Refinery Fire Neg.
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Unedited news footage of a massive fire blazing at the Standard Oil refinery at Whiting, Indiana in late August 1955.
Credits
Frank Koza (filmmaker)
Complete catalog record
Cfa collection: Frank Koza Collection
Notes: Footage begins at nighttime as firehoses douse a raging fire at the Standard Oil refinery in Whiting, IN. By morning, the fire continues to blaze and we can now see that shrapnel has littered the surrounding Stiglitz Park neighborhood, damaging homes and businesses. Smoke billows over the town as the camera surveys the damage.; The fire in Whiting (16 miles southeast of Chicago) was caused by the explosion of the plant's hydroformer. The explosion caused 47 acres of fires which took eight days to extinguish. Two people died, including a three year-old boy who was killed when he was hit by schrapnel from the explosion. The area was declared a National Disaster and hundreds of residents were displaced.
Subjects: Disasters; Fires; Explosions
Places: North America > United States > Indiana; North America > United States > Indiana > Whiting
Language: English
Cfa elements: Negatives, 254 feet
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/12193
Notes: Footage begins at nighttime as firehoses douse a raging fire at the Standard Oil refinery in Whiting, IN. By morning, the fire continues to blaze and we can now see that shrapnel has littered the surrounding Stiglitz Park neighborhood, damaging homes and businesses. Smoke billows over the town as the camera surveys the damage.; The fire in Whiting (16 miles southeast of Chicago) was caused by the explosion of the plant's hydroformer. The explosion caused 47 acres of fires which took eight days to extinguish. Two people died, including a three year-old boy who was killed when he was hit by schrapnel from the explosion. The area was declared a National Disaster and hundreds of residents were displaced.
Subjects: Disasters; Fires; Explosions
Places: North America > United States > Indiana; North America > United States > Indiana > Whiting
Language: English
Cfa elements: Negatives, 254 feet
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/12193
Sources
- Chicago Film Archives · record ↗ — title, year, creator, length, format, color, sound, genre, description, credits, catalog record, video
Record added 2026-11-08 21:25:15