FACTORY, GENERATING PLANT, PIPELINE EXPLOSIONS AND FIRES
I first started thinking about electrical generating plant explosions when one blew up in my
neighborhood in February 1999. Well, it wasn't right in the neighborhood, but close by. I was
involved with an urban ministry that took trucks out three nights a week to visit homeless people
who were not living in shelters. There were two groups of homeless people living in pallet
houses in the large open fields that surrounded this plant (which was about 3 miles from the
neighborhood in which I lived). I drove by it every week on our delivery route. Late one night,
the windows rattled and there was a loud boom of an explosion destroying 15% of the generating
capacity of Kansas City Power and Light. I moved out of Kansas City in April, so I don't know
if they've been experiencing summer blackouts as a result.
More recently, this subject came up as a discussion thread on the Time Bomb/Yourdon list and I
started exchanging some private email with others about this. There seems to be a feeling that
beginning with the fall of 1998, there has been an increase in such incidents. So I have started
doing web searches of newspaper archives, others have contributed information in the thread
found on government and industry publication sites, and I have received some private email.
Below is the list as of July 21, 1998. I have some info on 1998 explosions that I haven't sorted
through yet to add to the list.
What does this mean? Too early to tell, but what I'm concerned about is the possibility that this
is the "leading edge" of year 2000 disruptions degrading the infrasructure. Explosions and fires
can happen at any time, and for many different reasons, and I am not saying that all of the events
listed below are y2k related. So research will continue, and others may be doing some
math/probability calculations on them. This page will be updated as new information comes
available.
Most of the ones I have found have some info about my source and any info I had about the effects or whys of the event. The others were taken from lists compiled and posted in the time bomb 2000 forum. ... Y2K and Civil Society ... Preparedness Nuggets
Printable flyers for distribution during y2k disruptions
8/13/90 California Carson Arco
8/24/90 California Shell
9/28/90 California Bakersfield San Joaquin Refinery broken seal on vacuum tower pump
8/8/91 California Wilmington Unocal crude oil spill
10/8/92 California Wilmington Texaco worn pipe
9/25/93 California Santa Fe Springs
12/1/94 California Torrance
6/1/95 California Rodeo Unocal
10/16/95 Pennsylvania Rouseville Pennzoil
1996, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Exxon Refinery explosion and chemical leak (private email)
4/11/96 Michigan Detroit Marathon
5/17/96 California Rodeo Unocal
10/19/96 Illinois Blue Island Clark Oil
11/11/96 California Los Angeles Texaco hydrotreater
1996, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Exxon Refinery explosion and chemical leak
1/22/97 California Martinez Tosco
5/13/97 Texas Corpus Christi
5/16/97 Minnesota St. Paul Park Ashland
6/22/97 Texas Houston Shell
11/8/97 Minnesota Rosemount Koch
1998
March 4, 1998, Louisiana, Pitkin, Sonat oil separation facility
March 27, 1998 Louisiana, Hanville, Union Carbide plant
April 8, 1998, New Jersey, Paterson, Morton Specialty Chemical company, explosion
July 2, 1998, Alaska, Homer, ammonia leak and explosion at a seafood processing plant,
7/4/98 Illinois Roxana airborne oil spray release
7/13/98 Oklahoma Ardmore fluid catalytic cracking unit fire
July 15, 1998, Illinois, Commonwealth Edison, fire in coal fired electrical plant
