Signal Hill in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Oil Fires on the Hill
Part of the “Memory Necklace”
— A Series of Historical Panels Located in the Hilltop Loop Trail —
Photographed By Michael Kindig, November 24, 2016
1. Oil Fires on the Hill Marker
Inscription.
Oil Fires on the Hill. Part of the “Memory Necklace”. High concentrations of natural gas posed a constant danger to oilmen developing the Signal Hill field in the form of “gassers,” “gushers,” gas flares and fires. When Shell Oil completed its second well in 1921. It was a “gasser” that blew out and caught fire. The flames shot 125 feet in the air and were visible from 12 miles away on land and from 30 miles out in the sea. The “gasser,” which flowed natural gas at an estimated 20 million cubic feet per day, was finally extinguished by using 17 steam boilers over 36 hours. 100 pounds of dynamite snuffed out the flames of the Martin #1, another Shell well, that blew in as a “gasser.”, The Black and Drake well near Walnut and Willow (to the left of this view shed) was a huge “gusher.” During the month it blew uncontrolled, it spewed a lake of oil about 30 feet in diameter. The “gusher” blew rocks through adjacent homes burying the neighborhood 4 - 5 feet deep., Gas flares were common enough that many wells did not need any other lighting to operate at night. When conditions like a wintry cold fog trapped it low to the ground, the raw gas became a time bomb. Any spark (cigarette, automobile, etc.) could have explosive effects., In 1933, a blast of fumes at the Richfield Meander plant near Lime and 27th, killed eight people and destroyed several nearby homes and derricks. In 1958, a 40-hour oil froth fire burned 27 of 33 acres of the Hancock Oil Co. refinery, killing two and causing $9 million in damage. The small city of Signal Hill probably faced the most difficult fire hazards of any city its size in the state. The city is proud of the memory of its old fire department, which comprised a fire chief and about a dozen men, and developed techniques for fighting oil fires that resulted in a remarkably low rate of fire destruction.
High concentrations of natural gas posed a constant danger to oilmen developing the Signal Hill field in the form of “gassers,” “gushers,” gas flares and fires. When Shell Oil completed its second well in 1921. It was a “gasser” that blew out and caught fire. The flames shot 125 feet in the air and were visible from 12 miles away on land and from 30 miles out in the sea. The “gasser,” which flowed natural gas at an estimated 20 million cubic feet per day, was finally extinguished by using 17 steam boilers over 36 hours. 100 pounds of dynamite snuffed out the flames of the Martin #1, another Shell well, that blew in as a “gasser.”
The Black and Drake well near Walnut and Willow (to the left of this view shed) was a huge “gusher.” During the month it blew uncontrolled, it spewed a lake of oil about 30 feet in diameter. The “gusher” blew rocks through adjacent homes burying the neighborhood 4 - 5 feet deep.
Gas flares were common enough that many wells did not need any other lighting to operate at night. When conditions like a wintry cold fog trapped it low to the ground, the raw gas became a time bomb. Any spark (cigarette, automobile, etc.) could have explosive effects.
In 1933, a blast of fumes at the Richfield Meander plant near Lime and 27th, killed eight people and destroyed several nearby homes and
Click or scan to see this page online
derricks. In 1958, a 40-hour oil froth fire burned 27 of 33 acres of the Hancock Oil Co. refinery, killing two and causing $9 million in damage. The small city of Signal Hill probably faced the most difficult fire hazards of any city its size in the state. The city is proud of the memory of its old fire department, which comprised a fire chief and about a dozen men, and developed techniques for fighting oil fires that resulted in a remarkably low rate of fire destruction. (Marker Number 5.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1921.
Location. 33° 48.016′ N, 118° 9.896′ W. Marker is in Signal Hill, California, in Los Angeles County. Marker is on Panorama Drive, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2601 Panorama Dr, Signal Hill CA 90755, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 15, 2016, by Michael Kindig of Elk Grove, California. This page has been viewed 715 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on December 15, 2016, by Michael Kindig of Elk Grove, California. 3. submitted on January 7, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. 4. submitted on December 15, 2016, by Michael Kindig of Elk Grove, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.