What happened

A 50-gallon recycling expansion tank on a tower at Mesa Oil's facility in the Rio Grande Industrial Park became over-pressurized and exploded. The tank and blast debris fell to the ground, striking one worker, while a second worker suffered burns; both were transported to an Albuquerque hospital and were later reported in stable condition. Four small fires burned on different levels of the tower before responding fire crews brought them under control. The explosion produced a large fireball visible from neighboring facilities, shook nearby buildings and sent debris through the roof of an adjacent Airnov facility, causing minor damage but no additional injuries. New Mexico State Police and environmental personnel were called to assess the site. Fire officials described over-pressurization as the preliminary mechanism, while the underlying cause remained under joint investigation by the fire department and an independent investigator retained by the owner. Local officials said personnel from another company operated the tower, so the injured workers' precise employer affiliation was not established in the reviewed report. The incident occurred on Thursday, 18 August; a 19 August date appearing in some secondary accounts reflects later reporting rather than the event date.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.