Shared Learning Incident Reports
A powerful explosion followed by a fire injured at least six people at a Pemex refinery in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, on Monday night, May 11. Authorities said the incident occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m. local time at the cooling tower of the Hydros II plant within the Ingeniero Antonio Dovali Jaime refinery. According to Oaxaca…
A fire broke out Monday morning at the HF Sinclair refinery in West Tulsa, sending thick black smoke and visible flames into the air before the situation was brought under control. Company officials said the incident occurred at approximately 10:45 a.m. at the Tulsa facility. In a statement, HF Sinclair said emergency response measures were…
Fire authorities across the UK are raising concerns over the growing number of fires linked to lithium-ion batteries, warning that safety regulations and public understanding have struggled to keep pace with the technology’s rapid expansion. Commonly used in rechargeable products such as smartphones, electric toothbrushes, vapes, toys, e-bikes, e-scooters, and electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries have…
An explosion at the Chalmette refinery triggered a fire Friday the 8th afternoon, shaking homes and businesses across nearby areas and sending thick black smoke into the sky. Despite the intensity of the blast, officials reported no injuries, and emergency crews were able to contain the fire within minutes. The explosion occurred at approximately 12:50…
Two workers were killed and five others injured after an explosion and fire struck a metallurgical facility in eastern Kazakhstan, authorities and company officials confirmed. The incident took place at Kazzinc’s Ust-Kamenogorsk Metallurgical Complex in the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk, also known as Oskemen. The facility is one of Kazakhstan’s largest producers of non-ferrous metals, including…
A lightning strike caused a fire at a crude oil storage tank in Chonburi on Monday evening (May 4), prompting an emergency response from refinery crews and local disaster officials. Authorities confirmed that no injuries or fatalities were reported. The incident occurred at around 5pm during intense rainfall and thunderstorms. Witnesses near the refinery said…
A site implemented a project to install vibration monitoring on all major pieces of rotating equipment. Once the project was completed, a technician monitored the vibration data. One day, the vibration graph for a motor was a flat line. This seldom happens, even for well-balanced equipment. When investigating in the field, he found the vibration…
A powerful explosion involving oxygen tanks near Jalpally, under the Pahadi Shareef police station limits, left three people critically injured and caused significant damage to nearby houses on May the 4th. Police officials arrived at the scene soon after the incident and shifted the injured to a hospital for treatment. The force of the blast…
An explosion at a fireworks factory in Liuyang, Hunan province, has left 26 people dead and 61 injured, according to Chinese state media. The blast occurred on Monday afternoon at the Huasheng Fireworks plant, a facility located in one of the country’s प्रमुख fireworks production hubs. Emergency services launched a large-scale response, deploying more than…
An ammonia leak at an ice manufacturing facility in Barangay 169, Caloocan City early Wednesday, April 29, resulted in evacuations, hospitalisations, and temporary road closures. The incident occurred at the Deparo Cristal ice plant on Deparo Street and was reported to authorities at approximately 3:30 a.m., according to the Northern Police District. As fumes spread…
Five people were hospitalized, including two in serious condition, following an explosion at a pharmaceutical factory in Miyoshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, on the morning of the 28th. According to the Bihoku District Fire Department, emergency services received a call at approximately 11:35 a.m. reporting that a tank had exploded at the Maruzen Pharmaceutical Miyoshi plant…
The European Chemicals Agency has published updated EU guidance to support the transition from PFAS-containing firefighting foams to fluorine-free alternatives. Developed to help organisations manage this important shift, the guidance provides best practice recommendations, technical and regulatory information, and practical solutions to ensure continued high standards of fire safety while strengthening environmental protection. It also…
New Delhi, April 26: Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has said that operations at its Rajasthan joint venture refinery are likely to resume in the second half of May following a fire incident earlier this month. The company expects repair work to be completed within the next three to four weeks. According to HPCL, the…
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its preliminary report into the fatal runway collision that occurred at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) on March 22, 2026. The accident involved an Air Canada Express regional jet and an airport firefighting vehicle, resulting in the deaths of both pilots and injuries to 41 others. According…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that the agency is opening an investigation into the fatal chemical release on April 22 at the Catalyst Refiners, Inc. facility in Nitro, West Virginia that resulted in the death of two workers and injured several others. Catalyst Refiners conducts silver and ethylene oxide catalyst…
Authorities are investigating an explosion and fire at the CET Vest district heating plant in Bucharest, Romania, which left several people injured and disrupted operations at the facility. The explosion is believed to have originated in a high-capacity electrical transformer within the plant. The equipment reportedly contained insulating oil, which likely fuelled the fire and…
Four workers were injured on Saturday the 18th morning following an incident at the BP Cherry Point Refinery in Blaine, Washington. Emergency crews responded quickly and brought the situation under control. Incident and Immediate Response Witnesses at the refinery and in nearby Birch Bay reported hearing what sounded like an explosion around 10:20 a.m. Shortly…
A major fire erupted on Monday afternoon at the HPCL Pachpadra Refinery in Balotra, Rajasthan, triggering panic just a day before its scheduled inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to sources, the blaze is believed to have started after an explosion in a heat exchanger near the refinery’s CDU-VDU section. The CDU (Crude Distillation…
A major fire broke out at the Viva Energy oil refinery in Corio, near Geelong, Victoria, late on Wednesday 15 April. The blaze began at approximately 2300 hrs local time and was extinguished around midday on Thursday following a 13-hour firefighting operation. The facility is one of only two operational oil refineries remaining in Australia,…
A boiler explosion at the Vedanta Limited power plant in Singhitarai village, located in Chhattisgarh’s Sakti district, left 10 people dead and more than 23 others injured on Tuesday 14th of April, police officials said. According to preliminary reports, the blast occurred in a boiler tube at the plant during the afternoon. Soon after the…
Renewed safety concerns have emerged at Pemex’s Dos Bocas (Olmeca) refinery in Tabasco after a second fire occurred at the site within the span of a month. The latest incident, although non-fatal, adds to mounting scrutiny over the facility’s safety performance and operational reliability. The fire broke out on 9 April 2026 at the Paraíso…
A fire aboard a container ship at Singapore’s port was successfully contained on Friday 10th of April, with no injuries reported and no disruption to port operations. The incident involved the Ever Lenient, a UK-flagged container vessel with a capacity of about 9,500 TEU, owned and operated by Taiwan-based Evergreen Marine Corporation. The ship was…
A 2026 funding bill passed by Congress and signed into law on 23 January ensures that the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) will continue operating with its $14 million (£10 million) budget for the remainder of the fiscal year. The decision prevents the agency from being shut down, as previously proposed by the…
Several people were hospitalized following an explosion at an industrial facility in East Providence on Wednesday the 8th evening. Authorities treated the incident as a mass casualty event, prompting a large emergency response and coordination with nearby hospitals. According to city officials, 13 individuals were transported to medical facilities, while Aspen Aerogels reported that 11…
On July 31, 2024, toxic anhydrous ammonia was accidentally released at a food processing facility in Sterling, Virginia. The emergency pressure relief valve discharged approximately 275 pounds (125 Kg) of toxic anhydrous ammonia which formed a cloud. As personnel evacuated from the facility, many inhaled ammonia vapor; four employees were hospitalized. A refrigeration process upset…
A factory explosion in Jinan, in eastern China’s Shandong province, caused a major fire on the evening of 5 April, according to local media reports, eyewitness accounts and videos shared online. The blast occurred near Liujiaguang Village in Niuquan Town, Laiwu District, at about 8:40 p.m. Residents said they heard a loud explosion and saw…
A major explosion at the Nizhnekamskneftekhim petrochemical complex in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan killed three workers and injured dozens more on Tuesday. The facility, operated by the chemical company Sibur, is one of the country’s largest producers of synthetic rubber and plastics. Impact on Workers and Surrounding Area72 people were hurt in the incident, with…
A chemical explosion involving a tanker truck at the Carolina Beverage Group facility in Mooresville, North Carolina, left one worker dead and another injured early Tuesday morning. What Happened The blast occurred around 7:15 a.m. at the industrial park where the beverage co-packer operates. The tanker truck suddenly exploded, killing the truck’s operator on-site. Another…
A massive explosion and fire erupted at the Valero Port Arthur refinery on March 23, sending flames and thick black smoke high into the air and shaking nearby neighborhoods. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has now published its final report outlining the refinery’s air emissions during the event. Timeline and Scope The emissions episode…
Ten workers sustained minor injuries after a fire broke out on ONGC’s SHP platform in the Mumbai High offshore field on Friday evening. The incident was reported around 5:45 pm, prompting an immediate emergency response. According to the company, fire teams quickly reached the spot and managed to contain the blaze soon after it was…
Mexican authorities confirmed that an oil spill detected in early March spread across more than 600 kilometers (373 miles) of the Gulf of Mexico. Roughly 200 kilometers (125 miles) of coastline in Veracruz and Tabasco were affected, and oil reached seven federally protected natural reserves. The spill became a public issue after criticism over the…
A newly released investigation report has concluded that the fatal explosion at Shandong Youdao Chemical Co., Ltd. in Gaomi, Shandong Province, was a “major workplace safety liability accident,” according to local authorities on Friday 27th of March. Overview of the Incident The explosion occurred on May 27, 2025, leaving 12 people dead and injuring 19…
A tragic fire at the Cee Jee Lubricants plant in the Edayar Industrial Area near Pathalam on Thursday morning claimed the life of a long-time employee and left three others with minor burn injuries. The blaze broke out around 9:30 a.m. and spread rapidly due to the presence of highly flammable oils and chemicals stored…
A major fire broke out Friday the 20th at an industrial site on Nieuwe Hemweg in Amsterdam’s Westpoort district, sending dense black smoke towering over the city. The flames initially started with several electric scooters parked outside the facility but quickly escalated. Though the blaze looked severe, authorities reported no injuries. Fire Development The fire…
A fire at Valero’s refinery in Port Arthur has been fully contained, and officials have confirmed that no personnel were injured during the incident. The refinery, which employs about 770 workers and processes roughly 435,000 barrels of heavy sour crude oil each day, experienced the blaze earlier this week. Valero has stated that the cause…
Three contract maintenance workers were killed on Monday 23 March after a fire broke out inside a wind turbine at the Changpo Wind Power Complex in Yeongdeok County, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. All three were found dead inside the turbine structure after contact with them was lost following the outbreak of fire. Burning blade…
Crash and Immediate ImpactA late-night landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport turned deadly Sunday when an Air Canada flight collided with an airport fire truck on the runway. The crash killed the pilot and copilot, injured numerous passengers, and forced a temporary shutdown of the busy airport. The incident occurred around 11:40 p.m. as a…
A fire on the 18th of March caused by a leak along the Sharara crude pipeline has significantly reduced output at one of Libya’s largest oil fields, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced. The incident cut production by roughly half at the site, which normally has the capacity to produce about 330,000 barrels per day.…
An explosion followed by a fire struck the Rhodia industrial site in Paulínia on Saturday afternoon (21), sending up a thick column of black smoke and alarming residents across the Campinas Metropolitan Region. According to the city’s Civil Defense, the incident began when a reactor exploded inside the plant’s phenol production unit. The smoke was…
A major fire at an auto parts factory in Daejeon, South Korea, has left at least 55 people injured and more than a dozen workers unaccounted for, prompting a nationwide emergency response on Friday. As of 3:30 p.m., authorities reported 24 people in serious condition and 31 with minor injuries. Many of the victims were…
A fire near a major oil refinery in southern Mexico has left five people dead, including a worker from the state-owned company PEMEX. The incident occurred after heavy rainfall and flooding in the region. According to PEMEX, the blaze broke out early Tuesday morning at around 6 a.m. near the perimeter of the Olmeca refinery…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released an update on the agency’s ongoing investigation into the catastrophic October 10, 2025, explosions at the Accurate Energetic Systems, LLC (AES) explosives manufacturing facility in McEwen, Tennessee that killed 16 people and injured several others. At approximately 7:47 a.m. on October 10, 2025, multiple catastrophic explosions occurred…
A fire that broke out at LyondellBasell’s Bayport Choate chemical facility in Texas on Thursday night has been brought under control, the company said on Friday. The incident occurred at around 9 p.m. local time at a chemical process unit within the Lyondell Bayport site, according to the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office. Officials said…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released its final investigation report into the July 2023 explosions, fires, and toxic ethylene oxide (EtO) release at the Dow Chemical Company’s (Dow) Louisiana Operations Glycol II plant in Plaquemine. At approximately 9:15 p.m. on July 14, 2023, a series of explosions and fires occurred at Dow’s Glycol…
How dangerous is the smoke from a burning electric vehicle or gas vehicle? UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute, in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, has published a new study examining the chemical compounds and mutation potential of smoke produced during electric vehicle and gas vehicle fires. This…
On 4 March 2026, an operational incident occurred at Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala involving the Norwegian-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier NICE during cargo discharge operations at the Zeta Gas terminal. The event prompted the activation of port security protocols but was quickly contained without injuries or reported health impacts. Incident During Unloading Operations According…
A fire that broke out at the Esmeraldas Refinery, Ecuador’s largest oil-processing facility, has been brought under control after temporarily halting operations, according to state oil company Petroecuador. The incident occurred at the refinery on Sunday and prompted the activation of the facility’s emergency response plan. The blaze started in the charge pumps of the…
Equinor has completed its investigation into a well control incident that occurred on 23 September 2025 on the Deepsea Bollsta drilling rig during well-plugging operations at the Troll field. The event resulted in a brief release of gas and fluids that spread to the drill floor and the shaker room. Automatic gas detection systems immediately…
Emergency crews responded after a fire broke out Monday evening aboard the Finnish-registered Silja Serenade while it was sailing through the Baltic Sea. The vessel had departed Helsinki and was en route to Mariehamn when flames ignited inside a container truck loaded with scrap metal among the ship’s cargo. The ferry continued its journey and…
In June 2024, a contractor employee was exposed to a small quantity of hydrogen fluoride (HF), a toxic and highly corrosive fluid. The contractor was hospitalized but recovered. The site was in the process of replacing flange gaskets in HF service. The section shown in Figure 1 was where the incident occurred. A decontamination plan…
More than 2,600 people, including around 1,600 school students, were evacuated on Monday after a major oleum gas leak at a chemical facility in Palghar district of Maharashtra. Officials confirmed that three individuals experienced minor eye irritation and are undergoing treatment at nearby hospitals. Leak and Immediate Impact The incident occurred at approximately 2 pm…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released its final investigation report into the fatal October 10, 2024 release of toxic hydrogen sulfide at the PEMEX Deer Park Refinery in Deer Park, Texas. Two contract workers died as a result of exposure to the toxic gas, 13 others were transported to local medical facilities, and…
A powerful explosion at an explosives manufacturing plant in Maharashtra’s Nagpur district on Sunday, March 1, killed 17 people and injured 18 others, police officials confirmed. The blast occurred at the SBL Energy Limited facility in Raulgaon village of Katol tehsil, about 50 kilometres from Nagpur city. According to company representatives, the incident took place…
The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has called on oil marketing companies and bulk petroleum transporters to strengthen safety standards following a fatal tanker explosion near Nsawam. According to the Authority, the incident occurred around 0430 hours on Friday, 14 February 2026, at Ntoaso on the Accra–Suhum Dual Carriageway near Nsawam. Preliminary findings indicate that…
A worker was killed and three others were injured after an early morning explosion at a Perdue Feed Mill facility in Hertford County, North Carolina. The incident occurred Saturday and sparked a fire inside the plant. Emergency crews were dispatched at approximately 2:15 a.m. to the 200 block of Perdue Road after reports of an…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released Volume 4 of its Incident Reports. The reports in the Volume detail 13 major chemical incidents that occurred across seven states — California, Indiana, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. The incidents resulted in two fatalities, 10 serious injuries, and over $1 billion in property damage.…
At least four people were killed and ten others injured — five of them in critical condition — following a gas truck explosion in Santiago on Thursday 19 February, authorities confirmed. Presidential delegate Gonzalo Durán reported the casualty figures to the press, noting that the injured victims are suffering from varying degrees of severity. The…
Alkylation is a chemical reaction where an alkyl group is transferred to a molecule. A plant catalytic alkylation reactor produced a mixture of three compounds (ortho, meta, and para isomers). The product composition is a critical specification that needs to be monitored. Sampling was done twice a day (once per shift) at the reactor outlet.…
A federal investigation has been launched following a fatal gas release at a pulp and paper mill in Baileyville, Maine that killed a student intern and injured nine other workers. The incident occurred on 27 January 2026 at a facility operated by Woodland Pulp in the United States. Emergency services responded after reports that two…
A fire broke out at the Ñico López refinery, a key fuel-processing facility in Havana. The incident raised fears it could further weaken the country’s already fragile fuel supply. On Friday 13, thick smoke was seen rising over Havana Bay from the refinery, drawing attention from residents across the capital. Emergency crews later brought the…
