Crude oil caught fire inside a furnace, causing the blaze at the Silver Eagle Refinery, 2355 S. 1100 West, around 7:45 p.m., said South Davis Metro Fire Deputy Chief Jim Rampton.
No one was injured and few workers were at the refinery Sunday night, Rampton said.
Firefighters contained the blaze within 15 minutes and had it extinguished 30 minutes later as refinery workers shut off oil valves, Rampton said.
Rampton called the blaze "impressive," saying it engulfed the furnace, which is about 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide. The furnace is used to heat crude oil to extract petroleum and other derivatives.
No homes were threatened by the flames, but the fire closed 1100 West in the immediate vicinity of the refinery.
A 2005 blaze occurred at the Silver Eagle Refinery after a diesel line erupted inside a furnace. No one was injured in that fire.
