EL DORADO, Kan. (KSNW) — The Butler County Sheriff said everyone is safe, after investigating a call at the Holly Frontier Refinery in El Dorado Wednesday night that prompted evacuations.
Sheriff Kelly Herzet said Butler County 911 received a call around 10:30 p.m. from a contractor at the refinery who said he saw three men, one with an assault rifle, walking in the crude area of the refinery. Emergency crews responded and worked with the company to evacuate workers or keep people contained, while crews did a search.
The search ended around 5:00 a.m. Thursday and emergency crews said they did not find anyone or any threat to the facility and gave the “all clear” for workers to return.
“The refinery is safe, the schools are safe, the county is safe,” said Herzet as emergency crews were leaving the facility around 6:00 a.m. Workers were also being allowed back into the refinery to get back to work.
“We have interviewed this gentleman, we have released him to his company, not sure if any charges are going to be pending at this point,” said Herzet of the man who called in the report.
Butler County authorities received help from the Harvey County SWAT team, and the Kansas Highway Patrol and said the refinery was essential in helping them with the investigation evacuating the workers as emergency crews set up a perimeter. Herzet said there weren’t any security cameras in the area that could corroborate the man’s report.
“As we interviewed him we started doubting him more and more about some of the stories he was telling us, but to be on the safe side along with the folks here at the refinery, we thought it would be in everybody’s best interest to still go ahead and search this area,” said Herzet.
There were no injuries reported and Herzet said business will continue as normal at the refinery Thursday.
