At high noon on January 6, 2000 Gulf Coast Dismantling and Demtech, Inc. utilized explosives to fell two process towers at the site of the former Amerada Hess refinery in Purvis, Mississippi.

Gulf Coast Dismantling, a prime contractor for the dismantling operation, hired Demtech to drop the Thermal Cat Cracking (TCC) and the Fluid Coker (FC) towers at the Hess site. The TCC tower stood 330 feet tall with a total weight of 1,500 tons including structures and vessels. The FC tower stood 220 feet tall with a total weight of 600 tons. Both towers were constructed of fabricated steel columns supported by steel cross beams and X braces. The TTC tower also contained a 2-foot thick concrete deck with four 2-foot-square concrete columns supporting the kiln vessel.

Demtech designed the explosive felling to remove 10-foot sections from the columns while simultaneously severing the rear two columns of both structures. The four concrete columns in the middle of the TTC tower would be fractured with dynamite at the same time.

Gulf Coast Dismantling spent several months clearing the surrounding area of all equipment, vessels, racks, heaters and piping to make room for the towers to fall and to facilitate clean up of the towers on the ground.

Protec Services then carefully inspected the closest remaining structures to establish their condition, and installed seismographs at various points around the site.

After a day of setting charges and placing protection to guard against flying debris, Demtech spent the morning of January 6th wiring the explosives. Following several perimeter checks, all Gulf Coast, Demtech, Protec and Amerada Hess employees dropped back to their assigned positions. Blaster Steve Rainwater then initiated a five-minute countdown and detonated the charges.

Within fifteen seconds, both towers were safely on the ground. According to Gulf Coast representatives, the towers "broke up nicely and will allow easy clean-up of the material." There was no damage to the adjacent structures and vibration levels fell within acceptable limits.