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Historic U.S. Fires, 1871-2003: Philadelphia Gulf Refinery

Fires that had lasting impact

An 11-alarm fire

A seagoing tanker was off-loading crude oil at the refinery when accumulated hydrocarbon vapors ignited, starting a fire that threatened 600 storage tanks at the refinery’s tank farm. Six firefighters died at the scene and two more died as a result of injuries sustained during the incident. It took 24 hours for the fire to be extinguished.

One of many refinery fires in Philadelphia