KENOSHA, Wis. — Gas prices are on the rise in Kenosha, jumping nearly 40 cents in just a few hours following a deadly explosion at a BP refinery in Ohio.
BP officials said two staff members were injured in the fire on Tuesday night. A spokesperson confirmed early Wednesday that the two workers had succumbed to their injuries.
Anthony Perrine, the owner of Lou Perrine's Gas and Groceries in Kenosha, says the BP Ohio refinery produced nearly 6.4 million gallons of gas each day, which will now be off the market.
"They supply a large chunk of the midwest so Michigan Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin," said Perrine.
According to Gas Buddy, in Kenosha County on Thursday, gas prices ranged between $3.16 to $3.39 per gallon. By Friday afternoon, prices rose by nearly 40 cents at several different gas stations.
"It completely flipped and was up about 40 cents and it is basically stemming from the refinery in Ohio," said Perrine.
The refinery has been shut down and is expected to be offline for the next week, potentially posing a regional supply chain issue.
Lou Perrine's posted this warning Friday morning:
"Tomorrow morning I have to go up on gas. If the market closes and it is up another 30 cents you could see gas station costs around $3.70 to $3.80 a gallon," said Perrine.
According to AAA, the Ohio BP refinery explosion has not made a significant dent in Milwaukee County's gas prices just yet but they say it is possible prices could fluctuate.
Friday morning in Shorewood, the BP gas station near Santa Monica and Hampton rose by 10 cents moving from $3.55 a gallon to $3.69.
