At least 3 hurt in incident at BP Cherry Point refinery in Whatcom County

Three people were hospitalized following reports of what sounded like an explosion at the BP Cherry Point refinery in Whatcom County on Saturday.

In a statement, BP confirmed there was an incident” at the facility and reported there was no further risk to nearby communities.

Whatcom County Fire District 7 Chief Ben Boyko said the department transported three people to a hospital around 10:30 a.m. One person needed advanced life support, while the two others required basic life support.

“We were not involved in any mitigation or operational response activities at the facility,” Boyko said in an email.

Boyko said the department only transported three patients, but a statement from BP said four were injured. It’s unclear what caused the disparity.

“We can confirm four people have been injured and have been transported to a hospital,” BP’s statement reads. “All other staff is accounted for. Our top priority is the safety of our employees, contractors, and the community. We will share additional information as it becomes available.”

A BP spokesperson did not immediately answer questions about the incident.

The refinery west of Ferndale began operating in 1971 and has about 800 employees, according to the state Department of Ecology. It turns crude oil into petroleum products.

“At full production, BP is capable of processing approximately 235,000 barrels of crude oil each day, according to Ecology.

In April 2010, seven employees were killed in an explosion at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, about an hour south of BP Cherry Point. Years later, a Chemical Safety Board report documented problems with the Anacortes refinery’s machinery, facilities, safety culture and oversight.