On Monday 9 February, a new accident occurred when an air compressor exploded, sparking a fire inside the gasoline upgrading unit of the refinery. The incident happened in Salahaddin province and resulted in one death and 13 injuries. All injured individuals were refinery employees and were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Emergency medical…
A biotechnology company founded in June 2025 is at the center of an investigation following a deadly explosion that killed eight people, according to official reports. The company, Jiapeng Biotechnology, conducts research involving animal feed, coal-based products, and construction materials, based on corporate registration information. The blast took place early on Feb 7 in Shuoyang,…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that the agency is opening an investigation into the fatal chemical release that occurred on January 27, 2026, at the Woodland Pulp, LLC facility in Baileyville, Maine. The incident resulted in the death of one person, a 20-year old student at the University of Maine…
Authorities say a freight train derailment in Mansfield, Connecticut, on Thursday the 5th of February morning has not caused any injuries or major environmental damage, though several rail cars carrying liquid propane ended up in a nearby river. The derailment occurred around 9 a.m. near the area where Eagleville Lake meets the Willimantic River. Mansfield…
An explosion followed by a fire disabled the MSC-operated container ship MSC Giada III while it was approaching St Petersburg in Russia’s Neva Bay on 4 February. Emergency services were deployed, and the vessel was later towed into port for inspection. The explosion is believed to have started in the engine room before the fire…
Rail traffic in the city of Michurinsk has resumed after a fuel train derailment caused a major explosion and fire in Russia’s Tambov region on Wednesday 4th of February, cleanup operations at the scene were still underway days later. The accident happened Wednesday near the Kochetovka-2 railway station when a freight train carrying fuel left…
On 29 January, an explosion at Turkey’s largest oil refinery caused a major fire at the Tüpras-operated facility in Izmit, in northwestern Turkey. The blast occurred during the early hours of the morning and led to the evacuation of the entire site. Emergency responders, including firefighters, were sent to the scene and worked to bring…
A major industrial accident at a private steel plant in Chhattisgarh’s Baloda Bazar district has resulted in the deaths of at least seven workers, with several others suffering serious burn injuries. The explosion occurred early Thursday morning at the Real Ispat & Power Ltd facility in Bakulahi village, under the jurisdiction of the Bhatapara Rural…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) commended the city of St. Louis, Missouri, Board of Aldermen for implementing two important recommendations from the CSB’s investigation of the tragic explosion at the Loy-Lange Box Company in April 2017 that resulted in the deaths of four people. On April 3, 2017, an explosion occurred at Loy-Lange…
A fire that broke out at the Repsol refinery in the Escombreras industrial zone on Monday evening has been fully extinguished, with no injuries reported and no ongoing risk, according to the company. The blaze began shortly before 6pm at the older Topping-3 unit, which is used for crude oil distillation. Thick black smoke rose…
Two workers were injured after an explosion triggered a fire at a thermal power plant in southwestern South Korea in December. The incident occurred on 9 December at the Taean Thermal Power Plant in Taean, about 140 kilometres (87 miles) south of Seoul. According to local fire authorities, the blaze broke out at approximately 14:43…
Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) reported on Friday that a small fire at the Olmeca refinery, also known as Dos Bocas, in Paraíso, Tabasco, was quickly brought under control and did not disrupt operations. The company confirmed that the facility is functioning normally and safely, and that the incident caused no injuries, environmental damage, or impact on…
A major fire at a chemical manufacturing unit in Navi Mumbai’s Pawane MIDC on Saturday spread to four industrial facilities, prompting a large-scale emergency response. Officials confirmed that no injuries or fatalities were reported, and all workers were safely evacuated. The fire broke out at around 11:45 am at BetaChem Chemicals, located at Plot W-177…
Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) activated its emergency response protocols on Wednesday following a fire at the Antonio Dovali Jaime refinery in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca. The incident occurred in the heater of Unit 800, a critical component of the refining process, and led to the temporary suspension of some operations as a precaution. The fire broke out…
Investigators in India are continuing to examine the causes of last year’s Air India crash in Ahmedabad, while aviation safety campaigners in the United States have raised fresh concerns about the aircraft’s technical history. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed on 12 June shortly after taking off for London, killing 260 people. India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation…
Two people were killed and five others remain missing after an explosion at a steel plate manufacturing facility in Baotou, in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, local authorities said on Sunday night. The blast occurred at around 3 p.m. at the rare earth steel plate plant operated by Baogang United Steel. By 5:30 p.m., 66…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) issued two interim safety recommendations in connection with the agency’s ongoing investigation into the August 11, 2025, fatal explosion at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works facility in Clairton, Pennsylvania. The explosion occurred when coke oven gas was released from process piping in the Battery 13/14 transfer area at…
At least 39 people were killed and dozens more injured after two trains collided and derailed near the town of Adamuz in Spain’s Córdoba province on Sunday evening. Emergency services confirmed that 75 people were taken to hospital, with 12 in intensive care. The crash occurred at around 7.40pm when a high-speed Iryo train travelling…
Marathon Petroleum has extinguished a fire that occurred Tuesday at its Galveston Bay refinery in Texas, according to a filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The company reported that the incident took place in the refinery’s alkylation unit number two while crews were draining a vessel. Residual hydrocarbons ignited during the process,…
A major crude oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has prompted unprecedented enforcement action by U.S. regulators. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has proposed a $9.6 million civil penalty against Panther Operating Co., an affiliate of Houston-based Third Coast Infrastructure LLC—the largest fine ever issued in a pipeline safety enforcement case.…
A chemical incident at the Ecowize hygiene-products facility in Montague Gardens on 12 January 2026 released a plume of toxic nitrogen dioxide gas, prompting emergency road closures and limited evacuations. Despite the dramatic appearance of the event, authorities confirmed that the situation was brought under control within hours, with no fatalities and only minor injuries…
A fire broke out early Monday, January 12, on a Dutch-flagged general cargo vessel undergoing repairs at a shipyard in Harlingen, the Netherlands. The incident occurred shortly before dawn while the ship was docked at the facility. The vessel, Marry S, had arrived in Harlingen in mid-December 2025 for scheduled repair work and routine maintenance…
Failures in process isolation remain one of the leading causes of hydrocarbon releases on offshore installations. These incidents are not minor events; many have the potential to escalate into serious injuries, fatalities, or major accidents if ignition occurs. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has repeatedly identified significant shortcomings during inspections, leading to enforcement action…
A maintenance worker starts to unbolt a valve in compressed air service. Even though the line was reportedly depressurized, some pressure blew out. No injury occurred. During rounds, an operator finds several sample points with the caps removed but there was no release. These are two examples of near-misses; some companies call these near-hits. Near-Miss“An…
Two employees died after an explosion struck an Elkem-operated silicones facility in Saint-Fons near Lyon, France, on 22 December 2025. The blast occurred in a pilot workshop at the site, where the international chemical company manufactures silicone products. Four additional workers were injured in the incident, three of them seriously. Two of the injured employees…
Heavy weather and an improperly secured cargo of lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) units led to two fires aboard the 410-foot-long cargo vessel Genius Star XI as it was transiting the North Pacific Ocean on Christmas Day 2023, causing $3.8 million in damages. Investigators determined that improperly secured lashing belts failed, allowing 41 lithium-ion…
A fire broke out aboard a feeder container ship while it was berthed at the Port of Tanjung Perak near Surabaya, Indonesia, on Monday, December 29. The blaze was eventually contained after several hours, allowing port operations to resume. Firefighters responded quickly to the incident, evacuating all 22 crew members from the vessel as a…
A fire broke out following a gas leak at an operational Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) oil well in Andhra Pradesh’s Konaseema district on Monday, forcing authorities to evacuate three nearby villages as a precaution. Officials said no injuries or loss of life have been reported. The incident occurred at the Irusumanda oil well…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new safety video on its investigation into the massive April 8, 2021, explosion and fire that fatally injured one worker at the Yenkin-Majestic Paint Corporation facility in Columbus, Ohio. The CSB’s new safety video, titled “Low Pressure, Fatal Consequence: Explosion at Yenkin-Majestic”, includes an animation…
A chlorine gas leak at a chemical factory in Ratlam district’s Jaora Industrial Area on Saturday evening led to the hospitalization of five people, including two factory workers and three fire brigade personnel. Incident The leak originated from a 40-kg chlorine tank inside a plant that manufactures ferric sulphate for pharmaceutical companies. The factory had…
Three crewmembers were hospitalized after a fire broke out aboard the general cargo vessel Meridian Dos while it was docked in Manila. Local firefighting units responded quickly, preventing the blaze from spreading beyond the engine room. The fire was first detected around 1850 local time. By shortly after 1900, the first alarm had been raised,…
A generator-related fire aboard the Liberian-flagged Chiquita Voyager led to four people sustaining minor burn injuries while the vessel was berthed at the Port of Wilmington, Delaware, on Wednesday, November 26. Emergency responders were alerted shortly after 9:00 a.m., when smoke was seen rising from the ship’s superstructure. The fire had started in the engine…
Process safety incidents occur in operations of all sizes, in the petrochemical industries and many other operations that handle chemicals. One thing many process incidents have in common; they start with a Loss of Primary Containment (LOPC) event. Here are 3 past Beacons that demonstrate this fact: Corrosion can be hidden cause of LOPC. The…
A hydrogen tank explosion at Cahpsa industrial plant in Paraguay has left three workers injured and receiving treatment at the Social Security Institute. Two suffered severe burns, while a third was hurt when part of the roof collapsed; one of the employees remains in critical condition. Authorities and plant staff are still trying to determine…
A large industrial fire at a waste-management site on Kurrajong Road in North St Marys late Saturday night triggered one of western Sydney’s biggest emergency responses in recent years. Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW), the EPA, police and ambulance services remain on scene. The Incident Shortly before 11 pm, flames were reported inside the facility,…
A devastating fire that broke out at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Tai Po on Wednesday has now resulted in at least 128 confirmed deaths, with as many as 200 people still unaccounted for. Authorities said on Friday that major rescue operations are close to completion. The blaze, one of Hong Kong’s deadliest…
Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) has been fined S$230,000 (£135,000) for safety failures linked to a fatal 2021 explosion at the Tuas Incineration Plant (TIP). Days later, the plant’s general manager, Ng Wah Yong, also received a S$145,000 (£85,000) fine for separate failings under the Workplace Safety and Health Act. Details of the 2021 IncidentThe…
A fire erupted below deck on the container ship ONE Henry Hudson, the vessel was berthed at Berth 218 in the Port of Los Angeles. The U.S. Coast Guard reports that the blaze has since been confined to a single cargo hold, with coordinated support from fire boats from both Los Angeles and Long Beach.…
A series of recent safety failures at Posco’s massive Pohang steelworks has drawn renewed attention after another serious incident left six workers injured on 20 November in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The IncidentThe emergency began at roughly 13:30, when firefighters were called to the site after several workers were found unconscious in an outdoor…
A major fire broke out at the Petrocedeno oil-upgrading complex in Venezuela’s northeastern Anzoátegui state on 20 November after a powerful explosion was reported. Witnesses and local media said a loud blast occurred moments before flames spread across the facility, which sits along the country’s oil-producing Orinoco Belt. Incident DetailsInformation about the exact cause remains…
The IncidentA fatal accident occurred on Friday 14 November morning aboard the Valaris 121 jackup drilling rig, situated roughly 140 miles (225 km) east of Aberdeen. The victim, 32-year-old Lee Hulse, was working on the offshore installation at the time of the incident. Official Response and InvestigationsThe Health and Safety Executive (HSE) confirmed it is…
A fire at Sinochem’s Quanzhou refinery in southeastern China has led to the shutdown of one of its main crude-processing units, seven market sources said on Friday 14 November. According to state media, the blaze occurred on Thursday at the refinery’s No. 1 crude unit, leaving seven people injured. The report referenced a statement issued…
A hazardous ammonia leak from a tanker truck in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn Express in Weatherford, Oklahoma, led to a major emergency response Wednesday 12 November night and sent dozens of people to the hospital. Incident Overview The leak was reported around 10 p.m., when a plume of anhydrous ammonia blanketed the…
A series of explosions at an industrial complex in Ezeiza, about 40km from Buenos Aires, sparked a massive fire late on Nov 14. Dense black-and-orange smoke rose over the area, which is located near Argentina’s busiest international airport, prompting concern among nearby residents. Immediate ImpactThe blasts shattered windows, caused light damage to homes and buildings,…
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has officially placed six new Striker® Volterra™ 6×6 Electric Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) vehicles into service. Delivered by Oshkosh Airport Products, a subsidiary of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK), these vehicles position DFW among the first U.S. airports to adopt electric-drive ARFF technology and reinforce the airport’s commitment to…
1. Overview of the Incident A serious train derailment on November 1 near Kamloops, British Columbia, resulted in a large release of aviation-grade jet fuel along the edge of Kamloops Lake. Approximately 17 rail cars and one locomotive were involved. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is still examining the cause, with early speculation…
A devastating boiler explosion ripped through the Vishalyakarni Pharmachem facility in Saykha GIDC near Bharuch on Tuesday night, killing two workers and injuring at least 20 others. One worker remains missing. The blast, which is believed to have occurred in a reactor during chemical processing, triggered a massive fire that destroyed the entire factory building.…
Aker Solutions has become the first company in Europe to receive full certification for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations — a major milestone that opens the door to a new era of autonomous inspection and maintenance across industrial and energy sectors. A New Era for Autonomous Operations The certification allows Aker Solutions…
A Harris County jury has awarded more than $118 million (£90 million) in damages to seven people injured or affected by the 2020 propylene explosion at Watson Grinding and Manufacturing Company in Houston, Texas. The verdict, reached on November 12, 2025, followed a two-week trial and three days of deliberation in a Harris County District…
Thousands of North Sea oil and gas workers face losing their offshore positions unless they meet new weight requirements within the next year. Under the updated safety policy, anyone weighing more than 124.7 kg (19.5 st) fully clothed must reduce their weight by next November or risk being barred from offshore work. This rule, introduced…
Three crew members were killed and another three injured after a fire erupted aboard a Maersk-chartered container ship in Malaysia’s Port of Tanjung Pelepas on Friday. Emergency teams were alerted at around 12:23 p.m. local time, when a blaze broke out in one of the vessel’s cargo holds while it was berthed and unloading containers.…
On May 4, 2023, approximately 790 pounds (358Kg) of a hydrocarbon mixture containing hydrogen sulfide (H2S) was accidentally released at a refinery in California. Exposure to the toxic H2S gas seriously injured one employee. Four operators were sent to the field to replace a broken pressure gauge. Because the lower valve (blue oval) was visibly…
A fire that broke out at one of Belarus’s largest oil refineries on Thursday has been extinguished, and no casualties were reported, according to the country’s Ministry of Emergency Situations. The incident occurred at the Naftan refinery in the northern city of Novopolotsk, a major industrial hub near the Russian border. The blaze began in…
An explosion at the CF Industries chemical plant near Yazoo City, Mississippi, released anhydrous ammonia on Wednesday, prompting emergency responses and evacuations. Officials confirmed that no injuries or deaths have been reported. Gov. Tate Reeves announced on X that multiple state agencies are responding to the leak and said early reports indicate the incident began…
A UPS cargo jet crashed moments after taking off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday evening, leaving at least nine people dead and several others injured, local officials confirmed. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced early Wednesday that emergency crews responded immediately but could not save those on board. Several people on the ground…
A fire erupted at HF Sinclair’s Navajo Refinery in Artesia, New Mexico, on Oct. 31 after an explosion was reported at the facility. Thick smoke drifted over nearby parts of the city as emergency crews rushed to the site. Emergency Response and Injuries Police, firefighters, and other first responders arrived quickly and contained the flames.…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that it is deploying a team to investigate the fatal explosion that occurred on October 10, 2025, at the Accurate Energetic Systems, LLC (AES) facility in Humphreys County, Tennessee. According to local officials, the incident resulted in 16 fatalities, several serious injuries, and severe damage…
A fire early Sunday morning at the main turbine site of the Zubair 1 oil field in Basra’s Burjesia area claimed the life of the warehouse division chief and left four others injured, including two in critical condition, according to the Basra Civil Defense Directorate and the Ministry of Oil. The incident occurred at approximately…
An explosion at a waste management facility in southern Italy has left three people dead and two others injured. The incident occurred on September 19 at the Ecopartenope plant in Caserta, about 36 kilometers (22 miles) north of Naples. Firefighters from the Vigili del Fuoco were called to the site around 3 p.m. local time…
A 57-year-old man was injured following an explosion on October 20 at the Petrotel Lukoil oil refinery in Ploiești, Romania. The man suffered head, facial, and leg injuries but was conscious when emergency crews arrived. He received medical treatment at the scene before being transported to the Ploiești Emergency Hospital, authorities said. According to the…
A fire and explosion broke out late Monday evening at one of the raw material processing units of MOL’s Danube Refinery in Százhalombatta, Pest County, near Budapest, according to the National Directorate General for Disaster Management. Firefighters from the refinery were first on the scene, joined shortly after by professional crews from nearby municipalities. The…
