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McKee Refinery Fire
The McKee refinery tank explosion and fire on Sunday, July 29, 1956, was an explosion and severe fire-related mass casualty event, killing 19 firefighters. The fire is considered to have the fourth (the September 11 attacks being first) most casualties of fire fighters in the United States for a single fire event. Their names are engraved at the firefighters' memorial on the grounds of the Texas state capitol. Another memorial is on the grounds of the Moore County courthouse. The refinery, located south of the Texas/Oklahoma border and seven miles south of Sunray, Texas, included a spherical tank containing half a million gallons of pentane Pentane is an organic compound with the formula C5H12—that is, an alkane with five carbon atoms. The term may refer to any of three structural isomers, or to a mixture of them: in the IUPAC nomenclature, however, pentane means exclusively the ' ... and hexane. Vapors escaped from the tank and migrated downhill toward other installations. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Fire Protection Association
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is an international nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. As of 2018, the NFPA claims to have 50,000 members and 9,000 volunteers working with the organization through its 250 technical committees. History In 1895, a Committee on Automatic Sprinkler Protection was formed in Massachusetts by men affiliated with several fire insurance companies and a pipe manufacturer to develop a uniform standard for the design and installation of fire sprinkler systems. At the time, there were nine such standards in effect within of Boston, Massachusetts, and such diversity was causing great difficulties for plumbers working in the New England region. The next year, the committee published its initial report on a uniform standard, and went on to form the NFPA in late 1896. The committee's initial report evolved into NFPA 13, ''Standard for the Installat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
September 11 Attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners scheduled to travel from the Northeastern United States to California. The hijackers crashed the first two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and the third plane into the Pentagon (the headquarters of the United States military) in Arlington County, Virginia. The fourth plane was intended to hit a federal government building in Washington, D.C., but crashed in a field following a passenger revolt. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and instigated the war on terror. The first impact was that of American Airlines Flight 11. It was crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan at 8:46 a.m. Seventeen minutes later, at 9:03, the World Trade Center’s S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Texas State Capitol
The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the American state of Texas. Located in downtown Austin, Texas, the structure houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and of the Governor of Texas. Designed in 1881 by architect Elijah E. Myers, it was constructed from 1882 to 1888 under the direction of civil engineer Reuben Lindsay Walker. A $75 million underground extension was completed in 1993. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1986. and The Texas State Capitol is tall, making it the sixth-tallest state capitol and one of several taller than the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The capitol was ranked 92nd in the 2007 "America's Favorite Architecture" poll commissioned by the American Institute of Architects. History The current Texas State Capitol is the third building to serve that purpose. The first was a wooden structure that had ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moore County, Texas
Moore County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 21,358. The county seat is Dumas. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1892. It is named for Edwin Ward Moore, the commander of the Texas Navy. The Dumas micropolitan statistical area includes all of Moore County. Moore County history is highlighted in the Window on the Plains Museum in Dumas. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (1.1%) are covered by water. Major highways * U.S. Highway 87 * U.S. Highway 287 * State Highway 152 * State Highway 354 Adjacent counties * Sherman County (north) * Hutchinson County (east) * Carson County (southeast) * Potter County (south) * Oldham County (southwest) * Hartley County (west) * Dallam County (northwest) National protected area * Lake Meredith National Recreation Area (part) Demographics 2020 census ''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New Mexico on the west, and Colorado on the northwest. Partially in the western extreme of the Upland South, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-most extensive and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 28th-most populous of the 50 United States. Its residents are known as Oklahomans and its capital and largest city is Oklahoma City. The state's name is derived from the Choctaw language, Choctaw words , 'people' and , which translates as 'red'. Oklahoma is also known informally by its List of U.S. state and territory nicknames, nickname, "Sooners, The Sooner State", in reference to the settlers who staked their claims on land before the official op ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sunray, Texas
Sunray is a city in northeast Moore County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,926 at the 2010 census. History Sunray, Texas, was founded by Jack Clarence Collins. He was born in Hartley, Texas, in 1893, and in 1902 moved to Channing, Texas, with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. E.S. Collins. Jack graduated from Channing High School and later, in 1916, from Texas A&M, where he was class valedictorian and class president in his senior year. Later, he served for several years as cashier of the First National Bank of Channing while extending his family's ranch holdings. Mr. Collins was well-known and respected in ranching and financial circles, and was a ranking member of the Republican Party for several years. Jack Collins did not call the town "Sunray" when he laid it out in 1930. The first lots were sold at $10 each under the name "Altman", but it was discovered that a town in Rusk County had already appropriated that name, hence, the name "Sunray" was used. A post offic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pentane
