Four injuries in Texas refinery blast: mayor (Big Spring)

[sonias]

Yahoo News 2/18/08
Four injuries in Texas refinery blast: mayor
HOUSTON (Reuters) - Four people were injured on Monday in an explosion and fire at the 67,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Alon USA Energy Inc. refinery in Big Spring, Texas, the town's mayor said.

"There were no life-threatening injuries," Mayor Russ McEwen said at a news conference near the refinery. He told Reuters four people were hurt.

McEwen said company officials told him the fire, which began around 8 a.m. CST, was brought under control by 11 a.m. (1700 GMT), although smoke still poured from the scene, 290 miles west of Dallas. Interstate 20 was closed in the area.

"They feel very comfortable that they are getting everything under control They are making sure hazardous materials are segregated," McEwen said.

"making sure hazardous materials are segregated". That sounds very scary.

Sonia

[sonias]

1. Explosion rocks West Texas refinery, details scarce

Houston Chronicle 2/18/08
Explosion rocks West Texas refinery, details scarce

BIG SPRING — An explosion rocked a West Texas oil refinery Monday in a violent blast that shook buildings miles away and injured at least one person, the company said.

(snip)
The blast sent black smoke billowing into the sky, closed schools, shut down an interstate and left residents rattled.

"It was extremely scary. You shook you were so scared," said Laura McEwen, the wife of Mayor Russ McEwen who lives about two miles from the refinery. "Our walls shook. It jolted your bed. It was like an earthquake."

John Moseley, managing editor of the Big Spring Herald whose downtown office is also about two miles from the refinery, said, "I thought it would knock the walls down."

Two elementary schools were evacuated, then classes were canceled at all nine campuses in the Big Spring school district, said assistant superintendent Carie Dunnam.

Sonia