery production was affected due to the fire.
The smoke was dissipated by the afternoon and roads were reopened, authorities told AP. The New Mexico Environment Department said it was sending a team to Artesia to assess conditions and monitor air quality, the report quoted.
‘Largest refinery in New Mexico’
The Navajo refinery, adjacent to Artesia’s main intersection, serves as an artery from the Permian Basin in the southeastern corner of the state to the rest of New Mexico, according to AP.
As per the company’s website, the facility has a crude oil capacity of 100,000 barrels per day, making it the largest in New Mexico, however, it wasn’t immediately clear how packed the plant was at the time of the fire incident.
The plant caters to markets in the southwestern United States by processing oil acquired from the Permian basin — one of the busiest in the world. It operates alongside a refining facility in Lovington, about 65 miles (105 km) away, AP noted.