Update: Refinery Fires

Reader Richard, who worked in an oil refinery for five years, says I'm being way too paranoid about refinery fires. He tells me that fires and explosions are not rare, but that they are almost always confined to a small part of the refinery. The damage can generally be repaired quickly and inexpensively, especially compared to the dollar value of the product flowing through the pipes. Most refineries have fairly tight security, and it would be difficult for outside terrorists to get in and do much damage without a lot of inside information. Richard suggests that the giant tank farms adjacent to every refinery would be much more inviting and spectacular targets.

Basically, you don't know how many bugs there are under rocks unless you look under a few. Lately, I've been following the price of oil much more closely than I ever did before, so I've been seeing these reports about refinery fires.

Thanks to Richard, and to anyone else who can set me straight on something I've gotten wrong!