7/23/98 Texas Texas City out of service rpu explosion
July 28, 1998 Indiana Hammond Southern Energy generating plant (allegedly coal dust)
7/29/98 California Martinez smoky fire, crude oil unit
8/3/98 California Rodeo gas leak forced shut down
August 19, 1998, California, Carson, Arco Oil Refinery, (explosion during welding)
August 21, 1998, Ohio, Ironton, Allied Signal coal tar plant, one dead
8/24/98 Minnesota St. Paul Park Marathon-Ashland oil refinery
8/25/98 California Martinez Tosco oil refinery
August 27, 1998, Missouri, Joplin, incinerator explosion, 1 killed, 2 injured,
September 3, 1998, Oklahoma, Springer, two men are killed while repairing a pipeline (frozen to
death by liquid nitrogen)
September 25, 1998 Australia Victoria, Esso Longford, gas plant explosions
September 28, 1998, Sioux Falls, SD, Woods Equipment Manufacturer, paint thinner reclaiming
machine explodes when turned on, one killed
10/8/98 California Carson corp explosion & fire
October 13, 1998, Maryland, Baltimore, Condea Vista Company, chemical plant explosion, benzene and hydrochloric acid released, nearby residents ordered to stay indoors
10/16/98 Pennsylvania Trainer Tosco jet fuel tank
10/18/98 Montana Laurel pipeline carrying diesel in oil refinery ruptures, explosion & fire
10/23/98 North Dakota Mandan crude oil unit fire
October 24, 1998, gas well explosion kills 7, Louisiana, Bryceland, Sonat Exploration Company,
(close to Shreveport)
11/23/98 Texas Pasadena
11/25/98 Washington Anacortes Equilon Puget Sound "coker"
12/11/98 Pennsylvania Trainer Tosco burning truck spread to oil pipeline
12/15/98 Texas Corpus Christi
1999
January 2, 1999, Pennsylvania, West Chester, fire and explosions at Sartomer Co. chemical plant forces evacuations,
January 3, 1999, Virginia, Wytheville, explosion at natural gas substation, 1500 customers lose service, visible 20 miles away, house and business destroyed. Roanoke times.
1/4/99 Ohio Oregon fire
1/5/99 Illinois Chicago HS release
January 5 1999, Minnesota, transformer explosion at Prairie Island nuclear power station affects plant operations, caused one reactor to shut down.
1/9/99 California Southgate fire & explosion
January 10, 1999, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, ABERDEEN AMERICAN NEWS, natural gas explosion in the base's environmental plant.
January 12, 1999, Florida, Marieville, explosion at bolt-making plant kills 2 workers, THE MIAMI HERALD, Infasco corp.
1/13/99 Arkansas Smackover Cross Oil Naptha Valve, 3 deaths
January 14, 1999 Duluth, Potlatch Corp strandboard plant, propane-fired pollution control device exploision, DULUTH NEWS-TRIBUNE
January 21, 1999, state ? Columbus, machine explodes, kills worker, East Central Wax Co.
LEDGER-ENQUIRER
January 22 (?) 1999, Alabama, Bridgeport, natural gas line explosion, 3 killed, dozens of businesses damaged. LEDGER-ENQUIRER
January 26, 1999, California, Long Beach, "plant explosion," PRESS-TELEGRAM, "gas may have ignited boxes".
January 27, 1999 Canada, British Columbia, Taylor, Solex Gas Liquids Plant Explosion (caused
by accidental gas leak)
February 1, 1999 Michigan, Dearborn, power plant at Ford Rouge plant explodes, several workers killed, Ford manufacturing system thrown into disarray.
February 7, 1999, Canada, Alberta, natural gas pipeline explosion, creates mushroom cloud seen 62 miles away. The Arizona Republic.
02/09/99, California, Dixon, liquid fertilizer tank explosion, one killed, two injured, CONTRA COSTA TIMES
February 11, 1999, California, Hollister, explosion at explosive manufacturer, 1 death, Published on 03/05/99, SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
February 17, 1999, Missouri, Kansas City, power plant explodes.