An explosion and fire aboard the Falcon, a 31-year-old liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier, have left two Indian seafarers missing in the Gulf of Aden. The incident occurred around 0700 GMT on Saturday, approximately 113 nautical miles (210 km) southeast of Aden, Yemen. Rescue Operations The ship’s Ukrainian captain and 23 other crew members managed…
Fatalities and Immediate Impact Two airport security staff members were killed when their patrol vehicle was struck by a cargo plane that skidded off the runway at Hong Kong International Airport. The vehicle was pushed into the sea, and both occupants—aged 30 and 41—were later found by divers. One was confirmed dead at the scene…
Fatalities and Identification At least 16 people were found dead after a fire and chemical explosion at a garment factory in Rupnagar, Mirpur, Dhaka. The bodies were located on the second and third floors of a four-storey building. Due to severe burns, identification will only be possible through DNA testing. All victims are being transported…
Unions urge production pause and safety audit after acid plant blaze Sunday morning, October 12, 2025, a fire erupted at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) in Central Sulawesi, affecting facilities operated by PT Huayou Nickel Cobalt (HYNC) Phase II and PT Sulawesi Nickel Cobalt (SLNC), located close to PT Dexin Steel Indonesia (DSI). The…
A deadly fire on the tanker Federal II claimed ten lives and injured eighteen others early Wednesday in Batam, part of Indonesia’s Riau Islands province. Early-Morning Blaze The fire broke out around 4 a.m. local time (21:00 GMT Tuesday) while the vessel was in dry dock at a Batam shipyard. The city lies about 20…
Casualties and Official Statements Sixteen workers who went missing after a massive explosion at a Tennessee explosives facility on Friday are now presumed dead, according to Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis. Authorities had initially feared 18 fatalities but later confirmed that two people thought to be at the site were not present and have been…
An ammonia release at the CVR Nitrogen Plant in Coffeyville on Saturday afternoon prompted a large emergency response and sent numerous people for medical treatment. Company Statement and Investigation CVR Partners confirmed that the incident occurred around 4 p.m. on Oct. 11. The company said several individuals were taken offsite for evaluation and that an…
In August 2013, a refinery in India was commissioning a new cooling tower cell. As process water was introduced into the new cell for the first time, a large quantity of light hydrocarbon liquid and vapor was released. It ignited, likely by hot work in the area. In all, 29 people were fatally injured and…
On Monday evening, a fire broke out at Dow Chemical’s Plant B within the Texas Operations facility in Freeport, roughly 60 miles from Houston. Dow reported that the blaze was contained within a few hours. According to a Facebook post from Dow Texas Operations, all employees were accounted for and no injuries occurred. “Our site…
An explosion at the Oneok oil refinery in Mont Belvieu on Monday morning resulted in minor injuries to three individuals. According to the Mont Belvieu Police Department, all refinery employees have been safely accounted for following the incident. The Mont Belvieu Fire Department was dispatched to the site to manage the situation. In a statement,…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released an update on the agency’s ongoing investigation into the August 11, 2025, fatal explosion at the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works facility in Clairton, Pennsylvania. Two U.S. Steel employees were killed in the explosion. Five other workers were seriously injured and hospitalized—four U.S. Steel employees and one…
Fire crews contained a large blaze late Thursday night at Chevron’s El Segundo refinery after an explosion rattled nearby neighborhoods and lit up the Los Angeles coastline. Explosion and Immediate Response The fire began around 9:30 p.m. in the southeast corner of the facility, according to Chevron, which maintains its own on-site fire department. Residents…
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a safety alert warning of the heightened risks faced by municipal firefighters when responding to shipboard fires in local ports. Why the Alert Was IssuedThe agency’s action follows several investigations where land-based firefighters were killed or injured while tackling blazes aboard vessels. The NTSB found that…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) provided an update on the agency’s ongoing investigation into the fatal July 29, 2025 explosion and fire at the Horizon Biofuels facility in Fremont, Nebraska. The incident resulted in the deaths of three people — an operator and his two young daughters, ages 8 and 12. “This terrible…
A fire at the Citgo Lake Charles Refinery in Sulphur left four Turner Industries contractors injured Monday afternoon, according to Louisiana State Police. The blaze was reported around 12:40 p.m. on Louisiana Highway 108. State Police Sgt. Ross Brennan said the workers sustained injuries ranging from minor to moderate. HazMat units responded, and the cause…
Five people, among them four firefighters, were injured after two explosions rocked a chemical warehouse inside a garment factory at Tongi’s BSCIC Industrial Estate in Gazipur on Monday afternoon. The blasts occurred around 4:30 pm in the Sahara Market area. According to officials, the injured include Fire Service officer Jannatul Naeem and firefighters Md. Shamim,…
A contractor lost his life in a lifting-related accident at Equinor’s Mongstad refinery on 17 September. The incident occurred at 13:40 local time, and although the worker received immediate medical attention at the scene, his life could not be saved, the company reported. The deceased was employed by Crane Norway, a supplier providing crane and…
A chemical factory explosion in Maharashtra’s Palghar district killed one worker and injured four others on Thursday evening, officials said. The blast occurred roughly 120 kilometers north of Mumbai during a reaction involving metal and acid. Disaster management officer Vivekanand Kadam explained that the highly reactive process triggered the explosion. According to Kadam, one worker…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new safety video on its investigation into the massive March 17, 2019, fire that burned for three days at the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) facility in Deer Park, Texas. The CSB’s new safety video, titled “Terminal Failure: Fire at ITC”, includes an animation of the incident…
A toxic gas leak at Gujarat Fluorochemicals Ltd. (GFL) in Ranjitnagar, Ghoghamba taluka of Panchmahal district, has claimed two lives and left more than a dozen people ill. The incident occurred on Wednesday 10 September between 12:00 and 12:30 p.m. when R-32 gas, a refrigerant commonly used in air conditioners, escaped from a pipeline inside…
Residents in eastern Poland were urged to keep windows closed and avoid a waste-sorting facility after a massive fire broke out there on Monday, September 1. The Government Security Center issued the alert due to the presence of burning plastics and other hazardous materials. Fire officials said air quality tests would be carried out to…
The Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that 11 fire engines were dispatched on September 10 to tackle a blaze at the Sapugaskanda oil refinery. The fire originated in an unused storage tank with a capacity of 40,000 metric tons. According to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, the tank had not been operational for several years. Initial…
A fire involving several railcars loaded with liquefied petroleum gas triggered explosions on Wednesday morning outside Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital. The blasts sent thick smoke over the city, prompting authorities to warn residents in nearby areas to stay indoors. One person was injured, according to the national fire and rescue service. Police confirmed the tank cars…
A release of high-pressure hydrogen occurred at a hydrogen trailer transfer/filling facility in Santa Clara, California, on June 1, 2019. A driver and trainee were filling a tube trailer from a hydrogen tank nearby. When the trailer modules were about 95% full, the trainee noticed a hydrogen leak near the fill line manual isolation valve…
A chemical spill at LG Energy Solution’s battery plant in Holland, Michigan, left 15 workers injured on September 6. The incident occurred shortly before 3:30 p.m. and prompted an immediate response from emergency services. Fire crews from Holland and Graafschap, along with the Holland Police Department, Ottawa County Central Dispatch, and American Medical Response, secured…
A Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) investigation has shed light on an engine room fire that occurred aboard the bulk carrier Cuyahoga on May 23, 2023, while the vessel was travelling on Lake Erie near Pelee Island. The Incident The Cuyahoga had departed Marblehead, Ohio, carrying a load of crushed stone destined for Kingsville,…
DNV has announced a major investment to upgrade its Spadeadam Research and Development Facility in Cumbria, England, reinforcing its commitment to supporting a safer energy transition. The enhanced, state-of-the-art facility will enable DNV to validate the safety of technologies underpinning the push to net zero, benefiting both UK and international organizations. Advanced Facility and TechnologyAt…
A lightning strike on Sunday afternoon ignited a methanol storage tank at East India Petroleum Private Limited in Vizag’s Scindia area, causing panic in the locality. According to residents, the strike occurred around 2:30 p.m. amid rainfall. Flames quickly spread from the 7,500 KL capacity methanol tank, but timely intervention prevented a larger disaster. Seven…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has reported that Didion Milling has not implemented any of the nine safety recommendations it issued following the agency’s probe into the May 2017 explosions at the company’s Cambria, Wisconsin plant. The incident claimed five workers’ lives and left 14 others with serious injuries. The recommendations…
A recent report from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) revealed that a radioactive wasp nest was discovered at the Savannah River Site (SRS), a former production facility for plutonium and tritium used in nuclear weapons. Radiation readings from the nest were recorded at levels more than ten times higher than what current federal safety…
An explosion at a chemical facility in Pardubice, Czechia, left three contract workers injured on 15 August. The blast occurred at approximately 14:09 local time at a site run by Synthesia, a producer of specialty chemicals. Two of the injured remain in critical condition. In an official statement, Synthesia explained that the incident was caused…
A major fire tore through a warehouse at the Port of Hamburg on Monday, forcing the evacuation of about 25 people and injuring three. Hundreds of firefighters rushed to the scene as emergency crews battled to contain the flames. Authorities reported that the fire originated from a vehicle parked inside the warehouse in the Veddel…
An explosion and massive fire at Smitty’s Supply in Roseland forced hundreds of residents to evacuate over the weekend, though officials report the disaster caused no injuries or deaths. The blast, which erupted around 1 p.m. Friday, August 22, ignited petroleum products, storage tanks, and equipment across roughly 20 acres at the oil manufacturer’s facility.…
Authorities in Loire-Atlantique, France, reported on Thursday that a fire erupted at TotalEnergies’ Donges refinery at 2:43 p.m. local time. Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control by 4 p.m. at the site. Officials confirmed that no injuries were reported and are currently awaiting the results of air quality assessments. The Donges refinery, situated…
Two separate maritime fires — one involving a U.S. Navy warship off Japan’s Okinawa and the other on a commercial container ship near Liberia — have been brought under control, according to official reports. The U.S. Navy confirmed that flames broke out aboard the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans (LPD 18) while…
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in collaboration with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), has introduced a major new initiative called the Fortifying Infrastructure for Responsible Extinguishment (FIRE) project. Valued at $82.5 million, the FIRE project is backed by a $10 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), with the remaining $72.5 million…
An explosion on a coal-carrying cargo ship in Baltimore triggered a fire and sent thick black smoke into the air Monday evening, but fortunately, no injuries were reported among the crew, officials said. The vessel, identified as the W-Sapphire, was traveling outbound through a shipping channel near the site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge…
A fire broke out early Saturday morning aboard two vessels docked in the southern port city of Yeosu, resulting in one death and injuries to two crew members. The incident occurred around 1:04 a.m., when a blaze ignited on a 2,692-ton oil tanker and a 24-ton cargo ship moored side by side. Crew members on…
Emergency teams rushed to Bhopal’s Govindpura Industrial Area on Wednesday afternoon after reports of a possible chlorine gas leak left several people suffering from eye irritation and breathing problems. Personnel from the State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF), the municipal fire brigade, police, and the electricity department were deployed to manage the situation. District officials…
Residents across several towns in southern Brazil were jolted awake early Tuesday by a powerful explosion that destroyed part of an explosives manufacturing facility near Curitiba, the capital of Paraná state. The blast, which occurred at approximately 6:00 a.m. (0900 GMT), sent a shockwave that shattered windows and damaged buildings within a 1.5-kilometer radius. Images…
An explosion at the U.S. Steel Clairton plant, just outside Pittsburgh, has claimed two lives and injured 10 others, local officials confirmed on Monday. The blast, which destroyed part of the facility, triggered a large fire and prompted authorities to instruct residents within a one-mile radius to keep doors and windows shut due to air…
All 20 sailors from the Vietnamese oil tanker GT Unity are safe after a fire broke out in the vessel’s engine room. The successful rescue was the result of swift coordination between the Liberian-flagged ship Androusa, Vietnamese maritime rescue teams, and multiple government agencies. The incident occurred on August 8, when the 7,631-tonne GT Unity—transporting…
Tata Steel has been fined £1.5 million following the death of a contractor at its Port Talbot steelworks plant. Father-of-three and grandfather Justin Day was working at the steel manufacturer’s site in South Wales when he was crushed to death by a piece of machinery on 25 September 2019. Maintenance work to replace a lift…
In April 2019, at a facility producing specialty chemicals, a piping section filled with liquid isobutene was closed off. As its temperature slowly increased, a cast-iron strainer burst, leaving a hand-sized hole. The release was followed by an explosion and fire, injuring 31, one of them fatally, and causing enormous damage. See the May and…
One person was killed and three others seriously injured after a powerful explosion tore through a cosmetics materials manufacturing facility in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, on August 4. The city lies roughly 350 kilometers (220 miles) southeast of Seoul. The blast occurred around 12:42 p.m. local time, prompting an immediate emergency response. Fire crews from…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that it has launched a formal investigation into the fatal explosion and fire at the Horizon Biofuels facility in Fremont, Nebraska, that occurred on July 29. The blast fatally injured three people – a father and his two young daughters – who were in the…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that it has released Volume 3 of its Incident Reports. Volume 3 covers 30 serious chemical incidents in 15 states: Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. These events resulted in two fatalities, 25 serious injuries,…
A deadly explosion at a flour mill in Dawn, Texas, on July 23 has left one worker dead and three others with serious injuries. The mill, located approximately 34 miles (55 km) southwest of Amarillo, is operated by Panhandle Milling. Emergency crews were dispatched shortly after 4:00 a.m. following reports of an explosion. The Amarillo…
A major fire broke out at the Unión Deriván chemical plant in Zuera, Spain, on the morning of July 28, 2025. The incident led to the release of a toxic cloud, prompting immediate emergency measures. Incident Overview The fire began during the early hours at Unión Deriván, a facility that produces oleochemical products. In response,…
The Fire Industry Association (FIA) has released its latest guidance, dated July 2025, addressing the ongoing developments surrounding the use of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in firefighting foams. This update provides key insights into evolving regulations and proposed restrictions both in the UK and across the European Union. In parallel, the UK’s Department for…
Two separate fire incidents in Thailand raised alarms but were swiftly brought under control, with no injuries reported in either case. On July 26, a fire broke out at the Bangchak Oil Refinery in Sriracha, Chon Buri, around 12:30 p.m. The blaze was triggered by a loud explosion that sent thick smoke billowing into the…
A fire that broke out in a storage tank at the OQ refineries site in Sohar Industrial Port on Thursday, July 24, 2025, has been contained, according to the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority (CDAA). Teams from the CDAA in North Al Batinah Governorate were dispatched to tackle the blaze. The CDAA stated that the…
A fire broke out on Wednesday, July 16, aboard the FWN Adriatic, a Dutch-flagged general cargo ship docked at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium. Thick smoke from the blaze led the municipal government of Merksem, located near the port, to urge residents to keep windows and doors shut to minimize discomfort. The Port of…
The Trump administration has announced plans to shut down the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (US CSB) by the end of the year — a move that has alarmed safety experts, lawmakers, and industry leaders who warn it could weaken industrial safety and put lives at risk. Established in 1998, the CSB is…
A fire broke out on Saturday at Iran’s largest and oldest oil refinery, located in the southwestern city of Abadan, leaving one worker dead and others injured, state media reported on Sunday. According to the state-owned IRAN newspaper, the blaze started due to a leaking pump in a unit that was undergoing repairs. Firefighters managed…
Two additional oil producers announced on Wednesday that they have suspended production operations in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region after multiple explosions struck local oil facilities. Norwegian energy firm DNO confirmed it has paused output at its Tawke license area following blasts that damaged two separate sites early Tuesday. The Tawke license — which includes the…
In a large-scale test of worldwide nuclear emergency preparedness, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), together with more than 75 nations and 10 international organisations, recently wrapped up a 36-hour exercise simulating a serious incident at Romania’s Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant. The ConvEx-3 (2025) drill was held from 24–25 June. Organised every three to five…
An investigation is underway after a fire injured four contract workers at Chevron’s Pascagoula refinery in Mississippi on Monday. The blaze originated in the refinery’s wastewater treatment area and was quickly brought under control, according to a company spokesperson. Chevron said three of the injured workers were taken to a local hospital for further treatment,…
At least 15 people, including three firefighters, were injured when a fire broke out early Monday morning at a lithium-ion battery plant in Kaohsiung’s Siaogang District. The fire started around 5 a.m. at Molie Quantum Energy Corp.’s facility. According to the Kaohsiung Fire Bureau, 46 fire trucks and 91 firefighters were dispatched to tackle the…
A lightning strike ignited a storage tank fire at CITGO’s Lake Charles Refinery on July 10, prompting a swift emergency response and raising community concerns about air quality and safety. The incident occurred at the Cit-Con site, also known as the CITGO Lubricant and Wax Plant (CLAW). At approximately 1:18 p.m., lightning hit a tank…
An explosion and fire broke out on the Hong Kong-flagged tanker Fulda on July 6, just hours after it departed India’s Kandla Port bound for Sohar, Oman. The blast occurred during gas-freeing operations about two hours after departure, tearing open part of the forward deck and causing the vessel to list. There were 21 crew…
A tanker truck carrying crude oil caught fire Monday evening at an oil facility near Kurten, Texas, leading to an emergency evacuation of nearby homes and a multi-agency response effort. The fire broke out around 8:30 p.m. on July 7 in the 12600 block of Copperhead Road, near FM 2038 and just south of Highway…
