Date of death:
July 29, 1956
Department:
Sunray Fire Department and Dumas Fire Department (TX)
Number of Line-of-Duty Deaths:
19
It was a quiet Sunday morning—July 29, 1956—until the sky over the Texas Panhandle lit up in fire and fury.
Just before 6:00 am, a small fire started on the Shamrock Oil Company’s McKee Refinery tank farm near a 15,000-barrel spheroid tank. This pumpkin-shaped tank contained about 500,000 gallons of mixed pentane and hexane.
To contain the blaze, crews from the refinery and the Dumas and Sunray Fire Departments focused their efforts on keeping the fire from spreading to nearby tanks, directing streams of water to keep them from igniting. Firefighters approached the burning tank from opposite sides and others cooled nearby tanks with their hoselines.
Records indicate that there were 28 feet 7 inches of product in the 46-foot-high spheroid tank (approximately 12,000 barrels) that was burning. During the fire, a decision was made to pump some of that product out of the tank, which increased the vapor space inside.
At 6:53 am, a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion—known as a BLEVE—ripped through the facility with unimaginable force. In an instant, 16 firefighters were killed. Three more would die soon after, their burns too severe to survive.
Flames roared high into the sky, and smoke choked the air for miles. A total of 32 others—firefighters and bystanders—were injured or burned in the chaos.
What is a BLEVE?
A BLEVE is a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion. If a vessel contains liquid held above its atmospheric-pressure boiling point, and that vessel suddenly is unable to maintain that pressure, then the liquid will rapidly boil and vaporize filling the vessel to the point of rupture or explosion.
Although this occurred at the McKee Refinery, the term “BLEVE” was not coined until April 1957 and did not appear regularly in the National Fire Protection Association’s Fire Command and Fire Journal until the 1970s.
Suddenly there was this terrible explosion, not sharp, but a big thud like a rocket going off in the air. A moment later the concussion hit me. The heat from the burning tank had exploded a nearby tank. Then came a series of several more explosions. A bright orange mushroom boiled up, floating in heavy black smoke, and I prayed those firefighters would get out alive. But some didn't.
Three surrounding tanks ignited in the aftermath, feeding the inferno. The fires raged for days but eventually burned themselves out.
The McKee Refinery explosion stands as the sixth deadliest fire for firefighters in U.S. history—a solemn reminder of the risks first responders face and the sacrifice they sometimes make in service to others.
In Memory of the 19
The memory of the 19 firefighters lost in the McKee Refinery explosion lives on through the dedication of those who continue to honor their sacrifice. Each year, the Sunray and Dumas Fire Departments take turns hosting a joint memorial service, gathering to pay tribute to the lives lost on that tragic day. In 2006, Valero Energy furthered this legacy by building a new fire station at the refinery site—Station 19—named in honor of the fallen. Inside, nineteen plaques line the walls, each bearing the name of a firefighter who perished. A nearby display case preserves the history: photographs capturing the devastation, yellowed newspaper accounts, and a group photo of the 21 family members who attended the station’s dedication. Together, these acts of remembrance ensure that the courage and sacrifice of those firefighters are never forgotten.
Remembering
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