McKee refinery fire
Encyclopedia
The McKee refinery fire on Sunday, 29 July, 1956 was a severe fire-related mass casualty event, killing 19 firefighters. The fire is considered to have the fourth (the September 11 attacks being first) most casualties of fire fighters in the United states for a single fire event. Their names are engraved at the firefighters' memorial on the grounds of the Texas state capitol. Another memorial is on the grounds of the Moore Country courthouse.
The refinery, located seven miles from Sunray, Texas
, included a spherical tank containing half a million gallons of pentane
and hexane
. Vapors escaped from the tank and migrated downhill toward other installations. The vapors ignited, probably near an asphalt plant and travelled back toward the tank. There the flames consumed the escaping vapors, forcing firefighters to use water to cool nearby tanks to prevent further spread.
The volunteer fire crews from nearby Sunray
and Dumas
were fighting the fire in a conventional manner while the decision was made to reduce the amount of liquid in the burning tank. This increased the volume of the tank filled with explosive vapors. A few minutes before seven in the morning, an hour after the blaze began, the tank ruptured as the remaining fluid in the tank boiled
, increasing the gas pressure past the bursting point.
Sixteen firefighters died at the scene, three more perished later succumbing to burns. An additional thirty-two people, firefighters and sight-seers were injured. The blast ignited three additional storage tanks. The fire overwhelmed the resources available and was allowed to burn itself out overnight.
Window on the Plains Museum
Window on the Plains Museum offers displays of ranching, farming, industrial, business, and family life exhibits of the Texas Panhandle during the late 19th and 20th centuries. It is located in Dumas, the seat of Moore County, at 1820 South Dumas Avenue on the common United States Highways 287 and 87...
The refinery, located seven miles from Sunray, Texas
Sunray, Texas
Sunray is a city in Moore County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,950 at the 2000 census.- History :Sunray, Texas was founded by Jack Clarence Collins. He was born in Hartley, Texas in 1893, and in 1902 moved to Channing, Texas with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. E.S. Collins...
, included a spherical tank containing half a million gallons of pentane
Pentane
Pentane is an organic compound with the formula C5H12 — that is, an alkane with five carbon atoms. The term may refer to any of three structural isomers, or to a mixture of them: in the IUPAC nomenclature, however, pentane means exclusively the n-pentane isomer; the other two being called...
and hexane
Hexane
Hexane is a hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C6H14; that is, an alkane with six carbon atoms.The term may refer to any of four other structural isomers with that formula, or to a mixture of them. In the IUPAC nomenclature, however, hexane is the unbranched isomer ; the other four structures...
. Vapors escaped from the tank and migrated downhill toward other installations. The vapors ignited, probably near an asphalt plant and travelled back toward the tank. There the flames consumed the escaping vapors, forcing firefighters to use water to cool nearby tanks to prevent further spread.
The volunteer fire crews from nearby Sunray
Sunray, Texas
Sunray is a city in Moore County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,950 at the 2000 census.- History :Sunray, Texas was founded by Jack Clarence Collins. He was born in Hartley, Texas in 1893, and in 1902 moved to Channing, Texas with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. E.S. Collins...
and Dumas
Dumas, Texas
Dumas is a city in Moore County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,747 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Moore County. Located approximately fifty miles north of Amarillo, the city is named for...
were fighting the fire in a conventional manner while the decision was made to reduce the amount of liquid in the burning tank. This increased the volume of the tank filled with explosive vapors. A few minutes before seven in the morning, an hour after the blaze began, the tank ruptured as the remaining fluid in the tank boiled
BLEVE
A boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion occurs when a vessel containing a pressurized liquid above its boiling point ruptures.-Mechanism:...
, increasing the gas pressure past the bursting point.
Sixteen firefighters died at the scene, three more perished later succumbing to burns. An additional thirty-two people, firefighters and sight-seers were injured. The blast ignited three additional storage tanks. The fire overwhelmed the resources available and was allowed to burn itself out overnight.