A massive explosion at a petrol station in Rome’s Prenestino district has left 45 people injured and caused extensive damage to nearby buildings and vehicles. How It HappenedEmergency services were already at the scene early on Friday morning after a tanker truck hit a pipe while manoeuvring, leading to a gas leak and a small…
A tragic maritime accident in Egypt’s Red Sea waters has left four crew members dead and six others missing after the marine barge “Adam Marine 12” capsized near the Gabal El Zeit area on Tuesday the 1st of July. Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources announced that it had received an urgent report from…
In August 2017, a major fire occurred at a refinery in the Netherlands when a furnace tube ruptured. The furnace was overheated when the process flow through it stopped, but the burners kept firing. With no flow, the tubes overheated and failed (Figure 1). Over 100 metric tons (110 tons) of flammable liquid were released…
A fire at a National Grid substation that forced Heathrow Airport to close in March has been traced to a long-ignored technical fault first detected seven years ago, according to a new investigation. The incident on March 21 plunged Europe’s busiest airport into chaos, halting more than 1,350 flights, stranding nearly 300,000 passengers, and cutting…
A fire that sent thick black smoke into the sky from the Irving Oil Refinery in east Saint John on Monday morning has been safely extinguished. The Saint John Fire Department responded shortly after 9 a.m. following reports of a product leak at the facility. In a statement, the department confirmed that no injuries occurred…
In a swift and coordinated operation, the Indian Navy’s stealth frigate INS Tabar rescued 14 Indian crew members from an oil tanker that caught fire in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday, June 29. The incident occurred when the Palau-flagged vessel MT Yi Cheng 6, which was sailing from Kandla, India to Shinas, Oman, reported…
A nitrogen tank explosion at the Tabriz oil refinery in northwestern Iran injured eight people on Sunday the 29th. The blast occurred due to increased pressure and a technical fault inside the tank, which caused heavy smoke to rise over the facility. Despite the explosion, the refinery continues to operate normally and no fatalities were…
Pashamylaram, Telangana:A massive explosion in a reactor at Sigachi Industries Pvt Ltd in Pashamylaram claimed at least 12 lives and left 34 people injured on Monday morning, June 30. What Happened:According to reports, the blast occurred between 9:28 and 9:35 a.m., catching many workers by surprise. Around 150 employees were on-site at the time, with…
A massive fire broke out at a chemical factory in Delhi’s Rithala area on Tuesday evening, leaving four people dead and at least three others injured, according to police reports on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. The blaze started in a five-storey building near the Rithala Metro Station in Rohini Sector-5. Delhi Fire Services chief Atul…
A cargo vessel that caught fire in early June sank in the Pacific Ocean on Monday, along with thousands of vehicles it was transporting. The Morning Midas, a 600-foot-long ship, went down roughly 360 nautical miles off the Alaskan coast after being severely damaged by both the fire and rough weather, according to Zodiac Maritime,…
An onboard explosion on a docked chemical tanker at Shannon Foynes Port in County Limerick, Ireland, left two men seriously injured on 24 June. The incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. local time and involved the Norwegian-registered vessel Bow Hercules. The blast was caused by a gas cylinder explosion while the vessel was undergoing maintenance. Reports…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new video outlining the importance of safety at chemical facilities and the significant role that the CSB plays in protecting the American people and improving safety in the chemical industry. Titled, “Safety Pays Off: The Value of Vigilance,” the video includes animations from several recent incidents investigated by…
Incident Overview:On the morning of June 11, a chemical reaction at Austin Powder’s Red Diamond Plant led to the controlled release of gas via the facility’s built-in safety systems. The company confirmed that nitric acid, the chemical involved, remained fully contained within its tank, with no leaks or external contamination. Emergency Response and Public Safety…
Ithaca Energy (UK) Limited has been fined £300,000 after a serious safety breach led to three workers being trapped in a flooding lift shaft on a North Sea offshore platform. Incident Overview The event occurred during a night shift on December 10, 2020, aboard the FPF-1 platform operated by Ithaca Energy. The workers were conducting…
Engine Fire Erupts After Emergency LandingAn American Airlines Boeing 737-800 experienced an engine fire shortly after landing at Denver International Airport on March 13, 2025. The aircraft, operating Flight 1006 from Colorado Springs to Dallas Fort Worth, had diverted to Denver due to high vibrations in its right engine. After reaching the gate and shutting…
Two oil tankers collided and caught fire on Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil transit route, amid heightened regional tensions between Iran and Israel. No injuries or oil spills have been reported, but the incident has raised new concerns about maritime safety in the area. The collision occurred approximately 24 nautical…
A fire that erupted Saturday afternoon at the Marathon Galveston Bay refinery in Texas City was brought under control within about an hour, with no injuries reported. Timeline of the Incident The Texas City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) first reported the fire at around 12:25 p.m. The incident occurred at the refinery on 5th…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has opened an initial investigation into the June 11 release of toxic nitric acid and nitrogen oxide gas at the Austin Powder Company’s Red Diamond facility, a commercial explosives manufacturing plant near McArthur in Vinton County, Ohio. The CSB is deploying an investigator to the site…
Summary of the Incident An Air India flight bound for London’s Gatwick Airport crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday, killing 241 people. Only one passenger survived—a British national identified as Vishwashkumar Ramesh. The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, went down in the densely populated Meghani Nagar neighborhood. While more than 200 bodies…
In a company-wide video message dated April 29, Chevron CEO Mike Wirth emphasized the urgent need to reinforce safety protocols following a noticeable increase in near-miss incidents. His message came just weeks before a fatal fire on one of Chevron’s offshore platforms in Angola claimed the lives of three workers. “We’ve observed a troubling rise…
A chemical incident at a cheese processing facility in County Down, Northern Ireland resulted in injuries to 17 individuals on the evening of 6 June. Among those affected were two firefighters. Five people required hospital treatment following the event, which occurred at the Leprino Foods factory near the village of Magheralin. The Northern Ireland Fire…
A fire aboard the Liberia-flagged car carrier Morning Midas continues to burn off the coast of Alaska, spotlighting rising concerns over the safety of transporting electric vehicles (EVs) at sea. The vessel caught fire on June 3 while en route from Yantai, China, to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico. It was approximately 218 miles south of Amatignak…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released its final report into the fatal explosion and eruption at the Techniques Surfaces USA (“TS USA”) liquid nitriding facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that fatally injured an employee on May 30, 2024. The incident also resulted in multiple fires, over $1 million in property damage, and the TS…
A large plant was restarting after hydrotesting the steam superheater coils on a reformer furnace. No modification had been made to the coils. The locking pins on spring hangers for the pendant superheater were installed to support the extra weight of the water during the test. A step in the restart procedure to remove the…
An independent investigation has concluded that human error, driven by poor supervision and training, was the main cause of a major fire at the Martinez Refining Company in February. The fire, which burned for three days and prompted a shelter-in-place alert for nearby residents, began at the PBF Energy Facility. According to the 21-page report,…
A tragic explosion at a flour production facility in Kazakhstan’s Almaty region has resulted in the deaths of four employees. The incident occurred on May 23 at a site operated by Asia AgroFood JSC, which includes both a grain depot and flour mill. The explosion originated on the ground floor of a nine-storey building, reportedly…
A gas leak at the Shiraz Refinery in Iran’s Fars Province claimed the lives of two workers and injured nine others on Saturday 31st May, according to reports from state media citing local officials. The incident prompted a swift emergency response. “Nine of the injured were promptly transferred to hospitals in Shiraz and Zarqan with…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released its final report addressing three serious chemical incidents involving toxic hydrogen fluoride (HF) at the Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies facility in Geismar, Louisiana. The incidents occurred over a period of less than three years—from October 2021 to June 2024—and reveal systemic safety failures at the facility.…
A fire broke out at Ecuador’s main oil refinery in Esmeraldas province, prompting a full suspension of operations to protect personnel and infrastructure, state-owned Petroecuador announced. The refinery, the country’s largest, has a processing capacity of 110,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Emergency Response and Evacuation Although no fatalities occurred, five individuals were treated…
A powerful explosion at a chemical plant in eastern China on Tuesday has left five people dead and six others missing, local authorities confirmed. Nineteen additional individuals sustained minor injuries. Incident Details The blast occurred just before noon at a workshop operated by Shandong Youdao Chemical in Gaomi, a city in Shandong province. The cause…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new safety video on its investigation into the fatal December 8, 2020, explosion at the Optima Belle chemical facility in Belle, West Virginia. The CSB’s new safety video, called “Outsourcing Responsibility: Explosion at Optima Belle,” includes an animation of the events leading to the incident, and commentary…
A powerful explosion triggered a massive fire at a diesel processing facility in Cadereyta, Nuevo León, on Wednesday 21st of May, injuring at least one person and prompting evacuations, according to local authorities. The incident occurred at a plant operated by the Marvic company, located about 25 miles east of Monterrey. The facility is involved…
Located approximately 205 kilometers south of Ca Mau Cape, the Song Doc oil field was discovered in 2006 and once produced up to 28,000 barrels of oil per day. Initially developed by Petrovietnam Exploration Production Corporation (PVEP) in partnership with two other investors, the project faced mounting operational costs and steadily declining output. By November…
Seventeen workers were injured—four seriously—after a fire broke out early Tuesday on Chevron’s Benguela-Belize-Lobito-Tomboco (BBLT) offshore oil platform near Angola. The fire ignited around 3:10 AM on the platform’s cellar deck, according to Chevron, which confirmed that onsite personnel quickly responded and brought the blaze under control. At the time of the incident, the BBLT…
A fire broke out at the Junda oil refinery in Kara-Balta on the evening of May 20, prompting swift emergency response and concern among local residents. Incident Details The blaze was preceded by a loud bang, according to eyewitnesses, suggesting that a tank containing flammable materials may have been the source of the ignition. Video…
A chlorine gas leak at the Olin Plant B in Freeport, Texas, caused a major emergency response on Tuesday morning, prompting thousands of residents to shelter indoors. The Incident The leak occurred around 9:00 a.m. local time when chlorine gas escaped from industrial equipment at the facility. Loud sirens immediately sounded throughout the area as…
Iraq’s largest oil refinery, located in Baiji, was struck by a fire on Sunday, just months after it resumed operations following years of inactivity and restoration. The fire erupted in one of the units at the facility, locally known as the “Grease Refinery,” according to a source from the Civil Defense Directorate in Saladin province.…
A possible gas leak at the ENEOS oil refinery in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, led to the hospitalization of three workers on Saturday, one of whom was later confirmed dead. The incident occurred around 10 a.m., when the Sakai fire department received an emergency call reporting that multiple workers had collapsed at the refinery. Emergency services…
Two Canadian companies have been fined a combined CA$550,000 (approximately £297,000) after a fatal explosion occurred at an oil and gas facility near Edmonton, Alberta, in November 2022. Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd. and Peace Pipefitting Inc. were found to have breached Alberta’s occupational health and safety regulations in connection with the incident, which took place…
A massive fire erupted at a chemical storage facility in the La Red industrial park near Seville, Spain, on May 15, prompting authorities to order approximately 80,000 people to remain indoors due to the release of hazardous fumes. The blaze occurred in Alcalá de Guadaíra, located roughly 16 kilometers (10 miles) southeast of the Andalusian…
A serious industrial accident occurred in Siberia when a drilling rig collapsed and caught fire, critically injuring three workers and raising renewed concerns over safety practices within the region’s energy industry. Dramatic video circulating on social media captures the moment the rig, engulfed in flames, crumbles to the ground. The footage shows a fierce blaze…
The death toll from the recent explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaee Port has increased to 58, according to Mojtaba Ghahremani, head of the Hormozgan Justice Department. Authorities have identified 51 of the deceased so far, while seven people are still officially missing. Addressing circulating rumors about the number of missing persons, Ghahremani emphasized that only…
A major chemical fire in Catalonia prompted a large-scale emergency response on Saturday, with approximately 160,000 residents advised to remain indoors due to a cloud of chlorine-laden smoke drifting through the region. The fire erupted around 2 a.m. local time at a facility specializing in swimming pool cleaning products in the town of Vilanova i…
Emergency crews responded Monday morning to a fire at the Valero oil refinery in Benicia that sent thick plumes of black smoke into the air, visible from miles away, including Interstate 680 near Concord. At approximately 9 a.m., the Benicia Fire Department reported an active fire at the facility, urging residents to remain indoors, close…
A deadly maritime accident occurred in northern Peru early Friday the 2nd morning when a Peruvian navy vessel collided with an oil platform on the Amazon River. The incident resulted in two confirmed fatalities and one missing crew member. According to Peru’s Ministry of Defense, the ship—identified as the BAP Ucayali—was navigating near the junction…
Panic spread across Nagajan village in Assam’s Dibrugarh district on Thursday, May 1st, after a high-pressure gas leak was reported at Oil India Limited’s (OIL) well number 309 in the Lankasi-Kothalguri area. The incident began around 4:30 PM with a loud hissing sound and gas spewing into the air, prompting fears of a potential explosion.…
A fire erupted in the desulfurization unit of Kuwait’s Mina Abdullah refinery, leading to the tragic death of one worker and injuries to four others. The incident occurred on Thursday, as confirmed by the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC). Emergency teams quickly responded to the scene, and the blaze was successfully brought under control. KNPC…
Emergency services responded to a fire at the Mongstad oil refinery in Norway, leading to the evacuation of the facility. The incident, identified as a transformer fire, was reported by the local fire department and shared through Norway’s NRK broadcasting company. According to the report, the fire broke out early on the 2nd of May,…
The Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) announced that a small fire at the desulfurization unit of its Mina Abdullah Refinery was successfully brought under control by emergency response teams. According to a statement shared on the company’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, the incident resulted in one fatality and left four others injured. Two of…
On July 20, 2020, a 35-year-old worker was fatally injured while working on a road construction project in New York state. The cause was severe heat illness, often called Heat Stroke. The worker had finished the second day of work on the outdoor work site when he collapsed. The high temperature that day was over…
A significant oil and natural gas release in coastal Louisiana has triggered a coordinated emergency response led by the Unified Command, which includes the U.S. Coast Guard, Spectrum OpCo (the well operator), and the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office (LOSCO). The spill was first reported on April 26 in a marshland near a well operated…
One person has died and three others were injured following a gas leak at IOL Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals’ manufacturing facility in Barnala, Punjab, the company confirmed on Monday. The incident occurred on Sunday and was swiftly contained, according to an official statement. However, the company has not disclosed further specifics about the cause or nature…
A devastating explosion at Bandar Abbas, Iran’s largest port, on Saturday has left at least 18 dead and over 700 injured. The blast, believed to be caused by the ignition of chemicals stored in containers, rocked the Shahid Rajaee section of the port, one of Iran’s busiest. Details of the Incident Hossein Zafari, spokesperson for…
An explosion followed by a fire occurred at Tourmaline’s Gundy c-60 natural gas facility around 5:45 p.m. local time, according to a company statement. Emergency crews promptly responded, and operations at the plant were halted. Tourmaline reported collaborating with firefighters and local officials to contain the fire and confirmed there was no threat to public…
A Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, Invictus, is currently adrift in the Indian Ocean after suffering an engine room fire and losing power on Tuesday, April 22, while en route to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. The incident occurred roughly 508 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, Somalia. The vessel had departed from Beira, Mozambique, and was…
A devastating fire at the Marathon Martinez Renewables facility in California has prompted federal safety officials to call for stricter safeguards around fired heater operations in chemical plants. Incident Overview In November 2023, a serious fire broke out at the Martinez, CA facility, leaving one worker with third-degree burns on much of his face and…
A fire broke out on Petrobras’ inactive offshore Platform PCH-1 (Cherne 1), located in the Campos Basin about 130 kilometers off the coast of Macaé, Rio de Janeiro, injuring at least 14 workers. Among the injured was a worker who fell into the sea during the incident. He was rescued, taken to a hospital on…
A Delta Airlines flight preparing to depart from Orlando International Airport was evacuated Monday morning after an engine caught fire, prompting a swift emergency response. The aircraft, scheduled to fly to Atlanta, Georgia, had just left the gate around 11:15 a.m. ET when flames were observed in the tailpipe of one of its two engines,…
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded its investigation into the 2023 fire aboard the Grande Costa D’Avorio, a roll-on/roll-off (ro/ro) vessel that caught fire while docked in Newark, New Jersey. The final report, approved during a public hearing on Tuesday, highlighted a chain of failures and misjudgments that culminated in a prolonged blaze…
The US Department of Labor has imposed a fine on a company following an investigation that determined improperly stored hazardous chemicals were responsible for a fire at a facility in Conyers, Georgia. The significant blaze at the Bio-Lab Inc. plant in September 2024 led to the closure of nearby roads and the evacuation of approximately…
A major fire broke out on 9 April 2025 at a battery recycling facility in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, the second such incident at the site in just over a year. The fire, accompanied by a series of explosions, involved the Fenix Battery Recycling plant, which had previously been severely damaged by a similar blaze in…
A chemical incident at a Vietnamese factory has left one worker dead and several others hospitalized, prompting an ongoing investigation by local authorities. Incident DetailsOn the morning of April 12, a hazardous gas leak occurred at Zinc Oxide Corporation Vietnam, located in Phu My 3 Industrial Park, Phu My City, Ba Ria – Vung Tau…
