A Red Cross spokeswoman said shortly after the mandatory evacuation order was lifted that its volunteers would remain on scene to provide those fighting the fire with food, water and other assistance as needed. She said they expected to be working through the night.

A half-mile radius surrounding the refinery was evacuated with police going door-to-door telling residents east of the refinery to leave. Residents along 800 West between 2100 South and 2600 South were ordered to leave their homes, Bassett said.

Jason and Jana Pace were told to evacuate with their children. They packed up their SUV with car seats, their dog and a blanket headed toward the evacuation center at Woods Cross High School.

"We don't think it will be very bad. We expect to be back home in about an hour or so," Jason Pace said at the time.

But authorities expected the fire to burn well into the night.

The Paces' 7-year-old daughter, Madeline, appeared nervous as they left their neighborhood. "I'm scared," she said, "because fire is scary."

Dean Erickson, 52, has lived near the refinery for years. He watched the fire for about 30 minutes before police knocked on his door and told his family to leave.

Erickson said he has seen fires at nearby refineries before, but this is the first time he has ever been evacuated.

"We finished up dinner real quick — had to have that — and grabbed some clothes and then left," he said.

Bassett said residents will be evacuated "though the night."

The Utah Transit Authority also halted its commuter rail service, which passes right by the Silver Eagle Refinery. UTA set up a bus bridge transporting commuters between the Salt Lake City Central station and Woods Cross, authority spokeswoman Carrie Bohnsack-Ware said.

This is not the first fire at the Silver Eagle refinery. In 2007, a fire sent a heavy plume of black smoke into the air. In that blaze, authorities shut off a fuel supply valve and let the blaze burn itself out.

Bassett said firefighters in the area receive specialized training in College Station, Texas, to learn how to battle a refinery fire. The refineries themselves pay for the training, he said.

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com; jhancock@desnews.com