Seven Injured in Flash Fire at Texas Oil Terminal

An apparent flash fire injured seven workers working on a construction project at Sunoco Logistics crude oil terminal in Nederland, Texas on Friday, a company spokesman said on Saturday.

"Seven employees of a contractor working on site were injured, four of them critically, in what appeared to be a flash fire involving a crude-oil pipeline connection," said Sunoco Logistics spokesman Jeffrey Shields.

"Three of the injured were transported to burn centers via helicopter, four by ambulance to area hospitals."

Marcus McLellan, a spokesman for Jefferson County Sheriff's office told 12NewsNow.com that the fire broke out while the workers were welding.

Shields said the injured workers were employed by L-Con Inc.

"We would like to reassure the public that there was no danger to residents who live near the plant," the sheriff's office said on Facebook (FB).

Crude oil, condensate, naphtha, base and extract oils are stored at the facility, which has a total crude oil storage capacity of approximately 24 million barrels in approximately 130 aboveground storage tanks, according to the company.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Addtional reporting by Erwin Seba in Houston; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Alexander Smith)