25 years later: Victims killed in Olympic Pipeline explosion remembered
Three people died after a quarter billion gallons of gas flooded Whatcom Creek. Three people were killed in the 1999 Olympic Pipeline explosion, which flooded Whatcom Creek with a quarter billion gallons of gas. The explosion killed Wade King, Stephen Tsiorvas, and Liam Wood, an 18-year-old fishing enthusiast. The incident occurred when a pressure relief valve on the Olympic pipeline failed, leading to a catastrophic rupture and sending gasoline into the creek. The tragedy was seen from British Columbia to Anacortes. To commemorate the explosion, a sign now sits along a trail at the park with the boys' names and pictures.
Veröffentlicht : vor 11 Monaten durch Eric Wilkinson in Sports
Three people died after a quarter billion gallons of gas flooded Whatcom Creek.
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BELLINGHAM, Wash. — It was a sunny summer day and the school year was nearly done for Wade King, who was preparing to become a fifth grader at Roosevelt Elementary School.
He went to Whatcom Falls Park to enjoy the weather and hang out with his friend and classmate Stephen Tsiorvas, both 10 years old.
"When I woke up this morning, I thought, 25 years ago, we never imagined how our lives would never be the same," said Wade's mother, Mary.
Today, there is barely any trace of the horrors that happened along Whatcom Creek a quarter century ago, but the pain cannot be erased.
On June 10, 1999, Wade and Stephen were playing along the creek when nearly a quarter billion gallons of gasoline ignited, killing the two 10-year-olds, along with 18-year-old Liam Wood, who was fishing upstream.
The 30,000-foot-high plume of smoke blackened the skies over Whatcom County. It could be seen from British Columbia to Anacortes.
Wade would be 35 today. It's a lifetime lost, but Wade's parents are grateful for the short time they had with their little boy.
"I don't think you can live thinking of the what ifs," said Mary. "Wade had a full 10 years. Of course, it wasn't long enough. Every day is precious. Just wake up and say thank you for another day."
A pressure relief valve along the Olympic pipeline failed somewhere between Ferndale and Bellingham, resulting in a catastrophic rupture and sending gasoline spilling into the creek.
Back then, there were few, if any, regulations when it came to pipeline inspections. That has all changed and the three lives lost were not in vain.
"Now, there's strict inspections every five years on this pipeline and it it spells out what you have to do in that inspection to repair the pipe," said Carl Weimer of the Pipeline Safety Trust, an advocacy organization formed in the aftermath of the explosion.
To commemorate the explosion and honor the lives lost, a sign now sits along a trail at the park with the boys' names and pictures.
Themen: Olympics