BP explosion may have been five separate blasts: investigators

BP explosion may have been five separate blasts: investigators

Clear Lake, Texas (Platts)--28Apr2005


The massive explosion that ripped through BP's refinery in Texas City, Texas,
Mar 23, killing 15 people, may have consisted of as many as five separate
but simultaneous blasts, investigators said Thursday, adding they still do not
know what ignited the fireball. 

One of the explosions occurred underneath a double-wide trailer located just
outside the refinery's isomerization unit, where the primary damage occurred,
officials from the US Chemical Safety Board told reporters in a briefing on
the status of the probe. Investigators said the explosions were not indicative
of a single release of vapors. And while the probe has yet to determine what
the ignition source was, they said the source is less important to the
investigation than what caused the actual buildup of vapors in and around the
isomerization unit.

This story was originally published in Platts Petrochemical Alert
http://www.petrochemcialalert.platts.com

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