In 1985, I was on sales calls in Cushing, Oklahoma and heard this hellacious explosion.
Sheriff, OHP and Firetrucks from surrounding towns began passing through Cushing and I wondered what was going, so I followed a firetruck, which lead me to Hallet, some 30 miles away, by road.
Devastating scene. It looked like a massive bombing campaign was waged on the area.
I had called on the owner weeks before to see if our services would be of benefit.
Very sad. I don’t recall how many people died but, my company and some friends donated monies to a fund setup for the victims and their families.
Amazing scene and I thought “This is what war looks like”.
Now, 30 years later, my Masonic lodge sponsored three brothers, who had been severely burned in a fireworks explosion in Mexico, to be cared for by the Shriners hospital in Sacramento, CA.
There were aged 10-14 at the time of their injuries and one of their brothers had his wedding in our lodge.
They looked great and came to one our Stated Meeting Dinners to express their gratitude.
The Shriners paid for their operations, care and housing of thier families while they were put back together, as much as was possible.
I will pray for these families and maybe a few of our hospitals will take some of the victims in for whatever their needs are.
Back in the Eighties, we had a friend who worked for the city, and he pulled a few strings to let us drive our car up to the top of a hill where they were launching the fireworks, so we would get a bird’s eye view.
I remember there ended up being five or six carloads of us up there, and they were launching the fireworks close by, and our view of them going off was grand.
One of them (a starburst, I recall) took off, but instead of going
“SHHH HHH HHHH HHHH H H HHH HH HHH HHH HHH HHH H HHH BOOOOOM!”
It went “SHHHH HH HH BOOOM!”
These things that looked like huge flaming coffee cans were hitting the asphalt all around us bouncing, trailing flames and exploding in sharp, percussive blasts!
I watched transfixed for a second or two, then came to my senses and dove under a parked car...everyone else was doing the same!
Heh, nobody got hurt, but someone who was higher up the chain than my friend came over and kicked everyone off the hill! We didn’t argue...:)