Osan community remembers those fallen in 1986 fuel explosion

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Alexis Siekert
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  April 5, 1986, a fuels explosion devastated the base. Exactly 27 years later, April 5, 2013, Airmen from the Osan community gathered outside the 51st Logistics Readiness Squadron building here to remember those lost in the tragic accident.

That day, at 1:13 p.m., a 40,000-barrel fuel storage tank containing JP-4 fuel exploded while being refilled.

In total, 16 were killed and 11 were injured. Of the 16, 15 were Korean nationals and one was U.S. Air Force Sgt. Enrique Lozano, 23, assigned to the 51st Supply Squadron.

It took teams almost 18 hours to put the fire out. Firefighters from Osan, Songtan Si City Fire Department, Suwon Air Base, Kunsan Air Base, Camp Casey, Camp Market, Camp Red Cloud, Yongsan Army Garrison, Clark Air Base, Philippines, and even Yokota and Misawa Air Bases out of Japan worked together to combat the fire.

Retired Master Sgt. Larry Niemeier, father of Airman 1st Class Christopher Niemeier, 51st Logistics Readiness Squadron FULES and a witness to the accident, aided that day by refilling fire trucks with water and fire retardant.

"At the time, I didn't really understand the scope of what went on," said the retired master sergeant. "Today I am proud to have played a small part in assisting the brave firemen during a very tragic incident."

The tragic incident affected many who were involved, and serves as a constant reminder for some.

Tom Mortin, a retired veteran who lives near Osan, was working at the Aero Club during the explosion and makes sure he attends the ceremony every year to pay his respects.

"You could see the flames shooting into the air; it's something I'll never forget," Mortin recounted. "The fire trucks would run out of foam and the flames would just shoot back up."

Daily duties of Airmen are inherently dangerous at times and there's no telling when an ordinary day could turn tragic. Ceremonies like this one serve as a reminder of the sacrifices made by not only Airmen, but the people they work next to every day.

Lt. Col. Ryan Bakazan, 51st LRS commander, spoke at the memorial ceremony about the importance of honoring and remembering the lives of those lost.

"We need to honor them as they gave their lives serving their country," he said.