Central Soya Plant Explosion

At 12:30 a.m. on June 28th, 1994, an explosion shook west Indianapolis. The blast was felt nearly five miles away, injuring 15, taking out power, and prompting evacuation of the surrounding neighborhoods. The resulting fires burned until 3:30 a.m.

The explosion took place at a soybean oil production plant owned by Central Soya, located at 1160 W. 18th St., Indianapolis. In a preliminary investigation, the company stated that the explosion was caused by an accidental leak of hexane gas that was used to extract the oil from the soybeans. A passing car then drove through the area and ignited the cloud of hexane gas. A second explosion came on the heels of the first as the hexane gas set fire to the grain dust within the processing plant.

Before this incident, Central Soya had never had a hexane explosion at any of its plants in its 60-year history. However, the material is widely known for being dangerous. The processing plant was closed indefinitely following the explosion, with hopes to rebuild and reopen eventually. Their plans were halted later that year when residents affected by the blast protested. Today the site sits vacant.

This explosion is evidence of regulatory neglect found at local and state levels that allows corporations to risk the health and safety of marginalized communities.

The neighborhood where the Central Soya Explosion occurred is part of a much larger area called Site 0153. Site 0153 is the collective name for a large area of northwest Indianapolis which has experienced extensive environmental contamination from various commercial and industrial activities.

While the explosion is only tangentially related to the area's inclusion as a part of Site 0153, it represents an additional example of how human lives and property are undervalued in favor of commercial interests.

Like many US cities, the residential areas of Indianapolis have been impacted by historical redlining. While racial discrimination in home ownership, credit acquisition, and urban planning has existed for decades, there is evidence that the Home Owner's Loan Corporation (HOLC), a governmental agency created in 1933 as part of the New Deal, is a major factor in the establishment of redlining in urban areas. HOLC maps, like the one seen below, were drafted for most major cities in the 1930s to determine the general risk involved when establishing mortgages in a specific area. The maps were a reflection of their time, referring to areas with a high Black population as "blighted," which was viewed as a detriment to property values.

Redlining resulted in many historically Black neighborhoods being designated as Grade D or "hazardous", which harmed the ability of residents to acquire credit, receive loans or mortgages, and reinforced the racial segregation present in the city.

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