Oil refinery explosion in Texas

The reader-submitted art on the link ain't bad either. Nice mushroom cloud ...

 

Reports say you could see the mushroom cloud up to 170 miles away (read West Texas is very flat). Also, the explosion was felt 100 miles away. Apparently a car was on the freeway near the plant and had all the windows and its windshield blown out.
I wonder if any semi trucks were in the area. I-20 has a lot of truck traffic and you got to think there would be some trucks nearby.

 

While today's explosion certainly wasn't close to the degree of the Texas City explosion of 1947, it reminded me of Bill Minutaglio's book about that explosion.

The Texas City explosion was caused by 3,000-plus tons of ammonium nitrate exploding. That blast broke windows in Houston, which was about 40 miles away.

 

For the longest time, my dad lived just off Spencer Hwy in LaPorte, which is just loaded with refineries. I was there one Christmas, and in the middle of the night, I awoke to a sound something like someone slamming the bedroom door. Turns out a boiler had exploded at one of the refineries about 10 miles away. Two or three guys were killed. Scary stuff.

 

Only four injuries ... none life-threatening.

Honest Abe was smiling on Big Spring today.

 

They're damn lucky the plant was closed for the holiday.

 

Apparently 170 workers would have normally been inside.

 

Holy hell, that's such a picture. My God.

When I head back home, I pass the Valero refinery in northern Delaware and keep an eye on it, in a bit of awe. It's a pretty big spread. I shudder to think of anything like this happening.

 

Well, to answer the question about gas prices ... up to $2.99 for regular last night at a Valero I passed, where a week ago it was $2.71. (It was still $2.85 last night at the Racetrac down the road ... that'll change.)

Honest Abe was smiling ... but Dishonest Dick is sneering.

 

That company owns all the 7-11s in my town, so I will have to remember to look and see if their gas is more expensive.
Is I-20 back open? I have to drive that way tonight to cover a basketball game and don't want to have to detour.