Louisville sewer explosions

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In the early morning hours of Friday, February 13, 1981, explosions ripped through the southern part of Old Louisville and near the University of Louisville. Initially the cause of the explosions was unknown, but the path of the explosions centered along sewer lines and had the heaviest impact along Hill Street. The cause of the explosions was eventually traced to a spark from a car near the intersection of 12th & Hill Streets which ignited hexane fumes which had been illegally released from a Ralston-Purina soybean processing plant located near the University of Louisville at 2439 South Floyd Street. Afterwards, a local radio station (WAKY 79, 790 AM) parodied the event with the song "Where Were You When the Sewers Blew?" recorded by Big Bill Johnson.