3 Injured in Texas Refinery Blaze

DUMAS, Texas – An explosion rocked a west Texas refinery Friday afternoon, injuring at least three people and sparking a blaze that sent a huge black cloud billowing into the sky.

Dumas Fire Chief Paul Jenkins said the Valero McKee Refinery, which has more than 400 workers, was evacuated following the blast.

“The main thing is getting them away from there,” Moore County Judge Rowdy Rhoades said.

A nursing supervisor at University Medical Center in Lubbock said two patients were flying in, but their status wasn’t known. Another injured person was taken to an Amarillo hospital, officials said.

Valero Energy Corp. operates 17 refineries – 16 in North America and one in Aruba. The McKee refinery, one of six in Texas, has a capacity of 170,000 barrels per day.

Bill Day, a spokesman for Valero Energy, said the company was preparing a statement.

Dumas, population 14,000, is located about 50 miles north of Amarillo.