re: Today is the 29th anniversary of the Exxon refinery explosion in Baton Rouge

In the car on the way to Grandmas house.

Didn’t know it happened until we got there.

This right here. After retiring from the Corps, I took a job with SUNOCO as an operator. Sent me to A&M and LSU. All kind of schools and went to went work. 12 on, 12 off, work 3 days, then off x number of days, alternated between day and night turn. The pay was out of this world. Did it for 4.5 years and decided to come hom and be closer to family, father was sick, etc. I left the company and little over 3 months later, the guy that replaced me was under a reactor one night, had line break and dumped 310 degree phenol with hydrocloric acid on him. Need less to say, wasn’t much left to bury. I learned alot from those guys and respect the hell out of “Operators”.

I was at home in Magnolia Woods blasting my pipes with a hair dryer when the explosion happened. I heard it. It was something like 5 degrees that day.

Living about 2 miles east. I remember it. We had single pane windows, but were fine. Lots of neighbors lots their windows. Or I was 7 and remembering wrong. We got double plane glass after that (Thx Archie Manning & Southern Siding )

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Cajun blaze

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Government St. had one, my mom loved those!

I remember it well. I was having a corndog at Frost Top on Government Street when I heard a loud boom and a pair of truck nuts came flying through the air, through the window and toppled my root beer float. It was very traumatic. I didn't even get a partial refund. I still hold a grudge against Big Root Beer.

I recently returned home from a trip overseas and was spending the Holiday with my folks in BTR. Was sitting on the patio with a cup of coffee when I felt the ground shake and the blast following moments later. I remember by 4pm the sky was dark with smoke. 29 years ago...

Great input

I think it happened in a tank farm area away from control rooms. It was also Christmas Eve, so I image there were fewer people than normal at work.

My memory is that natural gas was leaking from a faulty valve - possibly related to the unusually cold weather, but I'm not certain - and accumulated in a low area. A contractor drove his vehicle through the underpass and provided the source of ignition and several large tanks became involved in the fire.