VACHERIE, La. – Authorities say one man is dead and three others have been seriously injured in a blast at a south Louisiana oil facility.
State police say the explosion happened about noon Tuesday at a Marathon Petroleum Co. pipeline facility in Vacherie that stores and feeds crude oil to the company's refinery in Garyville.
Police say a crude oil pipeline had been shut down for repairs at the St. James Pipeline Station when a welding crew apparently ignited fumes. There was no fire after the blast, but police say a worker was killed and three others were hospitalized with burns.
A company spokesman had no initial information on the severity of the injuries.
The victims were not immediately identified.