Police, Fire Departments Respond to Gas Leak at St. Paul Park Refinery

Updated: November 29, 2:30 p.m.:

Northern Tier Energy said their St. Paul Park oil refinery is up and running at full capacity after a Tuesday afternoon gas leak, but officials are keeping quiet about details related to the leak.

Tracy Johnson, a spokesperson for Northern Tier, said she didn't know what type of gas leaked, the cause of the leak, whether employees inhaled the leaked gas, or whether any further investigation into the leak was being conducted.

When asked if any more details about the leak would be released, she responded, "I don’t think we would give them out even if we did [know]."

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Officials are investigating the cause of a gas leak today at the Northern Tier Energy oil refinery in St. Paul Park.

"At 1:30 p.m. a process leak was detected, possibly from an exchanger," said Tracy Johnson, a human resources consultant for Northern Tier. "The immediate area outside the unit was cleared and no hydrocarbon readings are being detected inside or outside of the plant of in the outside community."

St. Paul Park police and fire departments are on site, and other local departments were put on standby. (Inver Grove Heights police were not notified.)

"All personnel have been accounted for and there are no reported injuries," Johnson said.