Pentane is an organic compound with the formula C5H12—that is, an alkane with five carbon atoms. The term may refer to any of three structural isomers, or to a mixture of them: in the IUPAC nomenclature, however, pentane means exclusively the ''n''-pentane isomer; the other two are called isopentane (methylbutane) and neopentane (dimethylpropane). Cyclopentane is not an isomer of pentane because it has only 10 hydrogen atoms where pentane has 12. Pentanes are components of some fuels and are employed as specialty solvents in the laboratory. Their properties are very similar to those of butanes and hexanes. Industrial uses Pentanes are some of the primary blowing agents used in the production of polystyrene foam and other foams. Usually, a mixture of n-, i-, and increasingly cyclopentane is used for this purpose. Acid-catalyzed isomerization gives isopentane, which is used in producing high-octane fuels. Because of their low boiling points, low cost, and relative safety, pen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hexane
Hexane () is an organic compound, a straight-chain alkane with six carbon atoms and has the molecular formula C6H14. It is a colorless liquid, odorless when pure, and with boiling points approximately . It is widely used as a cheap, relatively safe, largely unreactive, and easily evaporated non-polar solvent, and modern gasoline blends contain about 3% hexane. The term ''hexanes'' refers to a mixture, composed largely (>60%) of hexane, with varying amounts of the isomeric compounds 2-methylpentane and 3-methylpentane, and, possibly, smaller amounts of nonisomeric C5, C6, and C7 (cyclo)alkanes. These ''hexanes'' are cheaper than pure hexane and are often used in large-scale operations not requiring a single isomer (e.g., as cleaning solvent or for chromatography). Isomers Uses In industry, hexanes are used in the formulation of adhesive, glues for shoes, leather products, and roofing. They are also used to extract cooking oils (such as canola oil or soy oil) from seeds, for c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dumas, Texas
Dumas ( ) is a city in Moore County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,501 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Moore County. Located about 40 miles north of Amarillo, the city is named for its founder, Louis Dumas (1856–1923). Dumas Avenue, the main thoroughfare, is also United States Highways 287 and 87. Window on the Plains Museum, which offers exhibits on Moore County and the Texas Panhandle, is located on South Dumas Avenue, the main thoroughfare. Dumas is home to Moore County Airport, a general-aviation airport 2 miles west of the central business district., effective 2010-06/25 The Dumas government claims, with some documentation, that the song "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas" was written about the city. Composed in the late 1920s by Phil Baxter (a native Texan who lived for a time in Dumas) and Carl Moore, the song has also sometimes been claimed by Dumas in Desha County in southeastern Arkansas. Geography Dumas is located at (35.862478, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BLEVE
A boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE, ) is an explosion caused by the rupture of a vessel containing a pressurized liquid that has reached temperature above its boiling point. Because the boiling point of a liquid rises with pressure, the contents of the pressurized vessel can remain liquid as long as the vessel is intact. If the vessel's integrity is compromised, the loss of pressure and dropping boiling point can cause the liquid to rapidly convert to a gas and expand rapidly. If the gas is combustible, as is the case with hydrocarbons and alcohols, further damage can be caused by the ensuing fire. Mechanism There are three key elements causing a BLEVE: # A substance in liquid form at a temperature above its normal atmospheric pressure boiling point. # A containment vessel maintains the pressure that keeps the substance in liquid form. # A sudden loss of containment that rapidly drops the pressure. Typically, a BLEVE starts with a container of liquid whic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fires In Texas
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are produced. The ''flame'' is the visible portion of the fire. Flames consist primarily of carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen and nitrogen. If hot enough, the gases may become ionized to produce plasma. Depending on the substances alight, and any impurities outside, the color of the flame and the fire's intensity will be different. Fire in its most common form can result in conflagration, which has the potential to cause physical damage through burning. Fire is an important process that affects ecological systems around the globe. The positive effects of fire include stimulating growth and maintaining various ecological systems. Its negative effects include hazard to life and property, atmospheric pollution, and water contamination. If fire re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1956 Fires In The United States
Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are killed for trespassing by the Huaorani people of Ecuador, shortly after making contact with them. * January 16 – Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser vows to reconquer Palestine (region), Palestine. * January 25–January 26, 26 – Finnish troops reoccupy Porkkala, after Soviet Union, Soviet troops vacate its military base. Civilians can return February 4. * January 26 – The 1956 Winter Olympics open in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. February * February 11 – British Espionage, spies Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean (spy), Donald Maclean resurface in the Soviet Union, after being missing for 5 years. * February 14–February 25, 25 – The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union is held in Mosc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
