The cause of the gas explosion and fire is still under investigation.

Excerpts from story in Alsip, Illinois Star News:

Ilinois Attorney General: Shut down Clark Oil's Blue Island refinery (site of December 24 explosion and Fire) until plan and remediation implemented

Sunday, January 16, 2000 By Kevin Carmody

Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan is alleging that the Christmas Eve explosion and fire at Clark Oil's Blue Island refinery caused nuisance air pollution and that a judge should keep the damaged unit shut until Clark adopts a plan to prevent similar accidents. In documents filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court, Ryan's office alleged that the accident released gases, asbestos and smoke and that Clark should pay up to $50,000 for each violation. The documents were filed as an amendment to a prior lawsuit stemming from past accidents and chemical releases at Clark.

The state is seeking to keep the damaged platformer unit shut down until Clark completes a damage assessment and adopts a remediation plan.

The Dec. 24 accident apparently occurred when water leaked into a gas pipeline, froze and ruptured the pipeline, Clark officials have said. One worker was slightly injured.

Link to story:

http://www.starnewspapers.com/star/spnews/al/16-al1.htm

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 16, 2000

Answers

this is a related story in same paper that provides information concerning Clark Oil Company's handling of recent public information meeting:

excerpt:

"Environmentalist Kurt Leslie said the JLM meeting was more productive and open than the one hosted by Clark Oil he had attended last month. JLM, 3350 W. 131st St., is located across the street from Clark. "It was like day and night in how the information was presented," Leslie said. Clark officials were criticized by local residents and environmentalists for providing inaccurate and inconsistent information to the public during their Dec. 20 federally mandated meeting. Clark's Blue Island refinery has been plagued by several environmental problems in recent years, including an explosion at the plant on Christmas Eve"

http://www.starnewspapers.com/star/spnews/al/16-al2.htm

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 16, 2000.

Thanks, I had missed that 12/24 story.

-- Hokie (Hokie_@hotmail.com), January 16, 2000.

I went to High School (Eisenhower H.S.)with "the refinery" being our next-door neighbor. Explosions and noxious chemicals were a common occurance. Eventually, you got used to the smell.

Regards,

Southside Ed

-- Southside Ed (Back@home.fornow), January 16, 2000.

Have there been any cases where people have developed cancer from this explosion?

-- Amy Kat (amykat62979@yahoo.com), February 23, 2005.