Jan. 15: Explosion at Oilsands Facility Kills One, Critically Injures Another

An explosion the Nexen Long Lake facility killed one person and left another in critical condition, who was flown by helicopter to the University of Alberta’s burn centre. In the first phase of the RCMP’s investigation, it appears the blast occurred in the facility’s hydrocracker, which is used to improve oil quality and produce synthetic crude by combining the partially upgraded oil with hydrogen to remove sulphur. The Alberta Energy Regulator is also investigating.