2 employees killed in blaze at BP refinery in Ohio
Two people have died as a result of injuries they sustained in a large fire that broke out Tuesday evening at a BP oil refinery near Toledo, Ohio, a spokesperson for the company confirmed to CBS News. Video and images posted to social media showed huge flames and black smoke billowing from the facility.
The fire broke out at the BP Husky Toledo Refinery in the city of Oregon, located just outside Toledo. Both victims, who were employees at the refinery, were first reported as injured in the hours following the fire. All other staff were accounted for, BP spokesperson Megan Baldino said earlier.
"The refinery has been safely shut down while the response is underway," Baldino wrote.
The BP employees who were hurt in the fire had succumbed to their injuries by Wednesday morning, Baldino confirmed to CBS News.
"It is with deep sadness we report that two BP staff injured in a fire at the bp Husky Toledo Refinery have passed away," she said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of these two individuals. All other staff is accounted for and our employee assistance team is on site in Toledo to support our employees impacted by this tragedy."
There was no word on a possible cause. The exact details of the fire were unclear, and BP has not disclosed how many people were in the facility when it broke out. In the company's updated statement, Baldino said the blaze was extinguished around 10:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday night. The refinery was shut down safely and remained offline early Wednesday, according to BP, which noted its ongoing coordination with "local, state and federal officials" in the aftermath of the fire.
The Lucas County 911 Regional Council of Governments, which handles emergency dispatch for the area, only confirmed to CBS News that local municipal fire crews had responded to assist the refinery's own fire department.