Evacuations and shelter-in-place orders remained in place for residents and businesses around a lightning-sparked tank fire that sent a plume of smoke over Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Saturday.
By evening, Louisiana State Police determined a lightning strike was the cause of the single-tank fire at the Calcasieu Refining Co. tank farm in Lake Charles shortly before 2 p.m., according to the department.
The company refines crude oil, operates a pipeline, and runs a barge transfer facility for oil products.
No injuries have been reported. The refinery did not answer phone calls seeking comment.
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Mandatory evacuations were in effect for those as far as a 1.5 miles from the tank farm. The outer boundaries of a shelter-in-place order have been reduced from 5 miles to 3 miles, according to the Lake Charles Fire Department.
The fire was still burning around 10 p.m., local time, state police said.
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