4 Injured As Blasts Rock N.M. Refinery

[BEER980]

There has been too many incidents lately like this.

GALLUP, N.M. (AP)--Two explosions followed by fire rocked a gasoline refinery Thursday, seriously injuring four people, officials said.

Smoke billowed from the east side of the Giant Industries refinery about 15 miles east of Gallup in western New Mexico as rescue crews converged on the scene. State police Lt. Jimmy Glascock said a piece of equipment used to make high-octane fuel exploded, and that blast caused the second one.

The fire was quickly contained, but white smoke continued to escape the refinery's lattice of pipes and equipment, now blackened from the heat. Firefighters sprayed water to cool it down as small flames flickered amid the wreckage. The injured were taken to Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital in Gallup, and three of the four were later being moved to the University of New Mexico Hospital's burn unit in Albuquerque. Their names were not immediately available.

Sheriff's Lt. John Yearly said the refinery employs ``a couple hundred'' people, who were evacuated. A travel center about a quarter mile south of the refinery was also evacuated, he said. Nearby Interstate 40 remained open, but authorities were discouraging travel in the area. Giant Industries spokesman Mark Cox said in a statement that the company did not know the cause of the explosions or the extent of the damage. It was sending officials to the scene.

A nearby propane pipeline was vented after the explosions and the gas burned off, Glascock said.


AP-NY-04-08-04 1525EDT


Source

[azsnowman]

OH CRAP! This is the refinery where we get our fuel from up here in Pinetop, I've passed this refinery MANY times on our way to ALBQ New Mexico.......well, there goes gas prices AGAIN! Sorry, didn't mean to sound unsensitive.....hope those folks are OK!

Dennis

[Corona]

- - - the company did not know the cause of the explosions or the extent of the damage. It was sending officials to the scene. - - -

Do we smell a rat???

[azsnowman]

As Beer said, this is happening WAY too many times. Now this may sound a little off keel BUT......we were talking about this at the supper table last night, COULD the OIL COMPANIES be behind this? I know, it sounds a LITTLE CRAZY BUT....these dam oil companies have NO SCRUPPLES what so ever. There was a story on the news last night also about the refineries in Calif. over "HALF" are off line, WHY? To push the price up even HIGHER! "B##TURDS!" The oil companies, IMHO, are as BAD, if not WORSE than OBL and Al Q!

Dennis

[weatherlover427]

Crap, not AGAIN. Not good with summer driving season coming up in 1 1/2 months...

[BEER980]

I do not think the oil companies themselves would sabotage their own plants. I think it could be smaller attacks meant to probe our response. We have 3 of these events and several train derailments over the last 2 weeks. Then again it could be carelessness.

[streetsoldier]

BEER, there's an old British Army saying..."Once, happenstance; twice, coincidence; three times, it's enemy action!"

I believe you may have a very valid, if disturbing point here.