Continental Oil Refinery Explosion and Fire

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I remember an explosion to one of the tanks in the mid 80’s too, am I remembering something different? Please tell me that happened cause I remember it vividly!!

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I was living in Commerce City around Fairfax Park at that time. I was 5 years old, sleeping on the top bunk on a bunk bed. The explosion shook our home so violently that I remember falling off of the top bunk and landing on my chest and getting the breath knocked out of me. My grandparents, who lived next door had their large front and back room windows blown out as well.

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I was living in Commerce City around Fairfax Park at that time. I was 5 years old, sleeping on the top bunk on a bunk bed. The explosion shook our home so violently that I remember falling off of the top bunk and landing on my chest and getting the breath knocked out of me. My grandparents, who lived next door had their large front and back room windows blown out as well.

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I was in college in Pueblo when I heard this on NBC news. My dad, who worked at Conoco was on his way to work when the explosion happened. Ten more minutes and he would have been there. I worked there in the summers from 78 to 80 to help pay for college. I was trained in my first job by Steve French, one of those who was killed in the explosion. Steve was a great guy and fellow worker, who had just moved up to operations. Tough memories.

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My dad remembers feeling the explosion. He was 10 at the time and would have lived all the way in Cap Hill.
Even though it has been Suncor as long as I remember, I remember driving past as a kid on 76 and being alarmed at the pipe that jettisons excess flames because I didn’t know that was intentional, so learning from my dad as an adult that there really was a disaster at the site is really something. Interesting what ever-present things escape our constant active attention.

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My uncle was a Forman there and the only one who had worked there that knew the refinery like the back of his hands. He helped over see the rebuilding. He had just parked his car in the employee parking lot when the explosion happened. He raced into the area where he worked to find his young men he was training to take his place for when he retired only to find one young man trapped under an I beam that had fallen on him. The other young men lifted the beam so they all could get out before the fire could reach where they were at. When they lifted that I beam they found that their brother, friend and co-worker had been cut in half. He died in my uncles arms. My uncle grieved terribly over the loss of him. He said all those young men were like his own sons to him. I was living in Federal Heights getting ready to go to work when it all happened. I saw the fire on my way to work and heard on the radio that my uncles place of employment had blown up.

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My uncle was the one who had worked there long enough to know the refinery like the back of his hands. I just know he worked there for many many years.

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My uncle was a Forman there and the only one who had worked there that knew the refinery like the back of his hands. He helped over see the rebuilding. He had just parked his car in the employee parking lot when the explosion happened. He raced into the area where he worked to find his young men he was training to take his place for when he retired only to find one young man trapped under an I beam that had fallen on him. The other young men lifted the beam so they all could get out before the fire could reach where they were at. When they lifted that I beam they found that their brother, friend and co-worker had been cut in half. He died in my uncles arms. My uncle grieved terribly over the loss of him. He said all those young men were like his own sons to him. I was living in Federal Heights getting ready to go to work when it all happened. I saw the fire on my way to work and heard on the radio that my uncles place of employment had blown up.

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