A major incident unfolded aboard the Victoria L, a 528-foot container ship sailing under the Liberian flag, after an explosion triggered a fire in the engine room while it was traveling northwest of Hoek van Holland. The Dutch Coastguard responded swiftly, deploying multiple vessels, helicopters, and specialized firefighters to the scene. The blaze, which initially…
In 2021, three contract workers at a facility in La Porte, Texas, were removing the actuator from a plug valve. The actuator was being removed so the valve could be used as an energy isolation device for a piping repair job. When they removedthe actuator, the workers inadvertently removed pressure-retaining components on the valve and…
A fire broke out at the Martinez Refining Company on Wednesday night, injuring a contract worker, according to refinery officials. The incident occurred around 7:50 p.m. when a portable air compressor caught fire during refueling. Refinery personnel quickly extinguished the flames, and officials confirmed that the fire was unrelated to the facility’s process units. The…
A tragic explosion at the Cerredo mine in Degaña, located about 450 kilometers (280 miles) northwest of Madrid, claimed the lives of five people and seriously injured four others on Monday, according to local officials. Two additional workers at the site were unharmed. Initially, authorities feared that two individuals were missing, but later confirmed that…
A massive fire that erupted early Saturday 29th of March near an oil refinery in Karachi’s Korangi district has continued to rage for more than 30 hours, with authorities still struggling to contain it. Fire Origin and Response The blaze started during deep excavation work at a site approximately 1,800 feet underground, reportedly during groundwater…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) marked the 20th anniversary of the fatal explosions and fires at BP America Texas City Refinery in Texas City, TX, that occurred on March 23, 2005. The tragic incident resulted in the deaths of 15 people and injuries to 180 others. To remember this deadly event,…
An explosion at the Co-op Refinery Complex (CRC) early Tuesday morning sent shockwaves through north Regina. The fire, which broke out in a unit within Section Three at approximately 4:45 a.m., caused minor injuries to two employees. Immediate Response and Containment Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL), which owns and operates the refinery, confirmed in a statement…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a second update on its ongoing investigation into the fatal hydrogen sulfide release that occurred on October 10, 2024, at the PEMEX Deer Park Refinery in Deer Park, Texas. Two contract workers died during the incident, and over 27,000 pounds of toxic hydrogen sulfide gas were released. Local authorities…
A fire broke out at the Abadan oil refinery on Thursday the 20th of March morning when lightning struck a fuel oil tank during severe weather conditions. Reza Naeimi, head of public relations at the refinery, reported that emergency response and crisis management teams acted swiftly, bringing the fire under control in a short time.…
The fire that led to Heathrow’s temporary closure originated at the North Hyde electrical substation in west London. It broke out late on Thursday night at approximately 23:23 GMT on Nestles Avenue, Hayes. Emergency responders, including the London Fire Brigade (LFB), rushed to the scene and battled the flames through the night, eventually bringing the…
An explosion occurred on the Trans-Niger Delta Pipeline in Rivers State on Monday night, prompting an ongoing investigation by authorities. Police have taken two individuals in for questioning as part of efforts to determine whether sabotage played a role in the incident. What Happened? The explosion was reported in Kpor and Bodo communities, areas where…
Authorities are investigating a major oil spill at a decommissioned transformer station in Bærum municipality, near Oslo, after a suspected act of sabotage. On Sunday, approximately 60,000 liters of oil leaked from the facility following a break-in. A section of the perimeter fence had been cut, and the cover at the base of the transformer…
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation into a fire that occurred after American Airlines Flight 1006 landed at Denver International Airport on Thursday evening. Two NTSB investigators are examining the incident, which led to 12 people being hospitalized with minor injuries. Timeline of the Incident Passengers reported unusual engine noises shortly…
A devastating fire erupted at approximately 2:30 AM local time (1:30 AM GMT) on Sunday at the Pulse Club in Kocani, where around 500 attendees had gathered for a performance by DNK, a well-known hip-hop duo in the country. The venue, previously a carpet warehouse, had been described in local media as an “improvised nightclub.”…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released its final investigation report into the November 19, 2023, fire at the Marathon Martinez Renewables facility in Martinez, CA. The incident seriously injured one employee, who suffered third-degree burns over most of his face and body, and resulted in approximately $350 million in property damage to the…
An explosion at the Navoiazot plant, a major producer of chemical products and fertilizers in Navoi, central Uzbekistan, resulted in one fatality and left 11 others injured. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the incident occurred at 14:10 when a gas-air mixture ignited inside one of the laboratories, sparking a fire. Ten firefighting and…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that it has released Volume 2 of its Incident Reports. Volume 2 covers 25 serious chemical incidents in 14 states: Arkansas, Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. These serious incidents resulted in 7 fatalities, 23 serious injuries,…
The operator of the plant, TVO, stated that the recent incident posed no threat to personnel, the environment, or overall nuclear safety. The facility has been undergoing its scheduled annual maintenance shutdown since March 1, with work expected to continue until early May. While maintenance activities have remained on track, a significant operational event occurred…
Fires continue to burn aboard an oil tanker carrying jet fuel and a cargo ship transporting hazardous chemicals following a collision in the North Sea on Monday morning. Authorities have halted the search for a missing crew member after conducting an extensive operation, according to HM Coastguard. The incident involved the Stena Immaculate, a US-registered…
A crude oil and natural gas leak was detected at the Nagajan oilfield in Duliajan, Assam, India, on Sunday, sparking concern among local residents. The sudden discharge of oil and gas created an uneasy situation in the vicinity. According to reports, the leak occurred at Well No. 309 of Oil India Limited’s (OIL) Nagajan field.…
Case study1An operator was screening a pharmaceutical powder by manually loading a mechanical vibrating sieve. The sieved powder was collected below in a stainless steel drum on a dolly with insulating (nylon) wheels. A dust flash fire occurred between the sieve and the drum. The operator had experienced small electric shocks from the collecting drum…
A fire broke out Sunday evening at Valero Energy’s Corpus Christi refinery in Texas, which processes up to 301,000 barrels per day. The incident led to the release of hazardous emissions, according to a regulatory filing submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Valero reported that the fire resulted from a loss of containment,…
A blaze erupted at an oil refinery in Baku’s Nizami district on Wednesday morning. Firefighters responded swiftly to contain the flames, while three ambulance teams were sent as a precaution. Police secured the area to ensure public safety. Local officials arrived to coordinate the response efforts, and environmental specialists were deployed to evaluate potential air…
A freight train derailed in eastern Czech Republic on Friday, igniting a large chemical fire that sent dense black smoke soaring into the sky. The accident took place near the Hustopeče nad Bečvou train station around midday local time (1100 GMT), when multiple tank wagons carrying the hazardous chemical benzene were damaged and caught fire,…
A fire that broke out on Monday at the Ufimsky oil refinery, one of Russia’s largest, was caused by a technical malfunction and has been fully extinguished, according to Russia’s emergency ministry. Despite the incident, operations at the facility remained unaffected, though it is unclear if production was briefly halted during the blaze. The refinery,…
A fire broke out at an oil storage tank within a refinery in Cilacap Regency, Central Java, Indonesia, on Thursday. Authorities confirmed that no injuries occurred as a result of the incident. Footage from the scene captured dense black smoke billowing from the affected tank at the refinery, which is managed by PT Pertamina, Indonesia’s…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new safety video on its investigation into the January 24, 2020, fatal propylene release and explosion at the Watson Grinding and Manufacturing Company facility in Houston, Texas. The massive explosion resulted in the death of two workers and a nearby resident and damaged hundreds of neighboring homes. The…
A fire rekindled late Tuesday night at the Moss Landing Power Plant as lithium-ion batteries, which had been smoldering, caught fire once again, officials confirmed. This latest flare-up occurred within the same structure where a significant fire broke out on January 16 at Vistra’s Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) facility. Authorities indicated that while the…
According to the latest report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the fire onboard the cargo vessel Stride was caused by an incorrect valve installed in a diesel oil tank system six weeks before the incident. The fire broke out in the engine room of the vessel during bunkering operations at the Barbours…
Over the past month, three oil tankers have sustained damage from unexplained explosions in separate areas of the Mediterranean, prompting ongoing investigations. According to shipping and security officials, these incidents mark a rare occurrence in the region, as non-military vessels have not faced such blast-related damage for decades. The most recent event took place on…
Japan’s largest oil refiner, Eneos Corp, confirmed on Friday that it had shut down a 141,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) crude distillation unit (CDU) at its Sakai refinery on February 17 due to a fire that occurred the same day. The company has not disclosed the cause of the incident or provided an estimate for when operations…
Seven miners lost their lives in a collapse at the Zhomart mine in Kazakhstan’s Ulytau region on Monday night, local media reported. The accident trapped all seven workers underground, and by Tuesday morning, their bodies had been recovered. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the incident, instructing the government to determine…
A Grimaldi Group-operated con-ro vessel became disabled in the English Channel after experiencing two separate deck fires, prompting a rescue operation. The incidents occurred on Tuesday aboard the 3,515-lane-metre Grande Brasile (built in 2000), about 15 miles (25 km) from the Kent coast in England. The ship had departed Antwerp, Belgium, that same day, bound…
The fire erupted at SPS Technologies on Highland Avenue around 9:30 p.m. on Monday. The fire escalated to a four-alarm emergency by 1 a.m., prompting nearly 70 fire companies, predominantly volunteer-based, to respond overnight. Chief Molloy reported that approximately 60 employees were inside when the fire began, but fortunately, all managed to evacuate safely, and…
All 80 individuals aboard a plane that crashed and flipped upon landing in Toronto have survived, according to officials. The Delta Air Lines flight, originating from Minneapolis, skidded along the runway with visible flames before coming to a stop upside down, prompting a swift response from firefighters. Passengers described being suspended upside down in their…
Three significant fire incidents have been reported from different locations in Gujarat over the past 24 hours. A chemical manufacturing facility in Vapi GIDC caught fire, while a severe blaze consumed a plastic barrel manufacturing unit near Jambusar. Additionally, an explosion involving chemical-filled drums occurred at a factory in Borsara GIDC, Mangrol, Surat. Chaos in…
An explosion at an oil storage facility resulted in one fatality and left another individual injured on the 11th of February, in Ulsan, South Korea. Reports from local media indicate that the victims were employees at the facility, engaged in inspecting the oil storage tank when the incident occurred. The fire was fully extinguished within…
A significant explosion followed by a fire at the Parker LORD Corporation facility in Saegertown, Crawford County, left 13 people injured on the morning of Sunday, February 9. Emergency responders arrived at the chemical plant on South Street around 10:30 a.m. after an automatic alarm was triggered, according to a company statement. While attempting to…
On Friday, Martinez Refining Company (MRC) provided an update regarding its ongoing investigation into the February 1 refinery fire, offering insights into the potential health impacts of the smoke that spread across northern Contra Costa County. The latest report outlines the company’s internal review of the incident, which triggered a temporary shelter-in-place advisory from health…
An incident occurred on a 70-foot (21m) tall equipment platform when a contractor pipefitter applied excess torque to tighten flange bolts on a heat exchanger outlet pipe containing gaseous hydrogen chloride (HCl), causing the pipe to crack and release toxic HCl. Seven workers from two contract firms were present on the platform. To escape from…
A fire broke out early Thursday at a chemical fiber plant in in Hsinchu, Taiwan, resulting in the deaths of two workers and injuries to 19 others, according to local reports. Emergency responders arrived at the scene at 2:53 a.m. local time (18:53 GMT, Wednesday) and managed to put out the fire by 3:30 a.m.…
A significant fire broke out at a chemical factory in Hyderabad’s Cherlapalli area on Tuesday evening, triggering widespread alarm among residents. Firefighting units were swiftly deployed to the scene, where emergency response teams worked tirelessly to bring the situation under control. While no casualties have been reported so far, authorities have not yet confirmed whether…
Emergency services responded to an explosion at an arms manufacturing site in Javali Viejo, near Murcia, Spain. Firefighters arrived promptly to contain a fire ignited by the blast. Six men, aged between 30 and 52, sustained injuries and were transported to a nearby hospital, with one individual reported to be in critical condition. The explosion…
A hydrocarbon leak triggered an explosion and massive fire at the Martinez Refining Company on Saturday, leading to a shelter-in-place advisory for several hours as thick black smoke drifted over Martinez, Pacheco, and Clyde. All employees at the refinery, located at 3495 Pacheco Blvd., were accounted for. During a press briefing around 5:20 p.m., Contra…
A South Korean Air Busan aircraft caught fire on the runway at Gimhae International Airport while preparing for takeoff to Hong Kong, according to fire officials on Tuesday. All 169 passengers and seven crew members were safely evacuated, though three individuals sustained minor injuries, Busan fire authorities confirmed. The fire originated in the aircraft’s tail…
A fire broke out on Sunday at an oil refinery in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, according to a local source. The blaze started in a storage tank at a refinery situated along the Erbil-Gwer road, Civil defense teams were promptly deployed to the site and were actively working to control the fire.…
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but fire officials revealed that the factory’s fire prevention system failed to function as intended, allowing the flames to spread. Following the incident, the facility was promptly evacuated, and no injuries were reported. The fire started on January the 16th where thick black smoke led to evacuation…
Italian authorities confirmed on Wednesday that 26 individuals were safely evacuated after a fire broke out on an oil platform located in the Adriatic Sea. Fortunately, no injuries or environmental contamination have been reported. Photos released depicted smoke rising from the Rospo Mare B platform, operated by the UK-based energy firm Energean, although no visible…
An explosion occurred at the Port of Barcelona at 10:13 a.m. local time, prompting the activation of the port’s Self-Protection Plan, according to an official statement. The incident took place at a tank owned by Tepsa, an energy storage company, during maintenance work on the Energy Wharf. Tepsa, a company specializing in the storage of…
Authorities have reported that 32 individuals sustained injuries following an explosion at a chemical recycling facility located in Taman Perindustrian Kapar Indah, Klang, yesterday afternoon. According to ACP S. Vijaya Rao, Chief of the Klang Utara District Police, those injured were aged between 20 and 40 and were present near the blast site at the…
the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that it is launching a new initiative to give the public more details about the serious chemical incidents that have been reported to the CSB since the agency’s Accidental Release Reporting Rule (ARRR) went into effect in March 2020. The CSB will be compiling summaries…
An audit team was touring a newly installed load/unload station. A team member saw two hose reels near the station, both with the same-colored hose and the same connectors. One was labeled compressed air; the other nitrogen. A team member asked how the hoses were used. The air hose was for use with pneumatic tools…
A major fire erupted at a chemical factory in Greater Noida on Sunday, triggering loud explosions that forced employees to flee for their safety. The blaze caused extensive damage to the factory, but no casualties or injuries have been reported so far. More than 20 firefighting units were dispatched to the Dujana industrial zone, where…
On Sunday, January 12, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) announced the successful rescue of 14 crew members from the product tanker Eagle 1, which caught fire approximately four nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Piai. Johor MMEA’s acting director, Maritime Captain Kama Azri Kamil, confirmed that the rescued individuals were brought to the state MMEA…
A gas depot explosion in central Yemen has left several dead and over 70 injured, according to medical reports released on Sunday. The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon in the remote Al Zahir district of Al Bayda province, approximately 270 kilometers southeast of Sana’a, Yemen’s capital. Initial reports confirmed five fatalities at the scene, while…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new safety video on its investigation into the August 2020 fire and toxic gas release at the Bio-Lab Lake Charles chemical facility in Westlake, Louisiana, that occurred when the facility was severely damaged by Hurricane Laura. The CSB’s new safety video, called “Fire From the Storm:…
A fire erupted Monday afternoon at the HF Sinclair refinery located in west Tulsa. According to a company spokesperson, the fire was triggered by what they described as an “operational upset” at approximately 5 p.m. The spokesperson emphasized that the refinery’s emergency response team acted swiftly and in accordance with established procedures, successfully extinguishing the…
Fires that erupted in multiple reservoirs at the Zawiya refinery in Libya have been successfully contained. Located 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Tripoli, Zawiya hosts Libya’s largest operational refinery, which has a production capacity of 120,000 barrels per day. The facility is linked to the Sharara oilfield. Efforts are underway to transfer the remaining…
A fire erupted Tuesday night at the Ing. Antonio M. Amor refinery, located in Salamanca, Guanajuato. The flames were visible from several kilometers away, accompanied by noticeable smoke and a strong odor of hydrocarbons in the surrounding area. Local reports indicate that the fire is believed to have started in the Oil Separation zone near…
Emergency crews are working to contain a fire aboard a newly built bulk carrier docked in the Canary Islands. The blaze erupted on Monday within the cargo hold of the 5,250-dwt multipurpose dry cargo vessel Langeland (constructed in 2024) while it was berthed at the port of Arinaga on Gran Canaria. The fire was caused…
The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections in October 2024 at 15 mines in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wyoming and issued 286 violations. The agency conducts impact inspections at mines that merit increased agency attention…
With winter and cold weather rapidly approaching, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is re-emphasizing to chemical facilities the importance of being prepared for extreme cold outdoor weather, which includes identifying and implementing best safety practices for cold weather operations to avoid serious chemical accidents this winter. Data available to the CSB on…