02/19/99, Indiana, FORT WAYNE, rail car explosion at cement plant, Journal Gazette
February 19, 1999 Pennsylvania, Allentown, Concept Sciences plant, explosion during distillation of hydroxylamine, 5 killed, 14 injured
February 23, 1999, Ohio, Dayton, Miami Valley Paper Company, explosion, fire, orange die leak (3 incidents in one day)
2/24/99 California Martinez Tosco refinery
2/24/99 Indiana Lamont crude oil unit fire
February 24, 1999, Miami Florida, Transformer fire (near I595 and US 441)
February 26, 1999, California, San Bernardino County, STORAGE TANK BLAZE CAUSES EVACUATION OF POWER PLANT: SOLAR FACILITY: LIQUID EXPLODES; AIR TRAFFIC HAS TO BE RE-ROUTED.
February 26, 1999, Massachusetts, Springfield, Jahn Foundry, one killed, 11 injured.
3/4/99 Washington Anacortes explosion in polymerization unit
Published on 03/08/99, Michigan, Plainwell, natural gas line explosion THE JOURNAL GAZETTE GAS PIPELINE BLAST LIGHTS MICHIGAN SKY PLAINWELL, Mich. --
March 25, 1999, Boston Globe, analysts say the Ukraine is so broke it has stopped funding most nuclear reactor safety maintenance.
3/25/99 California Richmond Chevron refinery; due to a glitch, warning phone calls relating to the explosion went to Martinez instead of the nearer neighbors in Richmond.
March 27, 1999, explosion in magnesium dust collection system, Olney Bicycle parts plant, Evansville Courier and Pres (Illinois), Weinmann Inc.
March 29, 1999, Michigan, Osseo, Professional Fireworks Company, 4 dead (had a previous
explosion 12-98, 7 deaths, business closed down after this last explosion)(.
4/2/99 California Torrance isobutane leak
April 6, 1999, Ohio, East Akron, Forest Technical Corp, tank explosion (wax vat)
April 8, 1999, Tampa, Florida, TECO Energy Company power plant explosion (hydrogen leak), 3 killed, 49 injured, 39 hospitalized (Miami Herald, eventually blamed on worker) On April 9, 1999, article appeared in the Bradenton (Florida) Herald, stating that almost all power plants use hydrogen to cool their generators. . . "It must be used in a closed system." I am reminded of the Hindenburg (not an explosion story, just a reminder.)
April 13, 1999, South Carolina, Orangeburg, chemical plant explosion, 1 killed, 1 seriously injured, The State
April 14, 1999, Arizona, Tempe, Heraeus Amersil, hydrogen supply line explosion, Arizona Republic
April 14, 1999, Tampa, Florida, power plant explosion (hydrogen leak), 2 killed (? same as April 8 above?)
4/14/99 Washington Anacortes Equilon Puget Sound acid leak
April 15, 1999, Indiana, Notre Dame, fire and explosion in power plant of Notre Dame University, 2 injured.
April 15, 1999, Tennessee, Toone, Kilgore Operations Plant explosion (munitions)
4/19/99 Indiana Whiting jet fuel cracking unit
April 20, 1999, Indiana, Gary, BP Amoco explosion and fire, leaking jet fuel in crude refining unit, Post Tribune
April 21, 1999, Schuykill County, Pennsylvania, Copperhead Chemical Co., explosion in mixing and packing section, pharmaceutical manufacturer, 2 killed
April 23, 1999, Illinois, Evansville (?), Rubber shredding facility explosion, 100 firefighters summoned, Evansville Courier Press
4/25/99 Oklahoma Tulsa coker restart
April-May 1999 (date uncertain), Holly Power Plant, Austin, Texas, fire.
5/7/99 Texas Pasadena Lyondell-Citgo coker
May 12, 1999, Alabama, Decatur, Daikin America chemical plant explosion, 3 dead, Ledger Enquirer
May 13, 1999 Korea Ulsan refinery fire (world's largest refinery)
May 14, 1999, Coastal Corp refinery explosion, 10 injured, Greensboro News Record, location ?
5/14/99 Texas Corpus Christi Coast gasoline production unit
May 18, 1999, South Carolina, Cardenal Chemical Company, fire, The State
May 24, 1999, Ahaz, Iran, gas pipeline explosion (during a repair), 70 injured, San Jose Mercury
June 1, 1999, Pennsylvania, Conway (and elsewhere) rail problems/congestion/missing late loads, unknown destinations begin as a result of computer problems incident to the merger of Conrail and Norfolk Southern railroads.
