Tesoro Refinery Fire
April 2, 2010
I guess this happened about 12:30 AM this morning. I called my mom around 8 who said it shook the entire house – they weren’t sure what it was at first but then the refinery sirens started going off.
As somebody who’s grown up in Anacortes, let me tell you that there are few things scarier then the alarm on top of the steam house building – especially when you know it’s not just a test. They test the alarm every Wednesday at noon – it’s a great big air raid siren almost identical to the ones used in the Midwest for tornado sirens. It’s a sound that goes straight into your bones and freezes you from the inside out.
My dad used to work out there at the Shell refinery (there are three different companies out there, but they’re so close it might as well be one compound) and every time something would happen we would be worried until we heard from him. He was fired not too long ago because it was cheaper to hire new people then it was to pay for all the benefits of somebody who’d been there longer. At first we were all pretty upset about it, but I can’t tell you how relieving it is to know that he’s out of harms way every time there’s something wrong.
The last time I remember a massive explosion at the refinery I was in 6th grade…I think six people died? My elementary school was put into lockdown on the off chance that any toxic gasses or ash floated across the bay. I know the families all got massive cash settlements from the company (one of them moved in across the street from us, but that’s another story entirely) and it really shook the town up.
I’ve been in an odd state of mind all morning – I’m frustrated to death being stuck at work behind this desk depending on others for information, and I know that part of it is because I’m in full-on news mode and part of it is because I feel like I should be in Anacortes. It’s my home, my community and I feel like I should be there to mourn with them.
It’s such a small town that even if I don’t know anyone who was killed directly, I’ll likely know someone who did – and in that way everyone is brought together as a community.
My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims – three were killed in the original blast, and one of the four flown down to Harborview’s Burn Unit succumbed to her injuries not even an hour ago. It’s not looking good for the other three.
Tesoro is having a news conference at 2 o’clock, and all I can do for now is wait.
