People Report “Explosion” in Great Falls, Here’s What Really Happened

So here I am, sitting in my studio in Great Falls, getting some work done as usual. Then, my coworker comes to ask me if I've heard anything about something happening at the refinery up the road.

"Someone told me they heard an explosion near the refinery?" he shared.

I didn't hesitate. I grabbed my keys, sweater, and hauled my behind to the refinery up the road off Smelter.

What Happened at Calumet in Great Falls?

As I was pulling up closer to the refinery, I noticed a thin trail of black smoking rising from the flare stack... but nothing overly alarming.

When I got closer, I did notice the flame at the top of the stack was a little larger than normal. I got out and took some pictures before poking my head into the nearby corner store. I grabbed an energy drink then asked the gentleman working behind the counter if he had heard anything unusual coming from the factory.

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"Nope, it's always like that," he shared.

We had a quick convo about the flare stack but nothing groundbreaking or revealing about the unusually large flame today. When I got back to the office, a coworker of mine Jalyn reached out to some of her contacts to help me get some answers as to what in the world was going on.

Was I looking too hard into something as simple as a "large flame on a flare stack?"

Calumet Issues Statement About Flare Stack's Large Flame

Utilizing my coworker's contacts, I reached out to see if anyone could provide me with some info to help me solve this now-seemingly harmless occurrence.

I eventually received a statement from a Calumet spokesperson who provided an explanation for the usually large flame today.

"Calumet Montana was impacted by a power outage resulting from an unplanned transformer outage," the statement read, "Power has not yet been restored, and crews are actively working to resolve the issue."

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"At this time, an estimated restoration timeline is unavailable."

Officials from Calumet say that as a result, many of us might notice "increased flaring." See? I'm not crazy!

"During the outage, neighbors may observe increased flaring," officials said, "This flaring is expected under these circumstances and is not a cause for concern."

"Increased flaring may continue until power is restored and systems are able to return to normal operations."

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Well, there we have it. There's nothing to worry about and if anything, we're all being treated to a little extra fire show!

"As always, the health and safety of our team members and the surrounding community are Calumet’s top priority. All plant personnel are safe and there is no threat to the community."

"Additional information will be provided as it becomes available."

You love to hear it. That said, I was able to get some cool shots of the flame as it dances over Great Falls. Let's take a closer look and you can tell me if I'm nuts for thinking this wasn't normal.

You can share your psychological evaluation of me with me HERE.