Power outage at Great Falls oil refinery

GREAT FALLS, Mont. - An unplanned transformer outage led to a power outage at Calumet Montana oil refinery on Thursday morning, according to a press release from the company.

The company said that neighbors may see "increased flaring," which is a safety process that burns excess gases and prevents pressure buildup.

"This flaring is expected under these circumstances and is not a cause for concern," Calumet Montana said. "Increased flaring may continue until power is restored and systems are able to return to normal operations."

The company said a timeline for when power would be restored was unavailable.

"As always, the health and safety of our team members and the surrounding community are Calumet's top priority," Calumet Montana said. "All plant personnel are safe and there is no threat to the community."