3 hurt in incident at BP Cherry Point refinery in WA

Three people were hospitalized following reports of what sounded like an explosion at the BP Cherry Point refinery in Whatcom County on Saturday.

In a statement, BP confirmed there was an incident" at the facility and reported there was no further risk to nearby communities.

All three people had been treated for their injuries and released by Saturday evening, according to BP.

Whatcom County Fire District 7 Chief Ben Boyko said ambulance crews transported three people to a hospital around 10:30 a.m. One person needed advanced life support, while the two others required basic life support.

"We were not involved in any mitigation or operational response activities at the facility," Boyko said in an email.

Boyko said the department only transported three patients. A statement from BP initially said four were injured, but a spokesperson later confirmed the actual number was three patients.

"These individuals have now been treated and released," BP spokesperson : Cesar Rodriguez said around 7:30 p.m. Saturday. "All other staff are accounted for. Our primary concern remains the well-being of these individuals, along with the safety of our workforce and the community. We are conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the incident."

A BP spokesperson did not answer follow-up questions.

Witnesses at the refinery and in Birch Bay heard what sounded like an explosion Saturday morning, according to Bellingham-based Cascadia Daily News. Refinery employees evacuated.

The unspecified incident did not cause any environmental problems, but state officials were notified and continued to monitor the situation, Department of Ecology spokesperson Andrew Wineke said Saturday evening.

The refinery west of Ferndale began operating in 1971 and has about 800 employees, according to Ecology. It turns crude oil into petroleum products.

"At full production, BP is capable of processing approximately 235,000 barrels of crude oil each day, according to Ecology.

In April 2010, seven workers were killed in an explosion at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, about an hour south of BP Cherry Point. Years later, a Chemical Safety Board report documented problems with the Anacortes refinery's machinery, facilities, safety culture and oversight.

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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 4:53 PM.