Oil refinery at Cherry Point back in operation after small fire

Production is back to normal a day after a small fire broke out at the BP Cherry Point refinery near Ferndale.

The fire started around 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 31, in a heat exchanger that feeds into a process unit at the oil refinery, said BP Spokesman Michael Abendhoff.

The unit was evacuated. The fire was put out within the hour, and no one was injured. Whatcom County Fire District 7 was notified of the fire but was not called in, Abendhoff said.

Abendhoff said area residents may see some increased flaring Wednesday, June 1, but otherwise the facility is back to running normally.

This story was originally published June 1, 2016 at 11:10 AM with the headline "Oil refinery at Cherry Point back in operation after small fire."