Unplanned Shutdown Leads to Refinery Flare

The sky lights up when workers flared a refinery after a partial shutdown at an oil refinery in Kalaeloa, HI.

After a malfunction at the oil refinery in Kalaeloa in Hawaii, a large flare released and lit up the sky in West Oahu Thursday.

Par Hawaii Refining officials said there was an unplanned shutdown in one of the units around 9 p.m. and as a safety measure, workers are trained to burn off material to depressurize the facility. 

RELATED STORIES
Firefighter Injured in NJ Industrial Fire
Delaware City Refinery Fire Preventable: CSB
9 Hurt in Fire at Flooded Mexican Refinery
Chevron Probes HazMat Spill Near Refinery

The cause of the shutdown remains unclear, said a refinery spokesperson. 

Par Hawaii is one of the largest oil refineries in the state.

It has the capacity to handle 94,000 barrels of crude oil per day. 

A similar incident occurred earlier Thursday, when Island Energy Services’ refinery experienced an unplanned shutdown at approximately 5:30 a.m. A large flame was also visible.