Residents Return Home Following Refinery Explosion, Fire
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- About 40,000 residents are getting back to their homes after a refinery explosion and fire forced them to evacuate in northwestern Wisconsin Thursday.
The fire at the Husky Energy oil refinery in Superior was put out Thursday night after burning for eight and a half hours. The initial blast left at least 16 people hurt.
"From our perspective, we still need to make sure that we are securing that facility, and making sure that the responders or anybody that goes in that facility is safe at all times," said Husky Energy refinery manager Kollin Schade.
"From our perspective, we still need to make sure that we are securing that facility, and making sure that the responders or anybody that goes in that facility is safe at all times," said Husky Energy refinery manager Kollin Schade.
Burning asphalt caused the black smoke to billow on Thursday. Fire officials said it burns hot, so crews will continually monitor specific spots.
"The area is still very hot, there's a lot of heat in the product, so they will be there for quite some time yet, commencing on those operations as far as mop up and cooling down of the product," said Superior Fire Chief Steve Panger.
The Environmental Protection Agency calls the air quality safe. It set up monitors around Superior to collect particulates every few seconds.
"We found consistent low trace levels, well below any health standards, virtually everywhere that we went for volatile chemicals, particulates and dust -- the kinds of things that can adhere to smoke," said David Morrison of the EPA. "But we don't want to miss something when you have asphalt."
That collection continues in neighborhoods and in the direction of the wind to the south.
Mayor Jim Paine admits the refinery fire could have been catastrophic.
"The team that really managed this crisis had prepared for this for a long time, and when the crisis came they kept a cool head," Paine said. "They acted with sound judgement, and in many cases downright courage."
An evacuation order for residents of Superior stayed in place until 6 a.m. Friday. Things are finally getting back to normal for area residents and hospital patients after a scary 24 hours.
St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth is located five miles away from the explosion site. A refinery employee who did not want to be identified told WCCO that when she was evacuated, she got into her vehicle and the smell of fumes overcame her. She said she became nauseous and her lips went numb.
She was one of six people who were evacuated and joined 10 others who were inside the refinery to seek medical treatment at St. Mary's.
Member of the Critical Incident Stress Management team were the first ones to get the alert about the explosion. Doctors and nurses scrambled to get resources in place to handle the worst-case scenario.
Dr. Dawn Drotar said she felt fortunate that the injuries they saw were not life threatening.
"The initial serious injury was related to the blast, and the other ones were minor injuries," Drotar said. "There was some minor lacerations and abrasions, but more ear pain, back pain, ankle pain."
Only one person remains hospitalized Friday evening, and they are listed in good condition.
Harris and Diane Balko live just three miles away from the refinery.
"Well, the police came to our door and they said that we have an evacuation order, said they are mandatory, and they said there are motels open," Harris Balko said. "They said, 'You can go to the DECC,' where we are now."
They spent the night at Duluth's Amsoil Arena, where they joined about 40 other people who enjoyed board games and snacks. The Balkos said they did not feel the explosion, but they could definitely see that big, black plume of smoke.
Returning home in the same clothes he evacuated in, William Greely and his family of four are thankful they still have a home.
"I didn't know what was going on and I didn't want to be here when the big boom happened," Greely said. "I couldn't get to my daughters fast enough."
The Greelys live a mile from the refinery. Shortly after seeing smoke, Greely got a call from his sister telling him to evacuate. He picked his kids up from school and drove to Duluth.
"As soon as I looked back I started crying and worrying about my pets and my friends because they were still at school," said Greely's daughter, Mya.
The Greelys and thousands of others, returned to southeast Superior Friday to find their pets OK, and their homes intact.
Facebook also activated its Safety Check feature for its users so people could let their friends know that they were safe. We have seen it activated in the past during natural disasters and terror attacks.
While the scene has been declared stable, crews will likely be here throughout the weekend. Officials estimate spots inside the refinery could stay hot for another 24 hours.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation.
