3 Dead, 4 Injured in Refinery Fire

An explosion and fire at a Washington state oil refinery shook homes and shot flames into the night sky early today, killing three people and critically injuring four others. The fire struck the Tesoro Corp. refinery in Anacortes, about 70 miles north of Seattle, at about 12:30am. The blaze occurred while maintenance work was being performed and was extinguished in about 90 minutes.

Four employees—two men and two women—are hospitalized with major burns over most of their bodies. All employees have been accounted for, and investigators are trying to determine the exact cause of the blaze. The extent of the damage is unknown, but parts of the refinery continue to operate. (More oil refineries stories.)