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Hmm, how often do oil refineries explode around the world?

It is fairly common. They don’t explode, a part of them will catch fire and the local MSM makes it as sensational as possible.

Far too often evidently.

I have had one personal experience with a refinery fire and that was more than enough.

In October 1979 my frigate was anchored about one mile offshore from the Milazzo refinery near Catania, Sicily. We were there to escort the oiler, USNS Mississinewa (T-AO-144) who was taking on fuel at the pier.

We were getting ready for evening colors when there was an explosion somewhere in the refinery. In 15 minutes we were facing a wall of fire 2-3 miles wide in front of us. You could feel the heat on your face.

We went to General Quarters and brought the anchor to short stay thinking that we might have to go in and tow the Mississinewa out since at least half their civilian crew were out in town on liberty.

Fortunately the remaining crew cut the mooring lines and managed to back out into the bay and drop anchor. It was a tense night. Fortunately there was little wind but it did stink.

WWG1WGA

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

"Hmm, how often do oil refineries explode around the world?"

I grew up ten, and after a move, five miles south of the Houston Ship Channel, which, for many miles, is lined with refineries and petrochemical plants.

Explosions and fires were not uncommon, maybe a couple per year. We soon learned to ID the plant with the problem by its emergency siren/whistle -- because each plant had a unique signal or fire alarm.

The loudest explosion I remember was when we lived ten miles away from the site at the Ethyl Corporation -- just upstream from the Shell refinery / chemical plant. An empty (except for gasoline fumes) barge exploded one night, and the shock wave rattled us in our beds -- ten miles away. IIRC, a welder cut into the fume-filled barge with a cutting torch... :-(

Most of the plant fires were confined to a single processing unit or storage tank; scary, smoky, (and visible from five miles away aross the coastal prairie) but not massive or with dozens of casualties...

TXnMA