Phillips 66 indicated that it could be weeks before work resumes on cleanup of a former DX-Sunray refinery near Comanche in southwest Oklahoma because of the presence of dangerous and possibly toxic fumes coming from the site.
Over the past few weeks, there have been instances of neighbors turning ill and requiring medical treatment due to fumes coming from the former oil refinery that was closed in 1983. The site covers 466 acres north of Comanche.
Phillips 66 has been undertaking environmental cleanup under the guidance of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. But the cleanup was stopped last week, according to a spokesman “out of an abundance of caution.”
The company intends to collect air samples to determine the safety of moving ahead with the cleanup.
“Once the data has been analyzed, we will provide an update regarding the results of the testing and work with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality to determine next steps for our remediation activities,” said spokesman Dennis Nuss.
“No additional work will be performed until the results are available and we have reaffirmed that workers at the site and the community are safe,” he added.