June 10, 1999. Washington, Bellingham, 250,000 gallons gasoline leak into creek, explode, kill 3
young people, could have been much worse, computer failure
6/14/99 Tennessee Memphis leak from storage tank
6/23/99 California Torrance Mobil
6/24/99 Texas Houston
July 1, 1999, Missouri, Jackson County (KC), Missouri Public Service substation explodes.
July ? 1999, Louisiana, Convent, Zeno chemical plant fire and explosion (private email)
July 5, 1999 Louisiana, Grammercy alumina plant explosion (24 workers injured) Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Company
July 6, 1999, California, Los Angeles, produce district warehouse explosion, 1 killed
July 7, 1999, DC, Washington, Office of Pipeline Safety issues advisory to pipeline operators advising them to check computer systems in the wake of the computer problems that caused the Bellingham explosion.
July 6-7, 1999, blackouts in New York City, (not explosion related, just a footnote.)
July 7, 1999, Nuclear Regulatory Commission announces that 1/3 of active nuclear power plants in the US are not y2k compliant at this time.
July 9, 1999, Texas, Panola County, near Beckville, 30 inch natural gas pipeline explosion and fire (reported in Shreveport media, fire was 400 yards long and hundreds of feet in the air)
7/10/99 California Chevron
July 11, 1999, Alaska, whistleblowers report that the Alaskan Pipeline is in imminent danger of an explosion or other accident causing damage "much worse" than the Exxon Valdez incident.
July 12, 1999, Rio Rancho NM y2k sewer problem
July 12, 99 Japan, Fukui Prefecture, radiation leak (250X safety limit)
July 13, 1999, North Sea, Britannia gas field, production is halted due to a gas leak.
July 14, 1999, President Clinton establishes National Infrastructure Assurance Council,
July 14, 1999, Chemical reaction container overheats, sends 25 to hospital, Azusa, California
July 15, 1999, CNN reports "somber faces" and bad news at a Senate hearing on y2k readiness of cities.
July 16, 1999, 100,000 phone lines knocked out by fire in Toronto, has domino effect as far away as Vancouver.
July 16(?), 99, California Richmond Chevron (2nd at 03-25-99 plant incident)
July 16, 1999, Maryland, Baltimore, Bethlehem Steel (explosion during a spraying/coating operation) (Baltimore Sun)
July 17, 1999, Phone service lost in parts of Canada due to fire.
July 17, 1999, Pennsylvania, Harleysville, metal manufacturing facility, Philadelphia Inquirer
July 20, 1999, Chemical spill, Iowa City, Iowa
Sometime around July 19-20, explosion in Oolagah, Oklahoma, perhaps a transformer fire at a generating plant (still accumulating details on this one).
Sometime around "week before July 29th", 1999, Board of Public Utilities Nearman Power Plant in Kansas City, Kansas, conveyor fire takes plant out of operation.
July 25, 1999, Cartagena, Colombia, transformer/generator explosion, six killed, "during routine maintenance."
July 26, 1999 Sibbald crude oil production valley, Arcadia Valley, Alberta, Canada, explosion and fire, one worker killed
July 28, 1999, Mobile Oil Company refinery explosion, Torrance, California
August 5, 1999, Bulgarian power plant "unexpectedly" shuts down, blackout throughout Kosovo.
August 9, 1999, Hub Oil Company, Alberta, Canada, oil recycling plant, explosion and fire.
August 9, 1999, Citgo Refinery, Corpus Christi, Texas, 1 worker killed,
August 10, 1999, Chevron Gas Plant, Wortham, Texas
August 10, 1999, gas pipeline explosion, Austin, Texas
August 11, 1999, Refinery explosion and fire, Dallas, Texas.