Union Oil 1984 Explosion Romeoville

Send us Fan Mail A hairline crack doesn’t sound like much until it’s hissing flammable vapor at the base of a pressurized refinery tower. We’re telling the story of the 1984 Union Oil Refinery explosion in Romeoville, Illinois, a disaster that escalates in minutes from a routine walkthrough to a massive blast, a second fireball fueled by liquefied petroleum gas, and a night that leaves 17 workers dead. We start with the nuts and bolts of refinery operations, including how an MEA absorber tow...