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Indiana refinery fire not expected to hit gas prices much

A fence surrounds the BP refinery October 12, 2007 in Whiting, Indiana. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

CHICAGO (AP) — A major Midwestern oil refinery shut down by a fire should reopen in the next few days, its operators said, and industry experts said the brief shutdown is unlikely to have a major effect on gas prices in the region.

BP said Monday that it expects to resume refinery operations “in the coming days,” and that the company “has deployed all available resources and is working around the clock to bring the Whiting refinery back to normal operations as soon as safely possible.”

Whiting Refinery provides about a quarter of the gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel used by Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois, according to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office.