An explosion at a gas refinery near Florence, Italy, claimed the lives of at least two people and left nine others injured on Monday, according to local authorities. Four individuals remain unaccounted for following the incident at the facility operated by ENI, one of Italy’s leading energy companies. The blaze triggered by the explosion has…
This month marks the 40th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster where highly toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) was released from a storage tank. This event caused thousands of fatalities. None of the safeguards designed to mitigate a release of MIC worked, including the scrubber, flare, and deluge system. The company did not recognize that materials in…
On Sunday morning, December 1, a leak was identified in the Druzhba pipeline in western Poland. According to a statement from Ewa Sochacka-Urban, spokesperson for PERN S.A., the spill occurred near Pniewy, a town located approximately 30 kilometers from Poznań, the regional capital. Local firefighting teams worked tirelessly at the site for over 15 hours,…
A fire broke out on Thursday 28th November morning at Pemex’s Minatitlán refinery in Veracruz, marking the second incident at a company facility within a week. Local reports indicate that onsite teams quickly extinguished the fire, and no major injuries were reported. The blaze occurred in the effluent area of the 285,000-barrel-per-day plant, sending a…
A gas leak at Tagoor Laboratories Private Limited, a pharmaceutical unit in Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, claimed one life and left 20 others affected. The incident occurred on November 27th when hydrogen chloride (HCl), a hazardous chemical, leaked within the facility. Among the affected, one person succumbed, while eight others were hospitalized. Reports indicate that…
the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released an investigation update into the chemical reaction and toxic gas release on September 29, 2024, at the Bio-Lab, Inc. facility in Conyers, Georgia, that resulted in a massive fire and plume of toxic smoke that threatened the surrounding community and the metropolitan Atlanta area. The reaction involved…
An electricity production company utilizing anaerobic digestion to convert food waste into energy has been fined over £300,000 following an explosion that left two employees with severe, life-altering injuries. The incident occurred on September 20, 2017, when employees of Bio Dynamic were working on pipe replacement at the top of an 11-meter-high metal tank filled…
A fire erupted at the TÜPRAŞ Refinery in the Aliağa district of İzmir, originating in the U-7000 unit, which contains the facility’s crude oil furnace. The blaze escalated rapidly, prompting the refinery to seek assistance from a nearby fire department. Firefighting teams worked to bring the situation under control, though authorities have not yet issued…
A North Sea oil rig was evacuated after a supply vessel collided with the installation. Harbour Energy reported that 52 “non-essential personnel” were removed from the Valaris 120 rig. Before the incident, the jackup rig, located approximately 150 miles east of Aberdeen, housed 128 workers. The collision occurred at around 10:20 p.m. on Sunday. Fortunately,…
A gas leak following a reactor explosion at a fertiliser plant in Maharashtra’s Sangli district claimed three lives and left nine others hospitalised on Thursday evening, November 21. The incident took place at Myanmar Chemical Company, situated in the Shalgaon MIDC area of Kadegaon tehsil, around 6:30 p.m. Preliminary investigations suggest that the explosion in…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that it is sending a team of investigators to Louisville, Kentucky, to investigate the fatal explosion that occurred on November 12, 2024, at the Givaudan Sense Colour facility in Louisville, KY. Two employees were killed and eleven others were injured by the explosion. CSB Chairperson…
Thick black smoke from a petroleum tank fire blanketed the skies over Tulsa County on Tuesday, visible from miles away. As a precaution, firefighters evacuated nearby areas. Thankfully, no injuries were reported. A heavy plume of black smoke was emanating from the structure. It appeared to be a petroleum tank farm, with multiple tanks involved…
Authorities in Venezuela have arrested eleven individuals as part of an ongoing investigation into last week’s explosion and fire at a major gas facility, Vice-President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodriguez announced on Monday. The Muscar gas complex, located in the eastern Monagas region and operated by state oil company PDVSA, was temporarily shut down after…
An explosion at a food coloring factory in Louisville, Kentucky, on November 12 resulted in the deaths of two individuals and left several others injured. The incident occurred at a Givaudan Sense Colour facility, which specializes in producing colorants for food and beverages. In a public statement, Givaudan expressed deep sorrow, confirming the loss of…
On November 18, a chemical explosion at a factory in Durban, South Africa, resulted in one fatality and injuries to three others. Emergency services were called to the Jacobs area around 12:45 p.m. local time following reports of an explosion. Paramedics arriving on the scene described the situation as “chaotic.” One individual succumbed to cardiac…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released an update on the agency’s investigation into the July 31, 2024, hazardous ammonia release at the Cuisine Solutions, Inc. food processing facility in Sterling, Virginia. The incident involved the accidental release of anhydrous ammonia, a hazardous chemical commonly used in refrigeration systems. Dozens of employees were injured…
On November 10, a fire erupted at a steel plant in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, leading to burn injuries for one worker. The facility is managed by Posco, a major global steel producer. The fire ignited at approximately 04:20 local time, reportedly accompanied by several explosions at Posco’s third FINEX production unit. Emergency…
A major explosion at a vital gas production site operated by state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) has led to the suspension of more than 60% of Venezuela’s fuel supply. The incident claimed the lives of at least eight individuals, while several others were hospitalized with injuries. The exact cause of the explosion is still under…
An explosion and subsequent fire occurred at the Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) refinery in Vadodara, Gujarat, resulting in the deaths of two workers and injuring another individual. The incident took place on Monday, November 11, in the afternoon when a blast erupted in a benzene storage tank, leading to flames that quickly spread to adjacent…
On November the 11th, firefighters confronted a significant blaze at a parking facility near Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, a key entry point for travelers. The fire resulted in the destruction of approximately 40 to 50 vehicles. Emergency services responded to the scene around 3 a.m. today. The cause of the incident has not yet been determined,…
A fire broke out in Devsar village, near Bilimora in Navsari district, on Saturday, resulting in at least three fatalities, two injuries, and two missing persons. The injured individuals were taken to a hospital in Valsad for treatment. Fire crews from Bilimora, Gandevi, and Navsari worked for approximately three hours to bring the blaze under…
The U.S. Department of Labor has reported that its Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) conducted targeted inspections in September 2024 at eight mines located in Indiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. These inspections led to the identification of 112 safety violations. Since 2023, MSHA’s targeted inspections have revealed 4,679 total…
Process Safety communities around the world are working together to present the 1st International Process Safety Week [IPSW] on 2-6 December 2024. Process Safety needs relentless vigilance. The IPSW is intended to promote this vigilance and to remind us of past significant incidents and the lessons learned. IPSW will help unify our thoughts and commitment…
An explosion followed by a fire injured 12 workers on November 5 at an oil refinery in Izmit, northwestern Turkey. The facility, managed by Tüpras, reported that all injured personnel were promptly taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention, while on-site responders quickly managed to control the fire. According to a statement from Tüpras,…
An Australian gin distillery and winery has been fined $50,000 AUD (£25,000) following an explosion that injured both employees and guests during a “distiller for a day” event. Buller Wines, located in Rutherglen, Victoria, was sentenced in Wodonga Magistrates’ Court on October 30 without a conviction. The company had previously pleaded guilty to two charges:…
On October 30, 2024, a fire broke out at a lithium-ion battery recycling plant near Fredericktown, Missouri, around 2:30 p.m. Smoke was visible from Critical Mineral Recovery, a facility specializing in the recycling of lithium-ion batteries and associated materials. Authorities advised residents in the path of the smoke plume, which was blowing north from the…
A steel plant owned by Simec in Mexico’s central state of Tlaxcala experienced a deadly explosion early Wednesday, resulting in at least 12 fatalities, according to local authorities. The incident involved a spill of molten steel at the Apizaco facility, leading to a temporary halt in operations and significant loss of life, the company reported…
A significant fire broke out at BAE Systems’ nuclear submarine shipyard in Cumbria, resulting in two individuals being taken to the hospital. Large flames and heavy smoke were emanating from the Barrow-in-Furness facility, where the UK’s new Dreadnought submarines, worth billions, are under construction. According to Cumbria police, there was no nuclear threat posed by…
An explosion occurred around 11:45 AM on October 24th at a facility operated by the Water Pollution Control Authority in Bantam, near Litchfield, Connecticut. The incident prompted a response from both the Bantam and Litchfield Fire Departments, alongside paramedics, after reports of a sewage tank explosion. Upon arrival, emergency teams were informed by site employees…
On January 15, 2023, an explosion erupted at Panjin Haoye Chemical petrochemical facility while maintenance work was being conducted. The blast led to a fire that quickly spread throughout the plant, resulting in damages valued at nearly 88 million yuan (£9.5 million). Following a thorough investigation, it was concluded that the explosion stemmed from a…
The American Petroleum Institute (API) has released Addendum 1 to the 10th Edition of API RP 2001, titled Fire Protection in Refineries. This recent addendum enhances current fire safety standards by incorporating additional protocols focused on pre-incident planning and emergency response within refinery settings. API Senior Vice President of Global Industry Services, Anchal Liddar, commented,…
Shell reported that an oil leak occurred around 5:30 a.m. local time from an onshore pipeline. The leak was halted by approximately 3:00 p.m., although traces of oil were seen in the waterway between Bukom Besar and Kechil islands. The company stated that emergency response teams were immediately activated to address the situation. No injuries…
A fire broke out at the Heydar Aliyev Oil Refinery in Baku’s Nizami district, prompting an immediate response from emergency services. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, forces from the State Fire Protection Service and the Special Risk Rescue Service were quickly dispatched to the scene. Thanks to the swift intervention of the firefighting…
Early on the 21st October, local authorities, including the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), responded to a fire on a tanker shortly after it arrived at the Singapore anchorage. According to reports, all 22 crew members of the product tanker Med Atlantic (26,234 dwt) were safely…
A fire that erupted at Bayernoil Raffineriegesellschaft MBH’s dual-site refinery, which processes 10.3 million tonnes annually, has been successfully put out. The refinery is located across Vohburg, Ingolstadt, and Neustadt in Bavaria, Germany. Bayernoil is co-owned by Varo Energy GMBH, which holds a 51.43% stake, along with Rosneft Deutschland GMBH (28.57%) and Enilive Deutschland GMBH,…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new safety video on its investigation into the fatal release of hydrogen chloride at the Wacker Polysilicon North America facility in Charleston, Tennessee, that occurred on November 13, 2020. One contract worker was killed – and two others were seriously injured – when attempting to escape…
A significant fire that broke out early Tuesday at an oil tank in La Salina terminal, operated by Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA, was successfully extinguished on Wednesday, authorities reported. The fire began during a storm at the facility, which is located near the city of Cabimas in western Venezuela. The terminal is used by…
A devastating accident involving a fuel tanker occurred overnight on a highway in Jigawa state, resulting in a deadly explosion. According to police spokesperson Lawan Shiisu Adam, the crash prompted locals to gather around the overturned vehicle to collect fuel before the explosion ignited a massive fire on Wednesday. Footage reportedly from the scene revealed…
The illustrated summary complements the NTSB’s comprehensive 201-page final report by using images and diagrams to clarify the causes of the derailment and the NTSB’s safety recommendations for preventing future incidents. While the final report stands as the NTSB’s official account of the derailment, it also emphasises the thoroughness and extent of the 16-month inquiry.…
A deadly fire broke out at a fuel station in Chechnya, Russia, resulting in the deaths of four people, including two children, as reported by emergency services. Authorities shared images showing over two dozen firefighters working to control the flames at a nearly destroyed fuel station in Grozny, the capital city of Chechnya. “Tragically, four…
CSB announced today that it is launching an investigation into a fatal release of hydrogen sulfide at the Pemex petroleum refinery in Deer Park, Texas, which occurred yesterday, October 10. Two contract workers died as a result of the release, and an additional 13 workers reportedly were transported to local medical facilities. CSB Chairperson Steve…
Two individuals have been confirmed dead, and more than 35 others were injured following a chemical leak at a Pemex refinery in Deer Park on Thursday evening. Officials at the Pemex facility, located at 5900 Highway 225, explained that they were managing an emergency, which had begun at approximately 4:40 p.m. This information was shared…
The gas leak at the Boysun M-25 gas field remains unresolved as authorities continue their work to address the situation. Uzbekistan’s Energy Minister, Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov, stated that emergency crews still require an additional two to three days to fully prepare, even though significant progress has been made. International specialists and state-of-the-art equipment have been brought…
The EPA found that Philadelphia Energy Solutions failed to identify hazards posed by a corroded pipe. The U.S. government has reached a $4.2 million settlement with Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining and Marketing LLC (PES) to resolve penalties under the Clean Air Act (CAA) related to the fire and explosion that occurred on June 21, 2019,…
In the span of one week, the Bangladesh Navy carried out two critical fire rescue operations on Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) vessels in the port city of Chittagong. The first incident occurred Friday night when a significant fire broke out aboard the BSC oil tanker “MT Banglar Saurabh” in the outer harbor of Chittagong Port.…
Thirty-five years ago, 85,000 pounds (39 metric tons) of process gas, mostly ethylene, were released from a plastics plant in Pasadena, Texas. The cloud ignited two minutes later. Debris flew as far as 6 miles (10 km), luckily hitting no one. The following fire caused the explosion of a 20,000-gallon (75 m³) isobutane tank; other…
A fire at a chemical plant in Conyers, Georgia, prompted a large-scale evacuation over the weekend as officials worked to contain the situation and ensure public safety. The fire broke out early Sunday morning at the BioLab facility, a manufacturer of pool and spa treatment products. The blaze produced a massive plume of smoke, raising…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is sending investigators to investigate the major chemical fire that occurred on September 29 at the Bio-Lab facility in Conyers, GA. According to news reports, as many as 17,000 people in the area evacuated due to the fire and 90,000 others east of Atlanta were advised…
An explosion on a shuttle tanker moored at the Eastern Refinery in Chittagong, Bangladesh, resulted in the deaths of three crew members on September 30. The blast triggered a fire that prompted the Coast Guard, Navy, and local resources to respond. Several vessels had to be relocated to a safer area. The explosion occurred around…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released an update into its ongoing investigation of a May 30, 2024, accidental release of a molten mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium nitrate which fatally injured one employee and resulted in injuries to a second employee at the Techniques Surfaces USA (“TS USA”) Liquid Nitriding facility in…
A chemical leak at an industrial plant in Ulsan, a southeastern city in South Korea, led to the hospitalization of 16 individuals on Friday, according to local authorities. Emergency services were alerted to a burning odor and the appearance of white smoke at a synthetic resin factory in Ulju County, approximately 300 kilometers southeast of…
Residents in Cleves and Whitewater Township, Ohio, were instructed to evacuate promptly following a chemical spill deemed “dangerous” by local authorities on the 24th of September. According to an official from the Hamilton County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, the leak did not result from a train derailment but was instead caused by an…
On Monday, September 23, a series of explosions erupted at an oil condensate plant in the Fajr Industrial Park in Garmsar, central Iran, igniting a massive fire and injuring several workers. Local reports indicate that the explosions caused significant damage, and firefighting efforts have been challenging due to the intensity of the blaze. Authorities confirmed…
A gas leak that triggered an explosion in an Iranian coal mine has claimed the lives of 51 individuals, according to reports from Iranian state media. The rescue efforts to save survivors have been described as highly challenging. The explosion took place in two sections of the Madanjoo mine, located in Tabas, South Khorasan, in…
Two consecutive incidents at a gas development well being drilled onshore in Uzbekistan have resulted in the deaths of four people. The well, located at a field jointly owned by a prominent Russian businessman and a leading Uzbek tycoon, experienced blowouts on 1 and 17 September, with several others hospitalized as a result of the…
A fire broke out at the Goldfix factory, a chemical paint production facility, located in the Bahçeağıl neighborhood of Tekirdağ’s Kapaklı district in Türkiye. Thick smoke and flames quickly filled the air, causing widespread concern among local residents. Firefighters from multiple units arrived promptly and managed to contain the blaze. The fire severely damaged a…
A fire broke out on Tuesday at a significant oil refinery located west of Athens, leading to minor injuries for three workers and prompting authorities to issue an evacuation alert for nearby residents. The incident occurred near Agii Theodori, a coastal town approximately 70 kilometers (40 miles) from Athens. Authorities reported that the fire was…
Haitian authorities report that 24 people have lost their lives following a fuel tanker explosion. Numerous others have sustained severe injuries, with some suffering burns over 80% of their bodies, according to Prime Minister Garry Conille. The explosion occurred on Saturday near Miragoane, approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, the nation’s capital. Local…
A crew of 15 was successfully rescued from the southern waters of Cape, South Africa, on Thursday the 11th of September after their offshore supply vessel (OSV) caught fire, forcing its abandonment. The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) reported that the incident involved the Marshall Island-flagged vessel AM Pride, which caught fire early Thursday…
A powerful explosion hit a pasta factory in the northwestern province of Sakarya, Türkiye, on September 15, leaving one worker dead and 33 others injured. The incident took place at the facility in the Hendek district, drawing an immediate response from emergency teams. Firefighters worked diligently to extinguish the blaze that broke out after the…
