1985 — June 25, Aerlex Fireworks Plant Explosion, Hallett (near Jennings), OK — 21

–21  Associated Press (Smith).  “Okla. Fireworks Blast Kills 21, Mostly Teens,” June 26, 1985.

–21  Curtis. “Blasts at Fireworks Factory Left 21 Dead.” Tulsa World, June 14, 2007.

–21  Daily Herald (Chicago). Fireworks Plant Explodes; 21 Die.” June 26, 1985

–21  Kyte. Aerlex Fireworks Plant Explosion, Jennings, Oklahoma, June 25, 1985. NFPA, 1986.

–21  National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History.  1996.

–21  New York Times. “Fireworks Explosion Saddens a Tennessee Town,” June 7, 1997.

 

Narrative Information

 

Kyte/NFPA: “At 9:35 a.m. on June 25, 1985, a series of explosions and subsequent fires occurred at the site of the Aerlex Fireworks Manufacturing Corporation, near the town of Jennings, Oklahoma.[1] In all, 21 people were killed and 5 injured in what was the second—deadliest fireworks factory explosion in the United States reported to the NFPA between 1950 and 1986….

 

“As determined by the Oklahoma State Fire Marshals Office, the incident was most likely the result of careless unloading of pyrotechnic materials from a pickup truck to an adjacent assembly building. Investigators estimate that it was only a matter of seconds from the initial ignition before the explo­sions, which were felt 13 miles away, leveled most of the facility. Factors such as unbarricaded process buildings coupled with the quantity and type of explosive composition on hand are believed to be responsible for the magnitude of the loss.” (Abstract.)

 

“The Aerlex Fireworks Manufacturing Corporation was located on a 40-acre tract in the rural community of Jennings, Oklahoma. The facility was comprised of 20 buildings spread over an area of approximately 6 acres… With the exception of a remotely located magazine and Building R, the structures inside the compound were built of wood frame construction set on concrete slabs. The magazine was constructed of reinforced concrete masonry and Building R was a metal structure set on a concrete base. [p. 5.]

 

“At 9:35 a.m. on June 25, 1985, members of the Cleveland Fire Department reported hearing a series of explosions. The largest explosion actually caused the lay-in tile ceiling in the fire station to momentarily raise and then drop. From outside of the station, a white mushroom-shaped cloud an estimated half-mile high became visible.. Shortly thereafter, fire department dispatch received notification by telephone of an explosion and fire at the Aerlex fireworks plant located approximately 12 miles away in the community of Jennings…. [p. 8.]

 

“Interviews provided information concerning employee activities prior to the explosions. The best indication of what actually occurred on the morning of the incident is the testimony provided by two survivors, both of whom were in close proximity to the initial explosions. The witnesses and one employee who was killed, were in the process of making fuses. They had strung match material between two trees and were using a drill to twist it.

 

“The first account was given by the plant owner’s brother-in-law, who served as manager of the facility. He was positioned about 95 ft from Building B in close proximity to the northern most tree… His co-workers were located near the tree to the south, approximately 50 ft from Building B. He recalled seeing one employee standing in the bed of the pickup truck…parked adjacent to Building B, holding a container of finished stars. The second employee involved with the unloading process was standing on the ground near the left rear wheel of the truck. As the employee carrying the container stepped off the rear of the truck, his knees buckled. The container of stars hit the ground and the employee fell through the doorway of Building B. Suddenly, the explosion occurred. The plant manager then recalled being down on the ground and the area around him was black. He got to his feet and started running toward the west with the other survivor following him.

 

“The account was given by the other survivor as follows. Two employees were unloading 20-gallon galvanized cans of finished stars from the truck to the shell assembly building. Two of the containers were slid across the truck bed and then set on the ground. As the third container was slid across the bed, a sudden, large explosion occurred…. [p. 11.]

