Company confirms second death in March 2 New Mexico refinery fire

Second death at New Mexico refinery confirmed

ARTESIA, N.M. — A second man is confirmed dead in last week’s refinery explosion and fire at Navajo Refinery in the southeastern New Mexico community of Artesia.

Authorities located one body immediately after the March 2 fire, but had said a second man was missing and presumed dead.

Navajo Refinery’s parent company, Holly Corp. of Dallas, announced this weekend that the second fatality has been confirmed.

Artesia police earlier identified the two men as Natividad Andajo of Odessa, Texas, and Victor Villa of Midland, Texas.

Two other workers were injured in the blaze, which Holly says was confined to a new asphalt storage tank under construction away from the refinery’s main operations.

All four workers were employed by a refinery contractor, Northwest Insulation of Texas.