Accident: Giant Industries Refinery Explosions and Fire
Location: Location: Gallup, NM
Accident Occurred On: 04/08/2004 | Final Report Released On: 10/26/2005
Accident Type: Oil and Refining - Fire and Explosion
Investigation Status: The CSB issued a case study report on this accident on October 26, 2005.
On April 8, 2004, four workers were seriously injured when highly flammable gasoline components were released and ignited at the Giant Industries Ciniza refinery, east of Gallup, New Mexico. The release occurred as maintenance workers were removing a malfunctioning pump from the refinery's hydrofluoric acid (HF) alkylation unit. Unknown to personnel, a shut-off valve connecting the pump to a distillation column was apparently in the open position, leading to the release and subsequent explosions.