Abstract: At approximately 7:00 a.m. on December 8, 1995, Employee #1 was working at the Kern Oil & Refining Company facility in Bakersfield, CA. As a result of increased pressure caused by the liquid in the system, the head blew off from the Gardner-Denver light naphtha compressor, model R9CS. Naphtha vapors sprayed into the atmosphere and were ignited by a Whitlock heater. Employee #1 tried to escape the fire but became engulfed by flames and sustained third-degree burns on his hands and face. A high-liquid level alarm was supposed to sound when potentially dangerous levels of liquid entered the system. After the fire was extinguished, an examination of the alarm system revealed the alarm switch was in the 'off' position and therefore not operational.