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SALT LAKE CITY -- A fire at the Tesoro oil in Salt Lake City refinery was knocked down quickly Monday morning.
The fire erupted around 10 a.m. at the refinery at 474 W. 900 North, but was quickly put out by the refinery's fire brigade.
The refinery is located in the northern end of Salt Lake City, just off Beck Street. From the street, KSL News cameras captured pictures of the flames and smoke as crews battled the blaze.
Company officials said there were no injuries. They said Salt Lake City fire crews responded to fire as backup but were not needed, as the refinery's crews were able to put the blaze down on their own.
"He had a pump that failed, caused a small fire," explained Russ Jansen, the refinery's human resources manager. "As soon as it was recognized, the emergency crews were mustered and we got the fire out in less than 14 minutes."
On the east side of the facility -- which is the largest of Utah's five refineries -- workers and contractors of the plant were assembled after the fire. Company officials said there was no evacuation, but people were cleared out from the immediate area where the fire took place.
"Really, what's more important is what do they do after the fact to make sure that they understand what occurred, and what they're doing in the future to prevent those from happening again," said Jeff Niermeyer, director of Salt Lake City Public Utilities.
The refinery had a similar incident last October when a fire broke out. and lit up the night sky. A pool of crude oil caught fire and spread to a 200-yard radius. Investigators determined there was a power failure and a leak. No one was hurt, but parts of the refinery were evacuated and the fire disrupted highway traffic and rail service.
A spokesman for the U.S. Chemical Safety Board said the agency has talked with people at the refinery and is gathering information. However, it's unlikely federal officials will be sent to Utah to investigate.
Meanwhile, Jansen said he's not sure if operations were disrupted Monday but the company believes the damage from this blaze appears minor.
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Story compiled with contributions from John Daley and Cleon Wall.
