A cluster of severe thunderstorms formed over our region on Sunday and produced fierce lightning as well as pea-size hail in the Erin Community. Louisiana State Police Troop D says those same thunderstorms produced a lightning strike that resulted in a fire at a refinery in Lake Charles and also a mandatory evacuation there. The fire occurred shortly before 2:00 at Calcasieu Refining, which is on a small island in Moss Lake, just southwest of Lake Charles. Louisiana State Police say a storage tank containing naphtha was ignited. Naphtha is a flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture which is found in crude oil. Local law enforcement evacuated all residents within 1.5 miles around the facility, and the evacuation order was lifted at 6:00 Sunday morning. Meanwhile, firefighters from several surrounding departments worked to douse the flames. Fortunately, Louisiana State Police didn’t report any injuries.
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Lightning strike ignites a fire at a Lake Charles refinery, prompts evacuation order
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