 

“Based on eyewitness testimony and physical evidence, there is little doubt that the origin of the fire and explosions was in the area of assembly Building B and the truck… The witness closest to the truck reported hearing the sound of metal containers being slid across the truck bed. He beleived that some containers had already been unloaded and another was in the process just moments prior to the incident. Evidence of the occurrence of an explosion in the bed of the truck-supports the belief that containers of pyrotechnic material were still on the truck when the incident took place. The truck roof was pushed upward, the cab forced forward on the driver’s side, and both sides of the truck were blown off along with the tailgate. The truck and an automobile parked nearby were hurled several feet by the force of the explosions…. [p. 12.]

 

“The initial explosions resulted in the destruction of Building B and adjacent vehicles. The subsequent rain of burning stars most likely fell into numerous other pyrotechnic stock, very susceptible to ignition, and these bulk supplies also exploded. The chain of events as described is consistent with the physical evidence observed during the on-site survey and with the testimony of survivors of the incident…. [p. 15.]

 

“Numerous facts relative to safety at the plant were documented by OSHA following the incident.

 

1. Employees involved with the processing of explosive or pyrotechnic composition were not required to wear cotton (non-static producing) work clothes or conductive footwear. In lieu of these requirements, spray-on Static Guard was used.

 

2. Work clothing that had been contaminated by pyrotechnic materials was permitted to be worn while on break and outside of the plant.

 

3. Process buildings were absent of properly grounded conductive flooring.

 

4. Electrical equipment and wiring methods were not approved for hazardous locations; i.e., conductors were not run in conduit, and common duplex electrical outlets, snap switches, and fuse boxes were used. Production equipment, including motors, were not suitable for their hazardous locations.

 

5. Vehicles used for transporting explosive materials were not placarded, equipped with portable fire extinguishers, or provided with with non-sparking material to cover loading surfaces.

 

6. Spark-producing metal containers were used to transport pyrotechnic material and cargo was not covered by a flame- and moisture-proof tarpaulin while being transported.

 

7. Proper separation distances and barriers were not maintained between other process buildings and non-process buildings relative to the quantities and types of explosive composition on hand.

 

“As a result of the investigation conducted by OSHA, Aerlex was cited for 13 violations with proposed fines amounting to $58,000. This represents the largest proposed penalty ever assessed by OSHA against a fireworks manufacturer…. [p. 13.]

 

“Since this incident, OSHA has been given a directive to inspect all fireworks manufacturers having more than ten employees. That task is to be completed between the period of January 4, 1986 and July 15, 1986.

 

“Since 1983, at least 43 persons have died in fireworks manufacturing incidents. While most of the fatalities have occurred at unregulated facilities, strict fire and explosion prevention measures are needed by legitimate operators, as well, to ensure their safe operation.

 

“Although federal licensure controls some aspects of fireworks plant operation, the day-to-day safety practices relating to actual manufacturing activity are not addressed. Only through the adoption and enforcement of safety provisions such as those specified in NFPA 1124, Code for the  Manufacture, Transportation, and Storage of Fireworks, by state or local officials can the gap be bridged and reasonable safety obtained.” [p. 16.] (Kyte. Aerlex Fireworks Plant Explosion, Jennings, Oklahoma, June 25, 1985, 21 Killed, 5 Injured. NRPA, 1986, 16 pages.)

 

June 25, Ukiah Daily Journal: “Hallett, Okla. (UPI – A Mammoth explosion ‘Obliterated’ a fireworks plant and many have killed more than a dozen workers, officials said…. The blast rattled windows in Cleveland [OK], 10 miles from the tiny northern Oklahoma town and produced a ‘giant mushroom cloud’ over the blast site…. The explosion occurred at about 9 a.m.” (Ukiah Daily Journal, CA, “Fireworks Plant ‘Obliterated’,” June 25, 1985, p. 3)

 

Curtis: The explosions “could be heard in Tulsa, about 25 miles away.” (Curtis 2007)

 

June 26, AP/Smith: “Hallett, Okla. (AP) – Most of the 21 people killed in an explosion at a fireworks plant were teen-agers apparently hired to meet demand for the Fourth of July, but severe burns make identification difficult… Five other people…were injured in a series of massive blasts Tuesday which were felt 13 miles away and hurled bodies and debris hundreds of yards.

