Hub Oil Refinery (destroyed)

On August 9, 1999, a massive explosion at the Hub Oil refinery in southeast Calgary killed two workers, started a fire that burned for ten hours and filled the city's sky with oily black smoke, and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of residents of the surrounding neighbourhoods. The investigation into the accident revealed that a tank holding 30,000 litres of oil was missing a pressure release valve. The owner of the refinery is currently (as of May 2005) defending charges of public endangerment stemming from the incident.

As the land is now contaminated and unfit for residential use, the City is planning to redevelop it as a parking lot for a multimillion dollar arts and cultural centre to be built to the west of the site.