Chaos erupted at a chemical factory in Maharashtra’s Raigad district after a major explosion on Thursday 11th, which resulted in the deaths of two workers and left four others injured. The incident occurred at Sadhana Nitro Chem Limited, located in the Dhatav MIDC area of Roha town, approximately 110 kilometers from Mumbai. According to authorities,…
Residents of several villages in the Baysun district of Uzbekistan’s Surkhandarya region were evacuated following a hydrogen sulfide gas leak, according to local media. The Ministry of Emergency Situations in Uzbekistan reported that the incident occurred on September 1 at 3:17 p.m. during drilling at Well No. 604 in the “25 Years of Independence” gas…
Two workers lost their lives, and another was injured after a fire erupted over the weekend at Mexico’s largest domestic refinery, operated by the state oil company Pemex, a company official announced on Monday. The fire started on Saturday at the Salina Cruz refinery located in Oaxaca state, according to plant manager Arturo Recio. Recio…
On Monday, oil and gas companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico began evacuating workers and reducing drilling operations as Tropical Storm Francine moved toward the area, according to various reports. The storm is forecasted to strengthen into the fourth hurricane of the Atlantic season and is expected to hit the Louisiana coast by Wednesday…
A fire erupted Thursday the 5th inside a San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) battery storage facility located in Escondido, California. The fire, which ignited lithium-ion batteries inside a storage container, led to the evacuation of around 500 nearby businesses, according to a fire official. Firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after 12:10 p.m. after…
A Greek-owned tanker called the MV Sounion, carrying a million barrels of oil, is still in flames following an attack by Yemeni Houthi rebels on August 21st. Source: AP
A devastating collision between a fuel tanker and a truck in Nigeria has resulted in a massive explosion, leaving at least 48 people dead, according to the country’s emergency response agency. The fuel tanker, which was also transporting cattle, crashed in the Agaie area of north-central Niger state. At least 50 cattle were killed in…
Picture reveals the aftermath of a deadly crash on the Bruce Highway early Friday 31st morning, where a utility vehicle collided with a truck carrying 42.5 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, leading to a fatality. The driver of the ute lost his life, while bystanders rescued the truck driver, who sustained injuries to his abdomen, legs,…
We have seen movies of 1500’s era warriors preparing for battle. They sharpen swords, test their shields and don their armor and helmets. Leaders explain the plans for the ensuing conflict, and they all go to their stations to await the start of the battle. Some movies also show the soldiers thinking about possible injuries,…
The final report from the Grenfell Inquiry highlights how a series of failings within both the government and the private sector turned Grenfell Tower into a deadly hazard. In 2017, a fire at the tower claimed 72 lives, with previous investigations identifying the building’s cladding as the primary cause for the fire’s rapid spread. On…
On August 28, court officials confirmed that an arrest warrant had been issued for Park, the CEO of Aricell, due to the grave nature of the charges against him and the company. A warrant was also issued for another Aricell executive, Park’s son. Television footage showed Park entering the court in handcuffs, where he declined…
Thai authorities have confirmed the deaths of three foreign workers who were trapped in a collapsed train tunnel for over five days, despite extensive rescue efforts. The workers, two from China and one from Myanmar, were believed to be alive until Thursday. They became trapped on Saturday when part of the tunnel they were constructing…
A tragic flash fire at a pharmaceutical facility in Anakapalli district has resulted in the loss of three lives, with two more workers succumbing to burn injuries after the incident on August 23. The fire broke out at Synergene Active Ingredients Pvt Ltd, located within Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City in Parawada, following the improper mixing…
A fire broke out at the refinery around 10:20 AM local time today, triggering the facility’s fire alarm system. This alarm set off an immediate response from Crossbridge Energy’s in-house firefighting team, who were supported by the local fire department and police. In a statement, Crossbridge Energy emphasized that their emergency team was well-prepared and…
An explosion at a pharmaceutical facility in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has resulted in the deaths of at least 17 individuals, according to a government representative. Approximately 40 others were injured in the incident, which occurred on Wednesday 21st of August at Escientia Advanced Sciences’ 40-acre manufacturing site in Anakapalli district. The…
A fire broke out on an oil well drilling platform in Bukit Tempurung Village, located in western Indonesia’s Rantau Field, managed by PT Pertamina EP (PEP). The incident occurred over the weekend during a maintenance operation aimed at boosting oil production, according to local media sources. The fire, which took place in the Kuala Simpang…
A tragic explosion occurred on Saturday night on an offshore natural gas pipeline close to Venice, Louisiana, resulting in the death of one individual, as confirmed by the U.S. Coast Guard on Monday. The pipeline, which is operated by Whitney Oil and Gas, was involved in the incident. According to a statement released by Louisiana…
Norwegian energy giant Equinor has partially evacuated personnel from its Gullfaks C platform and halted production operations. The company attributed the action to a “well control incident,” but assured that the situation is currently “stable.” A spokesperson for Equinor informed Energy Voice that, as a precautionary measure, workers not involved in critical tasks were removed…
Over the past decade, Venezuela’s petroleum industry has gained a troubling reputation for frequent oil spills, largely due to ongoing economic difficulties. The most recent spill from an aging refinery has reportedly polluted a vast area of Venezuela’s coastal waters, tainting beaches near a prominent nature reserve. Satellite images suggest that the oil slick spans…
PT Pertamina EP (PEP) Rantau Field reported that a fire broke out on a rig and oil well drilling platform in Bukit Tempurung Village, located in Kuala Simpang District, Aceh Tamiang, on Saturday afternoon. The incident occurred during a maintenance operation intended to enhance oil production at the well. Edwin Susanto, Acting Field Manager of…
On August 2, 2024, a tragic accident aboard the platform supply vessel (PSV) Icon Amara, operated by Icon Offshore Berhad, resulted in the deaths of two crew members and left another gravely injured. The incident took place at approximately 10:30 p.m. local time as the vessel was servicing the Sapar Alpha platform near Bintulu. According…
Authorities declared a major incident on Wednesday after a sodium cyanide spill in a canal in the West Midlands was identified as a significant public health hazard. Following the toxic spill, which reportedly occurred on Monday, the public has been urged to avoid a 12-mile section of canals and towpaths, particularly around the Walsall area.…
Last Thursday, the media spokesperson for the Public Security Directorate (PSD) reported that firefighters from the Aqaba Civil Defense Directorate successfully extinguished a fire that ignited in four oil tanker lines at an oil refinery in Aqaba. The firefighting teams managed to bring the blaze under control, effectively preventing it from spreading to the nearby…
A significant explosion occurred on a Yang Ming container ship at the Ningbo-Zhoushan port at 1:40 p.m. on Friday, August 9, as reported by the state news agency Xinhua. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries have been reported. Yang Ming, the shipowner, issued a statement confirming that the situation is now under control, and all crew…
An explosion occurred at the Evonik chemical plant in Theodore on Saturday due to an over-pressurized railcar. Emergency responders, including Mobile County Fire and Mobile Fire-Rescue teams, along with other agencies, quickly arrived at the scene to provide assistance. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries reported. According to the company, the incident happened when a…
Indonesian officials are investigating a serious incident involving an explosion and fire on an interisland tanker near Tepekong Island, located off the eastern coast of Bali in the Java Sea. The tragic event resulted in the deaths of five crew members, with three others suffering severe burns and twelve sustaining less critical injuries. The tanker…
Late on the night of August 2, 2024, at approximately 11:12 PM, a fire ignited at the Akaso 4 Wellhead, managed by Nigerian National Petroleum Company 18 Operating Limited. According to a statement released on Saturday by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), NNPC 18 Operating Limited has swiftly sent an emergency response team…
A tragic explosion occurred on the 2nd of August involving a ship near an oil platform in Bintulu, leading to the deaths of two workers and injuring another. Bintulu police chief Superintendent Nixon Joshua Ali stated that the police were alerted to the incident around 2 a.m. this morning. The explosion happened in the engine…
Lebanon is observing the fourth anniversary of the devastating explosion at the Beirut port, which claimed the lives of over 220 individuals. As of today, no one has been held accountable for the tragic event on August 4, 2020. This explosion, one of the most massive non-nuclear blasts ever recorded, resulted in injuries to at…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced today that it is launching an investigation into a hazardous ammonia leak which occurred the evening of July 31 at Cuisine Solutions, Inc., a food processing facility in Loudon County, VA. The release led to the hospitalization of 33 workers, with some in serious condition. CSB…
In Figure 1., an older section of piping had corroded, but a decision was made to continue operation until the next inspection. The piping failed, released hot, flammable liquid, that formed a vapor cloud. It ignited and caused a large fire There were no fatalities. In Figure 2., a spherical tank in Liquified Natural Gas…
An explosion followed by a fire occurred on Monday at the primary facility of BASF, a leading German chemical corporation, resulting in injuries to 18 employees. The incident took place around midday in the southern section of the extensive Ludwigshafen plant, igniting a blaze that has now been put out. Eighteen workers sustained minor injuries…
Firefighters in South Korea successfully extinguished a blaze at an S-Oil refinery yesterday, approximately three hours after it began. Local fire department officials reported that there were no casualties from the incident, which occurred in the early morning hours. Photographs from the scene depicted intense flames emanating from the facility. According to the Ulsan fire…
The Philippine Coast Guard has initiated efforts to deploy floating barriers and commence cleanup operations following an oil spill, aiming to prevent the contamination from reaching Manila. The urgent response follows the capsizing of the 65-meter-long MT Terra Nova on Thursday amid heavy monsoon rains that swept across the country. Officials reported that the spill…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new Safety Study titled “Remote Isolation of Process Equipment” that issues recommendations to key regulators and calls for greater use of remote isolation equipment at chemical facilities in the United States. Based on the agency’s investigations of several catastrophic chemical incidents in recent years, the CSB’s new…
A tragic incident at a tequila factory in Mexico has resulted in the deaths of at least six workers, local authorities announced. The catastrophe occurred at a Casa Cuervo distillery located in the town of Tequila, Jalisco state, where two other individuals sustained injuries. Casa Cuervo, known as the largest global producer of tequila, manages…
Britain’s offshore oil and gas installations are held to high regulatory standards, but human error can still lead to a major incident. That’s the message from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), who are urging offshore companies to take a closer look at what’s widely known in the sector as human factors. HSE inspects human…
A tragic plane crash in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, resulted in the deaths of at least 18 people on Wednesday when the aircraft burst into flames during takeoff. The pilot, currently hospitalized, is the only one who survived the devastating crash. There were 19 people aboard the Saurya Airlines test flight, including technical staff and two…
On Sunday, the Indian Navy frigate INS Brahmaputra caught fire and subsequently capsized at the Mumbai Naval Dockyard, leaving one sailor unaccounted for and causing extensive damage to the vessel. While undergoing routine maintenance, the INS Brahmaputra caught fire at the Mumbai Naval Dockyard. Despite efforts to control the situation, the ship began listing to…
On Thursday, July 18, 2024, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) received an emergency alert from the Regional Maritime Rescue Coordinating Center (RMRCC) in Lagos. The alert reported that the Britania U drilling platform was in distress at the Ajakpa Field (OML 90), situated 10.77 nautical miles south of the Forcados Terminal in…
The Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) reported that it was notified of a fire on both the Singapore-flagged product tanker Hafnia Nile and the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged Ceres 1 at approximately 06:15 hours SGT on July 19. The incident occurred about 55 kilometers northeast of Pedra Branca. The fire resulted from a…
A preliminary report by a committee investigating the explosion at a chemical plant in Sangareddy district, which resulted in the deaths of six workers, has highlighted significant organizational and regulatory deficiencies as contributing factors. The explosion at SB Organics Limited in Chandapur village, Hathnoora Mandal, on April 3, killed six employees instantly and injured 19…
A tragic incident occurred at Vasant Chemicals Private Ltd within the special economic zone (SEZ) in Atchutapuram, Anakapalle district, on Wednesday, resulting in the death of a contract worker. The fatal explosion happened just days after the Anakapalle district administration held a meeting to discuss factory safety measures. The victim, identified as 44-year-old Pradeep Rout,…
At 9:31 a.m. on July 11, Franklin County Emergency Management received a call about a hazardous materials situation at a facility on Development Avenue in Letterkenny Township. The incident occurred at the AFCO facility in the 800 block, involving a leak that released a mixture of water, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, and a dye, according…
Washington D.C., July 11, 2024 – Today, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new safety video on its investigation into the fatal release of acetic acid at the LyondellBasell La Porte Complex in La Porte, Texas, on July 27, 2021, that killed two contract workers. Approximately 164,000 pounds of a highly corrosive acetic acid…
Authorities provided an update on a major explosion and subsequent fire at a factory in Melbourne’s western region on Wednesday. While the blaze has been controlled, the incident has led to chemical contamination of a nearby creek. Emergency services were dispatched to Swann Drive in Derrimut at around 11:20 AM local time on Wednesday, responding…
In 2019, an explosion followed a 10,000 lbs. (4500kg) release of flammable isobutylene from a failed Ystrainer. It fatally injured one worker and seriously injured two others. The incident also injured 28 andresulted in the operating company’s bankruptcy. This Beacon focuses on only one of many lessons learned from this incident–the tremendous pressure that occurs…
A devastating fire at a fertilizer warehouse in South Hill, Virginia, resulted in the death of one woman and injuries to more than a dozen firefighters on Saturday. Preliminary findings from the South Hill Police Department indicate that the fire erupted when a woman crashed her vehicle into a Nutrien Ag Solutions facility on West…
On Friday morning, a mine shaft explosion in Placer County resulted in critical injuries for two workers, officials reported. The incident occurred around 9:40 a.m. at a mine located on Mosquito Ridge Road within the Tahoe National Forest, as detailed in a news release from the Foresthill Fire Protection District. Responders from the Foresthill Fire…
Washington, D.C., July 3, 2024 — With Hurricane Beryl the Atlantic Ocean’s earliest Category 5 storm on record, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is once again urging the chemical industry to act expeditiously to prepare for a season of potentially more frequent and more powerful hurricanes and other extreme weather events. On…
A fire broke out at a refinery owned by Idemitsu Kosan Co., a leading Japanese oil company, near Tokyo on Tuesday, resulting in injuries to a male employee, according to police and company officials. Firefighters were alerted around 2:30 p.m. to a fire caused by an oil leak at the Ichihara complex in Chiba Prefecture.…
A gas explosion resulting from a vehicle accident claimed six lives and injured 14 others in Mongolia’s capital on Wednesday, according to local authorities. The incident occurred when a truck transporting 60 tons of liquified natural gas (LNG) collided with a car and detonated in the early hours, as reported by the Mongolian National Emergency…
A section of the roof at New Delhi’s airport gave way after heavy rainfall on Friday, resulting in the death of one man and injuring eight others. This incident adds to a series of high-profile infrastructure failures affecting India’s reputation. A statement from Indira Gandhi International Airport indicated that the collapse occurred at approximately 5…
A minor fire occurred in a storage section of Kuwait’s Al Zour refinery, but it did not disrupt production, according to a statement from the state-owned Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC) on Saturday. The incident resulted in no injuries, and firefighters were actively working to manage the situation, KIPIC reported on X. KIPIC’s official…
Last Wednesday, a “minor fire” occurred at the Dangote Refinery, Africa’s newest and largest refinery. Footage from the site revealed smoke and flames emerging from one section of the facility. However, the operator stated that the incident did not cause any significant disruption. “We have swiftly contained a minor fire incident at our effluent treatment…
On February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, USA. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride, were burned following the accident, releasing hazardous fumes into the air. During a board meeting on Tuesday, the NTSB revealed that the derailment was caused by an overheated…
Early this morning, over 40 employees were compelled to evacuate a chemical warehouse in Western Sydney as it was overtaken by a large fire, resulting in dense black smoke covering the area. Approximately 60 firefighters were dispatched to address the fifth alarm fire—the highest alert level—at the single-storey Industrial Galvanizers facility on Amax Avenue in…
Washington D.C. June 24, 2024 – Today the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) issued its final investigation report into the fatal naphtha release and fire at the BP-Husky Toledo Refinery (“BP Toledo Refinery”) in Oregon, Ohio, on September 20, 2022, which resulted in the death of two BP employees, who were brothers. During an…
A fire erupted on Monday morning at the Aricell plant in Hwaseong city, located approximately 45km (28 miles) south of Seoul. Television broadcasts showed significant smoke and sporadic explosions as firefighters battled the blaze. Part of the building’s roof had collapsed. South Korea is a major manufacturer of lithium batteries, which are used in a…
On June the 21st, a fierce fire has consumed the Khartoum Oil Refinery, currently controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Reports indicate that the Civil Defence’s firefighting supplies are now exhausted. Eyewitnesses from the northern Omdurman countryside say the fires that started last Wednesday evening are the worst yet. The refinery, located on the…
Nine people have lost their lives and 46 others have been injured following explosions at a military ammunition depot in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena. The incident occurred on Tuesday night when a fire ignited a series of explosions at the depot, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Koulamallah Abderaman. Local media reported that the blasts began just…
On the 18th of June, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released an update on its investigation into a July 2023 explosion at the Dow Louisiana Operations’ Glycol II plant in Plaquemine, Louisiana, that resulted in the release of over 31,000 pounds of ethylene oxide (EtO), a known carcinogen. Multiple subsequent explosions and fires…
A leak from a Union Pacific tanker car carrying nitric acid led to evacuations and a highway closure lasting over two hours, multiple sources reported. At approximately 10 a.m., witnesses observed a railcar on the Union Pacific track emitting a chemical cloud. Responding to the incident were White County Emergency Management, the White County sheriff’s…
