1919 Standard Oil Company fire

On September 13, 1919, a massive explosion tore through the Standard Oil Company refinery in Greenpoint, transforming the local skyline into a wall of flame. The disaster began when a single tank filled with fifty-five thousand gallons of gasoline ignited, triggering a chain reaction that quickly spread to dozens of other containers across the twenty-acre facility. Witnesses described the spectacle as a series of volcanic eruptions that sent plumes of fire and smoke so high they were visible from across the East River on Long Island. The heat became so intense that firefighters were forced to rely on hand signals to communicate because the roar of the inferno drowned out all other sound.