Accident Description

Accident: Valero McKee Refinery Propane Fire

Location: Location: Sunray, TX

Accident Occurred On: 02/16/2007 | Final Report Released On: 07/09/2008

Accident Type: Oil and Refining - Fire and Explosion

Investigation Status: The CSB's final report was issued at a news conference in Amarillo, Texas, on July 9, 2008.

On February 16, 2007, a propane fire erupted at the Valero McKee Refinery in Sunray, Texas, north of Amarillo. Three workers suffered serious burns, and the refinery was forced to shut down. The fire began following a leak in the propane deasphalting unit and spread quickly, in part because of the rapid collapse of a major pipe rack carrying flammable hydrocarbons. Some of the rack's support columns had not been fireproofed.

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