Fire at HF Sinclair Refinery
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Facility and Industry Summary
The HF Sinclair refinery in Tulsa is a petroleum refining facility with a crude oil processing capacity of approximately 125,000 barrels per stream day. The complex is integrated with base oil and lubricant production, manufacturing specialized products such as horticultural oils, waxes, and asphalt modifiers. The facility operates within the downstream petroleum sector, processing both sweet and sour crude oil.
Incident Summary
On Monday, May 11, 2026, a fire occurred at the HF Sinclair Tulsa refinery located in west Tulsa. The incident produced a visible plume of black smoke and flames that were observed from several miles away. While local fire crews responded to the area around 11:00 a.m., the refinery’s internal emergency brigade controlled and extinguished the blaze. Early reports indicate there were no immediate impacts on refinery production.
Speculation on Cause
Observations from the scene identified a charred vehicle positioned adjacent to a large industrial storage tank.
The fire may have originated from a mechanical or electrical failure in the vehicle, which then spread to the tank’s secondary components. Alternatively, a localized leak of flammable material from the tank or its associated piping may have been ignited by the vehicle's engine or exhaust system.
Standards
API RP 753 (Management of Hazards Associated with Location of Process Plant Portable Buildings) and related site-specific safety protocols generally govern the proximity of vehicles and non-essential equipment to process areas. Adherence to these standards could have addressed the hazard by establishing strict "no-parking" buffer zones around storage tanks containing flammable liquids. By maintaining a defined separation distance, the facility could have limited the potential for a vehicle fire to serve as an ignition source for stationary equipment or for a process leak to be ignited by a vehicle.
Top Sources of Information
Tulsa World: Local news coverage regarding the response and status of the fire.
HF Sinclair Corporation Official Site: Technical specifications regarding the Tulsa refinery's capacity and operations.
EPA OSC Response: Information regarding facility infrastructure and drainage protocols (based on historical release data).