Explosion rocks New Mexico oil refinery, three injured

Emergency response teams rushed to the scene of an explosion at an oil refinery in Artesia, New Mexico, on October 31, after thick plumes of smoke billowed from the facility and spread over parts of the city before firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control.

The refinery’s operator, HF Sinclair, confirmed that the fire had been extinguished and that three individuals were taken off-site for medical treatment, as per American media.

No additional injuries were reported.

According to company spokesperson Corinn Smith, air quality monitoring conducted around the refinery’s perimeter and in nearby residential areas indicated no threat to public safety. It remained unclear, however, whether refinery operations were disrupted by the incident.

Artesia Police Commander Pete Quiñones said police and emergency personnel quickly responded to the scene before the fire was contained. Authorities later confirmed that the smoke had cleared by Friday afternoon and that all previously closed roads had reopened.

The New Mexico Environment Department announced it was dispatching a team to Artesia to evaluate the situation and conduct further air quality assessments.

Located next to the city’s main intersection—a major route connecting the Permian Basin in southeastern New Mexico to other parts of the state—the Navajo Refinery is the largest in New Mexico, with a crude oil processing capacity of 100,000 barrels per day, according to HF Sinclair’s website. It was not immediately known how much crude was being processed when the explosion occurred.

The refinery supplies fuel to markets across the southwestern United States and works in conjunction with another HF Sinclair facility in Lovington, roughly 65 miles (105 kilometres) away.

HF Sinclair, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, operates several other refineries across the country, including in Kansas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Washington state, and Utah.

By Tamilla Hasanova