April O'Neil / Tom Tolen news@WHMI.com

White Lake Township released an update on an explosion that occurred at a crude oil refinery near Young and Bogie Lake Roads Friday evening.

Nearby residents expressed concerns after a loud explosion and large smoke plume was detected near the oil well during the late evening hours.

Township Supervisor Rik Kowall on Monday, Nov. 27 issued a statement to the public regarding the incident:



“Dear Residents of White Lake,

The Township would like to provide an update regarding the explosion and subsequent fire that occurred on the evening of Friday, November 24th at an operational oil well off Young Street, west of Bogie Lake Road and south of M-59. For those who may be wondering, this well has been operational since 1995.

The site is currently being cleaned up by its owners under the supervision of the State of Michigan and led by the Michigan Department of Environmental, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

There are no underground storage tanks, vessels, or pipelines at this site. All storage was above ground in a specifically designed containment berm and the containment berm operated as designed. The clean-up will be the first step in this process and once the site is clean, this will allow for a thorough investigation.

White Lake Township takes this event very seriously and public safety is our goal. Results may take some time but once the investigation is complete, we will share that information with the public.

The operation and licensing of the well is the responsibility of EGLE, further inquiries can be addressed to them @ 1-800-662-9278.”





The crude oil refinery is owned by Hound Resources, whose headquarters are located in West Branch, MI.

The explosion occurred at about 10:23 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 24th and the refinery was quickly engulfed in flames.

Bogie Lake Road from M-59 to Biscayne Boulevard was closed Friday night as a result of the fire. Air quality in the vicinity was being monitored by the Oakland County Hazardous Materials Response Team.

A link to the original story as reported by WHMI’s Tom Tolen is provided. An additional link to the White Lake Township Facebook page is also provided.

Photo is courtesy of The Detroit News.