Axel Royal, a Tulsa, Oklahoma, unit of Swedish grease manufacturer Axel Group, is back in operation after a fire broke out last week. The investigation is ongoing into the cause of the blaze, which sent plumes of black smoke into the air, as firefighters suppressed the flames.
Initial reports suggested the fire was fueled by nearby oil blending and storage tanks. Neighbors said they heard a muffled explosion. Despite the intensity of the blaze, no injuries were reported, and people in the vicinity of the plant were evacuated without incident.
The adjacent Holly Frontier refinery was unaffected, but the company dispatched its onsite fire team to assist in quelling the blaze with a trailer and foam designed for such incidents. They joined Tulsa Fire Department’,s eight engines and two ladders.
“From the time we responded it took around three hours before we ruled the fire as ‘under control’,” Andy Little, Tulsa Fire Department’s public information officer, told Lube Report. “Once the fire was under control, Holly Fire and Tulsa Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team worked together to cover the fire area with foam to prevent reignition.”
Axel Group CEO Johan Stureson, who happened to be in Tulsa for a conference, said the fire started in the western part of the oil blending unit.
Royal Manufacturing, which began operation in the early 20th Century, was acquired by Axel Christiernsson in 2018.