 

“Reports that victims may have been under 18, forbidden by law to work at plants like the one making aerial fireworks used in civic displays, sent state Labor Department officials to the scene along with other investigators.

 

“The cause of the blast had not been determined, but Bob White of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said authorities were checking reports of carelessness outside the building as a pickup truck was loaded….

 

“The plant had passed an inspection two months ago, he said [White].

 

“Dr. Joseph Pierce, a Creek County medical examiner, said he believed most of the victims were teen-agers, ‘but it’s awfully hard to tell. They were burned so badly, almost beyond recognition.

 

“Highway Patrol Lt. Jim King said a number of 17- and 18-year-olds had been hired for the holiday crush. ‘They worked until late at night, and then started again real early in the morning to make all of the fireworks,’ said Mary Lewis, whose trailer less than a mile away was shifted off its foundation by the explosion. ‘It was a real popular spot for teen-agers to work, and make some good money,’ she said, adding that the factory, about 35 miles west of Tulsa, had a normal staff of about 10 but had expanded to nearly 30 for holiday sales….

 

“The Tulsa Daily Oklahoman reported today that a 16-year-old and the 18-year-old son of Plant owner Alan Johnson were killed.” (AP/Smith. “Okla. Fireworks Blast Kills 21…” 26 June 1985.)

 

Curtis: “An explosion at the pickup may have caused the rest of the factory – a large steel building and seven smaller ones….

 

“Aerlex was cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for 13 safety violations and was fined $58,000. Five of the citations alleged willful violations, those that managers knew about but didn’t correct. The citations alleged the factory had inadequate exits, used careless unloading procedures and trucks that weren’t flame-proof and stored explosives in unbarricaded buildings. The citations also alleged that smoking was allowed inside the factory.

 

“A lawsuit filed against Aerlex three years later claimed the that the explosions started because two employees mishandled explosives they were unloading from the pickup. One worker stumbled while unloading a canister of friction-sensitive material and his momentum carried him into an assembly room where an explosion occurred, the lawsuit alleged. That explosion caused other blasts throughout the plant, it was alleged.

 

“A $3 million default judgment was granted to the survivors of four employees who were killed in the explosions, but their attorney, John Nicks, said he expected it would go uncollected because Aerlex ‘has no money, that’s for sure’.”  (Curtis 2007)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press (Charlie Smith.  “Okla. Fireworks Blast Kills 21, Mostly Teens,” 6-26-1985.  At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=6712031&firstvisit=true&src=search&currentResult=3

 

Curtis, Gene.  “Blasts at Fireworks Factory Left 21 Dead.” Tulsa World, 6-14-2007.  Accessed at:  http://www.tulsaworld.com/twpdfs/2007/Final/W_061407_A_4.pdf

 

Daily Herald, Chicago, IL. “Fireworks Plant Explodes; 21 Die.” June 26, 1985. Accessed at:  http://www3.gendisasters.com/oklahoma/4063/hallett,-ok-fireworks-plant-explodes,-june-1985

 

Kyte, Greg. Aerlex Fireworks Plant Explosion, Jennings, Oklahoma, June 25, 1985, 21 Killed, 5 Injured (Summary Investigation Report). Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Assoc., 1986.

 

National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996. Accessed 2010 at:  http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1352&itemID=30955&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/Key%20dates%20in%20fire%20history&cookie%5Ftest=1

 

New York Times. “Fireworks Explosion Saddens a Tennessee Town,” 6-7-1997. Accessed at: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D05E4D7173CF934A35755C0A961958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=

 

 

Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. “Fireworks Plant ‘Obliterated’,” June 25, 1985, p. 3. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=122318913&firstvisit=true&src=search&currentResult=0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Hallett is approximately two miles due north of Jennings, OK