Residents near a chemical plant were instructed to close their windows and doors after a white mist was observed emanating from the facility at the Dow site in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan. South Wales Police issued this precautionary advice due to the incident. Firefighters responded to the scene with multiple crews, reinforcing the police’s recommendations.…
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Late Wednesday, a significant fire ignited at the asphalt storage area of an oil refinery situated along the Erbil-Gwer road. No casualties have been reported, and efforts to control the fire are ongoing. Due to the fire’s intensity, about a dozen firefighting units are working to extinguish the flames. The cause…
A 37-year-old father of four, employed as a scaffolder by Altrad NSG, tragically lost his life while working at Tata’s Lostock Hall site. On 30 November 2016, during his work, Densmore stepped over a trough containing milk of lime heated to about 90 degrees Celsius. His right foot slipped on an unsecured lid covering the…
A significant fire erupted in a warehouse storing plastics and chemicals in Phetchaburi, necessitating the deployment of 15 fire trucks to combat the flames. Initial assessments suggest an electrical short circuit may have triggered the blaze. Police Colonel Thip Khengkhoom, head of Khao Yoi Police Station in Phetchaburi, coordinated the emergency response at the Universal…
Today, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that it isdeploying a team of chemical incident investigators to investigate a release of highly toxic hydrofluoric acid (HF) that occurred last Friday, June 7, 2024, at the Honeywell International Fluorine Products facility in Geismar, LA, that seriously injured a worker there. Honeywell reported…
Last Thursday, a significant fire broke out at a chemical warehouse located on Mankoli Road in Bhiwandi, Thane, producing large clouds of dense smoke. Anjur Phata Station Incharge, Shailesh Shinde, reported that the fire brigade was alerted to the blaze at 5:10pm, following an emergency call about the incident at Pritesh Complex in Dapoda village.…
A tanker truck carrying hazardous materials exploded last Friday while traveling along I-10, injuring the driver and leading to an extended closure of the highway. The explosion occurred at 7:30 a.m. near Red Cloud Mine Road, east of Chiraco Summit, for reasons that are still unknown, according to Rob Roseen, a spokesperson for Cal Fire/Riverside…
Washington D.C. June 4, 2024 – The U.S. Chemical Safey and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that it has deployed a team of chemical incident investigators to investigate the fatal fire that occurred last Thursday, May 30, at the TS USA liquid nitriding facility in downtown Chattanooga, TN. One person died after suffering severe burns…
On January 2, 2024, Japan Airlines (JAL) Flight 516 carrying 367 passengers and 12 crew members was landing at Haneda Airport in Tokyo Japan. It collided with a smaller Coast Guard plane on the runway and both aircraft caught fire. Five of the six crew on board the smaller plane died in the collision. All…
Eleven people, including nine miners, died on Monday due to suffocation from a gas leakage in a coal mine near the Union Council Sanjedi area of Quetta. Balochistan Chief Inspector of Mine Abdul Ghani Baloch informed Dawn.com that among the deceased were one contractor and one mine manager. He added that all the victims were…
Two dead workers and more injured were the result of a hydrogen sulfide gas leak in one of the process plants of the Ingeniero Antonio M. Amor Refinery (RIAMA), last Friday afternoon. To date, no investigation has been made. Official information was issued by Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), however, it emerged that the victims of the…
A worker at a Chattanooga facility has died following a chemical fire, as reported by state officials. Emergency crews arrived at TS USA, located off Riverfront Parkway, on Thursday morning and discovered the worker along with three others suffering from burn injuries. According to the Chattanooga Fire Department, the worker, whose identity remains undisclosed, was…
A devastating explosion at a chemical factory in western India has led to at least 10 deaths and over 60 injuries. The incident occurred on Thursday 23rd in Thane, a city near Mumbai, Maharashtra’s financial hub. The explosion originated from the factory’s boiler, igniting fires that spread to adjacent factories and residential buildings. Despite the…
The Texas Petrochemical Company (TPC Group) has admitted guilt to breaching the Clean Air Act in front of the US District Court for Eastern Texas, following its negligence that caused two explosions at its Port Neches plant in November 2019. The explosions, which occurred within 13 hours of each other, resulted in injuries to three…
The number of fatalities from the sugar factory explosion in eastern Tanzania has increased from 11 on Thursday to 13 on Friday, according to a local medical official. George Dilunga, head of the Emergency Department at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital, reported that the death toll rose after two Tanzanian nationals succumbed to their injuries while receiving…
Dublin Airport reported on Sunday that twelve individuals were injured during a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Ireland due to turbulence. Despite the incident, the plane landed safely and on time. The flight, designated QR017 and operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, arrived just before 1 p.m. local time (1200 GMT), according to the…
Authorities successfully managed a fire that erupted at the Kilang Pertamina Internasional refinery in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, according to officials. A significant fire occurred at an oil refinery in the port city of Balikpapan, Indonesia, early Saturday morning. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported, according to local news sources. Firefighters were able to bring the…
Shell has announced that a fire which erupted near its Gbaran Ubie gas facility in Nigeria’s Bayelsa state on Tuesday the 14th has been successfully extinguished. “We are pleased to report that the fire outside our Gbaran Central Processing Facility… was put out last night. A regulator-led Joint Investigation Visit is being organized to ascertain…
An aircraft belonging to Indonesia’s national airline had to perform an emergency landing after an engine caught fire shortly after departure. The Garuda Indonesia flight, which was en route from Makassar in Indonesia to Madinah in Saudi Arabia last Wednesday, encountered the issue with 468 passengers onboard. According to Garuda Indonesia, the Boeing 747-400 promptly…
On Wednesday morning, a tanker transporting sodium hydroxide exploded at the Royal Chemical facility in Macedonia, leading to three reported injuries, as stated by Macedonia Fire Chief Brian Ripley. Out of the three injured individuals, two were taken to Metro General Hospital in Cleveland. One of them sustained life-threatening burns, while the other suffered severe…
In a recent incident in Delhi’s Bawana area, a chemical factory experienced a blast and subsequent fire, resulting in injuries to seven individuals, as reported by authorities. According to Delhi Fire Services (DFS) chief Atul Garg, a distress call reporting a fire at a factory in Sector 1 of the Bawana industrial area was received…
A fatal incident occurred at the Map Ta Phut Tank Terminal Co Ltd (MTT) in Rayong on Thursday morning, resulting in one casualty due to an explosion and subsequent fire involving a pyrolysis gasoline (pygas) tank. The emergency response was triggered around 10:45 am when firefighters responded to the scene at the SCG Chemicals Plc…
Passengers experienced a harrowing ordeal when a Boeing 737 aircraft skidded off the runway at Senegal’s primary airport, resulting in injuries to 10 individuals. Video footage captured the chaotic scene as travelers evacuated the aircraft amidst visible distress. Some passengers fled with their belongings, while others utilized emergency slides amid audible screams in the background.…
A tragic incident unfolded at a sewage treatment plant near Palermo, Sicily, on May 6, resulting in the death of five workers due to toxic gas poisoning. Additionally, one worker was found unconscious and remains hospitalized in critical condition. Emergency responders were alerted to the scene at Casteldaccia, located approximately 12 miles (20 km) from…
A recent incident occurred at BASF’s expansive chemicals facility in Ludwigshafen, Germany, involving a hydrogen leak that resulted in a “brief ignition” around 10:40 pm on April 30th, promptly contained by the onsite fire department, according to an official company statement. The flames were swiftly extinguished using a specialized “turbo extinguisher” affixed to a fire…
A vapor cloud explosion and fire led to one fatality and two serious injuries. At least 28 other workers were injured. About 10,000 lb. (4500 kg.) of flammable isobutylene was released when a 3-inch (75mm) Y-strainer failed, likely due to thermal expansion. The vapor cloud ignited causing an explosion.This Beacon focuses on using piping materials…
Emergency services responded to an incident at a chemical plant on Denbigh Road in Mold on Tuesday afternoon, marked by multiple explosions. Nearby residents were advised to keep windows and doors closed as a precaution. Throughout May 1st, fire services remained on-site, and a portion of the A541 Denbigh Road near the facility was closed.…
U.S. Chemical Safety Board Applauds New National Fire Protection Association Guidance to Prevent Fires and Explosions Involving Hazardous Materials Washington, D.C. April 30, 2024 – Today, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) applauded the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) for taking new actions to prevent fires and explosions associated with hazardous materials.…
In south-western Cambodia, a devastating ammunition explosion at a military base has resulted in the tragic loss of 20 soldiers, along with several others injured, according to Prime Minister Hun Manet. Expressing profound shock, Hun Manet conveyed his sentiments through a Facebook post upon learning of the blast that occurred on Saturday afternoon in Kampong…
The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) is advocating for increased regulatory oversight following a recent gas pipeline rupture at an aging offshore platform in the Gippsland Basin off the Victorian coast. The incident, which occurred on April 6, 2024, at West Kingfish (WKF), operated by ExxonMobil subsidiary Esso, resulted in an uncontrolled release of condensate…
An incident occurred on Tuesday at an oil refinery in Duhok, situated in Iraqi Kurdistan, northern Iraq. According to a statement from a source within the Civil Defense Department, three individuals were injured during a fire incident at the oil refinery located in the Kwashe industrial area, located to the west of the Governorate. Emergency…
Equinor’s Hammerfest LNG plant, situated in the northern region of Norway, underwent an evacuation on 23rd April following a gas leak incident that arose during routine maintenance, as confirmed by the company. Operations at the plant were promptly ceased upon the discovery of the leak, with all 54 individuals present at the facility accounted for.…
An explosion resulting in the release of ammonia resulted in injuries to 160 individuals on April 18 in Chon Buri province, located in eastern Thailand. The incident occurred at an ice manufacturing facility, causing ammonia to spread beyond the immediate vicinity and affect individuals within a one-kilometre radius. The explosion at the Banglamung Ice Plant…
According to a report from state media outlet Xinhua, a tragic explosion at a chemical plant in the Ningxia region of northwest China has resulted in the loss of two lives and left four others injured. The incident took place on Thursday at the premises of Ningxia Baofeng Energy, a company listed on the Shanghai…
BAE Systems, the largest defense contractor in the UK and a prominent engineering firm, is conducting an investigation after an explosion occurred at its facility in Glascoed, Monmouthshire, South Wales, on Wednesday morning. A spokesperson representing the arms manufacturer confirmed that the incident took place at Glascoed facility but reassured that there were no reported…
A fire incident occurred on Norway’s Statfjord A oil and gas platform located in the North Sea during the early hours of Wednesday, according to operator Equinor EQNR.OL. The fire was successfully extinguished after approximately 90 minutes, Equinor confirmed. Prior to the fire outbreak, production had been halted due to scheduled maintenance, as per a…
At approximately 10:00 PM local time, a fire erupted at a Scottish battery recycling plant, prompting the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to advise nearby residents to remain indoors with windows and doors closed as a precautionary measure. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries stemming from the incident. Videos and photos circulated on social media…
A blast followed by a fire on Wednesday at a French factory handling hazardous materials resulted in at least one individual sustaining critical injuries, as reported by local authorities. The exact cause behind the explosion, which produced a large plume of gray smoke visible across the vicinity, is presently under investigation. Firefighters swiftly brought the…
Reports indicate that a devastating explosion at a hydroelectric plant in northern Italy has resulted in the loss of at least three lives, with five others sustaining injuries. According to the Associated Press, the latest update reveals that four individuals are still unaccounted for following the incident. Officials from the firefighting brigade described the challenging…
MEXICO CITY – Mexico’s national oil company Pemex confirmed the loss of one contractor’s life and the severe injury of two others in an offshore platform fire, according to a statement released on Sunday. The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon on the Akal-B platform in the southern Gulf of Mexico, a key hub for Pemex’s…
Washington, D.C. – April 4, 2024 – The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has initiated investigations into two separate incidents involving toxic chemicals released at facilities in Louisiana in 2023. The incidents under scrutiny include the discharge of hydrogen fluoride (HF) and chlorine at the Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies facility in…
Phillips 66 released a statement affirming that operations at the refinery remain uninterrupted despite the recent incident. Two employees sustained injuries and were promptly transported to the hospital for treatment. Fortunately, both individuals are anticipated to recover fully. The company has committed to launching an immediate investigation into the incident to ascertain its underlying causes…
Six individuals are currently unaccounted for and presumed deceased following a devastating incident in Baltimore, where a container ship collided with the iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge, resulting in its collapse. The Coast Guard has ceased its search efforts and shifted focus to recovery operations. Stretching over 2.6 kilometers (1.6 miles), the bridge suffered irreparable…
The Valero Benicia Refinery has disclosed detailed information regarding the incident that led to the release of an unpleasant odor into the city of Benicia on February 24th and has formally concluded its investigation. The sequence of events unfolded on Friday, February 23rd when a gas turbine malfunctioned in the Benicia Refinery Fluid Catalytic Cracker…
The Cardon refinery in Venezuela experienced a disruption in its operations when a fire broke out in the early hours of Friday (22 March), causing injuries to two workers. According to insiders familiar with refinery operations, the fire ignited around 5 a.m. local time following a significant explosion and was brought under control a few…
Tragedy struck when a fire erupted at a chemical plant in Jaipur, Rajasthan, resulting in the loss of six lives and leaving one individual injured, as per reports from local news outlets. Jaipur District Collector, Prakash Rajpurohit, disclosed that the fire originated following an explosion within the factory’s boiler. Regrettably, one of the two injured…
An incident unfolded in Defiance, Ohio, where emergency responders from the Defiance Fire Department and Police Department swiftly reacted to reports of an explosion around 4:00 PM local time. Upon their arrival, it became evident that visible smoke and flames engulfed the facility, with signs of structural damage indicating an explosion had transpired, as stated…
An unfortunate incident unfolded at Perenco’s Becuna platform located on the Simba field offshore Gabon on March 20, 2024, resulting in a fire outbreak. Initial reports indicated two individuals sustained injuries, while five others were reported missing. Prompt evacuation of the injured workers to the shore was conducted, and unharmed personnel were relocated to a…
Phillips 66 refinery officials in Billings have disclosed the findings of their investigation into the events that led to a series of fires emitting black smoke on February 9th. In reports furnished to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality following a public information request, senior environmental consultant Matt Evans of Phillips 66 revealed that hydrocarbons,…
Tragedy struck as a South Korean-flagged tanker overturned off the coast of Japan, resulting in the loss of seven crew members, as confirmed by authorities. Out of the nine crew members rescued from the distressed vessel, one survivor was found, while the condition of another remains uncertain, as stated by Ryoto Katamura, an official from…
The event transpired following a fire outbreak around 06:20 at the premises. Reports from Tunisian media outlets suggest that the fire ignited due to a gas leakage during the process of refilling gas cylinders. Both AGIL personnel and local firefighting services promptly responded to the scene, successfully containing the fire before it could spread beyond…
In a strategic move to bolster safety measures, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recently made key appointments, signaling a shift towards a more data-driven approach under the leadership of Chair Jennifer Homendy. Warren Randolph, formerly with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), joins the NTSB as its inaugural Chief Data Officer. With a background…
A significant fire has erupted along one of the principal trunklines in a corridor connecting Russia’s gas-rich Yamal-Nenets autonomous region to West Siberia. These pipelines play a crucial role in transporting the majority of gas extracted by the state-controlled Gazprom from Yamal-Nenets to clients in the European part of Russia, as well as to export…
What happened – a process suddenly starts operating erratically and shuts down. It could be an instrument failure, but what really caused the upset? During an unplanned shutdown, the focus may be on restarting the operation. Pressures to return the process to operation may not allow thorough troubleshooting. The quick solution is to ‘do what…
In recent developments, local authorities have announced that the fire at Exxon Mobil’s Port Jerome-Gravenchon refinery in northern France, which ignited earlier on Monday, has been successfully brought under control. According to a statement from the Seine-Maritime prefecture, the fire originated at a gasoline distillation unit around 3:30 p.m. (1430 GMT), resulting in the emission…
United Airlines encountered a series of flight-related incidents in Texas over the past week, prompting attention and concern. On Monday, an alarming incident occurred when an engine of one of the airline’s planes caught fire mid-flight. Subsequently, on Thursday, a separate flight faced a perilous situation as it lost a tire during its journey. Additionally,…
Continued efforts are underway to extinguish an engine room fire aboard the MSC Sao Paulo V, with the Canadian Coast Guard overseeing operations. The fire, which was first reported on Sunday afternoon, March 3, persists, prompting ongoing monitoring and response measures. Positioned in a sheltered area outside the main shipping lane near the entrance to…
In a tragic incident on Thursday, one individual lost their life while three others sustained injuries due to a fire outbreak at a private oil refinery situated in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, as reported by the official news agency IRNA. The fire erupted around 11:00 a.m. local time (0730 GMT) when…
In the early hours of Wednesday, an imminent catastrophe was narrowly averted at Antwerp’s Waaslandhaven in Kallo, all thanks to the vigilance of a Polish tanker driver and the prompt response of the local Fire Service. Transporting 27,000 liters of petrol, the driver swiftly detected a technical malfunction in his trailer shortly after departing from…
In Kasrawad tehsil of Khargone district, a fire erupted at an oil refinery situated in Peepal Jhopa, resulting in injuries to four individuals. According to the local authorities, the fire broke out at the Asian Organics facility in Peepal Jhopa around 5:00 pm for reasons yet to be determined. The refinery processes old crude oil…
