Incident Date: August 17, 1975
Department: Philadelphia Fire Department (PA)
Number of Line-of-Duty Deaths: 8
Eight Philadelphia firefighters were killed in a fire and explosion at the Gulf Oil Refinery: John J. Andrews, Joseph R. Wiley, Roger T. Parker Jr., Hugh J. McIntrye, Robert J. Fisher, Ralph J. Campana, James J. Pouliot, and Carroll K. Brenek. The fire began when an 80,000-barrel tank ignited while being filled with oil from a tanker. The ship was not damaged, and the fire was brought under control; however, the facility’s sewage system failed to drain off oil that was spilled from the fire. Fumes backed up and it flashed followed by a first and second explosion. Within minutes the fire jumped to 11 alarms, calling in 600 firefighters. In the refinery at the time of the fire were crude oils, jet fuel and naptha.
Firefighters Who Died as a Result of the Gulf Oil Refinery Fire:
Fireman’s Hall Museum – Gulf Oil Refinery Fire 45th Anniversary
Related:
- Hidden City: A Crude Future: When Oil Refineries And Public Interest Converge
- The Philadelphia Inquirer: Ceremony marks 1975 Gulf oil refinery blaze that killed eight firefighters
- WPVI News Channel 8: Looking back at 1975 Philly refinery fire that killed 8 firefighters
- PopHistoryDig.com: Burning Philadelphia: Refinery Inferno, 1975
- Firehouse.com: Remembering the Gulf Oil Refinery Fire
- Firehouse.com: History As A Teacher: How A Refinery Blaze Killed 8 Firefighters
More About Memorial Monday
Memorial Monday is established to remember the sacrifice of firefighters who died in the line of duty before the National Memorial was created in 1981. On the last Monday of every month, a firefighter, or groups of firefighters, will be remembered through information located about the firefighter and their sacrifice.
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