Explosion at BP refinery, fire extinguished

WHITING, Ind. (AP) — A fire broke out after an explosion at a BP refinery in Whiting, Ind., which rattled nearby homes.

BP America spokesman Scott Dean said early Thursday that the refinery, which is just east of Chicago, had “an operational incident” on a process unit about 9 p.m. He said in a statement that the plant’s in-house fire department responded, and the fire was out by 10:55 p.m.

Dean said refinery operations were “minimally” affected and that one employee was taken to a hospital as a precaution, but was later released.

A Whiting Fire Department spokesman said the explosion could be heard clearly several blocks from the plant.

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The Chicago Sun-Times said Wednesday was the anniversary of a 1955 explosion in Whiting that killed two people.