A massive plume of smoke in Bluebell could be seen for miles and miles on Tuesday. According to the the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office, the smoke came from a large fire burning at an RNI facility on Bluebell Highway northwest of Roosevelt. Originally it was reported that three storage tanks were burning; two of condensate and one of crude oil. By 10pm on Tuesday, it was reported that seven storage tanks were damaged from the fire. No injuries were reported, according to Sheriff David Boren, but the facility was evacuated and access roads to the area were closed. Firefighters from multiple departments responded to the fire and by late Tuesday evening Roosevelt Fire Chief Lee Rockwood shared that while there were no longer flames visible, smoke still rose from the tanks. Duchesne County Fire and Emergency Management Director Mike Lefler is beginning his investigation of the fire on Wednesday. Firefighters also had to handle a small brush fire on Tuesday that was started when a power line came down during the larger fire, according to Rockwood. The brush fire was quickly extinguished once the downed line was de-energized by Moon Lake Electric.
Photo Credit: Thomas Winterton
