Big Spring explosion

BIG SPRING Very rarely is anyone so thankful for Presidents Day.

For hours after an 8:20 a.m. explosion devastated the ALON USA oil refinery, flames still shot higher than the large fuel tanks surrounding the facility, sending plumes of black smoke hundreds of feet into the sky.

Yet only four people were injured at the plant — and none of those injuries were life threatening — David Foster, ALON USA vice president of refining, said.

A fifth person was treated and released after suffering injuries when her car was hit by debris on Interstate 20, Big Spring Mayor Russ McEwen said.

Of the injured, Paul Berringer, 37, of Big Spring was listed in satisfactory condition after being taken to the burn unit at University Medical Center in Lubbock. Of the others injured, Foster said two were contract workers who suffered hearing loss and another worker suffered a concussion.

Like many others, McEwen said he was extremely grateful no one was killed in the blast, which could be felt as far away as Colorado City and Gardendale.

“The Lord has really blessed Big Spring,” he said.

No cause had been determined for the explosion Monday. Foster said he expected the 78-year-old refinery to be offline for “weeks — not days.”

Around 40 people, the minimum required for operations, were working at the time of the explosion Monday morning, Foster said. With contractors and other employees, it’s common for the refinery to have around 190 employees at that time of day.

But because of the Presidents Day holiday, a “skeleton” crew was on hand.

Schools and the college in Big Spring were closed Monday after the explosion, which could be heard 50 miles away in Snyder and seen in Odessa.

Keith Long spent the morning cleaning up the giant glass windows shattered at his small engine repair shop a few miles from the refinery.

“It was just, ‘Kaboom!’ ” he said. “We’re lucky it just knocked two out. It shook the rest of ’em.”

Jo Ann Cotton felt the explosion from her home on the other side of the hill from Big Spring.

“At first I thought it was thunder, then the whole house rattled,” she said.

Patrick Becker of Big Spring said he saw smoke shortly before hearing the explosion Monday morning.

“I said, ‘Whoa, that looks like the refinery. I better get back inside the house,’ ” he said.

ALON USA was conducting an internal investigation, while working with federal agencies including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, Foster said.

U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Lubbock, said federal resources would be available if requested.

“If there’s a need, we’ll be doing that,” he said.

By Monday afternoon, four fires were still burning. While the blaze was brought under control within an hour after the explosion, Foster said it could still burn through the night.

Blake Lewis, a spokesman for Alon USA, said the blaze was considered "under control" at 9:30 this morning.

"Right now, we're waiting for the fire to be tapped out," he said, adding that once the blaze is put out, Alon officials would get into the plant to determine the extent of the damage and try to find out what caused the explosion.

"We'll operate from fact," he said, noting that he wouldn't speculate as to the cause of the blast.

The refinery produces around 70,000 barrels of oil a day, about half of which is used for gasoline, he said. While it primarily supplies the Permian Basin, it sends products as far as Dallas and El Paso. ALON USA owns Southwest Convenience Stores, which runs the 7-Elevens in Odessa-Midland.

It’s the second smallest of the 22 oil refineries in Texas, Foster said. Its 187 regular employees would be given other places to work until the refinery reopens.

McEwen said the refinery, which has undergone a number of renovations, had two notable fires before this.

While he didn’t know how old the part of the refinery involved in the explosion was, Foster said a “significant minority” of the facility was damaged.

“Most of the major areas were not dramatically affected,” he said.

While he was thankful there was no life lost, McEwen said it could be a big hit to Big Spring’s economy.

“It’s obviously very large,” he said of the refinery. “It employs a lot of people.”