Waverly tank car explosion
Encyclopedia
The Waverly tank car explosion was an explosion that occurred at approximately 2:58 p.m. on Friday, February 24, 1978, in Waverly, Tennessee
following a train derailment incident days earlier. A tank car
containing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exploded as a result of cleanup related to this derailment.
freight train derailed in the downtown area of Waverly. Initially, local emergency services handled the accident, including inspecting the wreck for signs of any hazardous material (hazmat) leaks. The responding team assumed the LPG tank car was a double-wall tank car; however, it was a single-wall car.
By this time, Louisville and Nashville wreck crews were beginning to clear debris. The tank car that would eventually explode, owned by Union Tank Car Company
and numbered UTLX 83013, was buried by debris. Crews removed the wrecked cars and UTLX 83013 was moved to clear the tracks, and the rail line partially reopened at about 8:00 p.m. on February 23. A tanker truck and a crew specializing in LPG cleanup arrived about 1:00 p.m. on February 24.
About 20 minutes before the LPG removal was to begin, the area was tested with dedicated gas detection equipment and no leaks were found. The Waverly police and fire chiefs were on the scene and the hazmat crew was moving its equipment to start the transfer when at 2:58 p.m. vapor was discovered leaking from the tank car. Before any action could be taken, a BLEVE
(Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) occurred.
The blast was felt for hundreds of feet and seen for miles, and disabled most of the fire-fighting equipment at the site. One piece of the tank car was launched over 330 feet (100.6 m), landing in front of a house. The explosion started numerous fires in nearby buildings and torched a number of road vehicles and other rail cars.
and Memphis
. Air ambulances from Fort Campbell
Army Post were dispatched to the site and the worst burn victims were moved to Nashville for initial treatment. A number of these were then transported to burn centers in Louisville, Kentucky
, Birmingham, Alabama
and Cincinnati, Ohio
late on February 25. The evacuation radius was moved out to 1 miles (1.6 km) in case a second tanker exploded.
By 7:00 p.m. the fires were under control, and a search for additional casualties was begun. It was later called off because of visibility problems, but restarted at 5:30 a.m. on February 25. A car loaded with paper products reignited at about 3:15 p.m., but was quickly put out. A second LPG car was emptied by 10:30 p.m. Local residents were allowed to return home at 8:30 a.m. on February 26.
Sixteen structures in Waverly were destroyed, and another 20 seriously damaged. The total property damage was estimated at US$
1.8 million (in 1979 dollars, over US$5 million in 2005 dollars).
The National Transportation Safety Board
eventually blamed the blast on the car itself, as a crack had developed when the car was damaged by the derailment. It is believed that this crack expanded when the car was moved off the tracks, eventually causing overpressurization in the tank, causing the single wall to give out. The NTSB commended the town of Waverly on its preparedness for such an emergency, but also exposed the need for all people involved in accident cleanups to be trained in how to handle hazardous materials.
The Waverly explosion, along with several other accidents involving railroad derailments and hazardous materials (the most famous being the train derailment in Mississauga, Ontario
, Canada
on November 10, 1979) resulted in a major rework of how authorities deal with such emergencies. Tennessee and the TOCD created a set of standards and the Tennessee Hazardous Materials Institute in 1980 for the training of hazmat responders, and since the institute's formation, there have been no fatalities of Tennessee emergency responders at hazmat sites.
36.087°N 87.792°W
Waverly, Tennessee
Waverly is a city in Humphreys County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,028 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Humphreys County.-Geography:...
following a train derailment incident days earlier. A tank car
Tank car
A tank car is a type of railroad rolling stock designed to transport liquid and gaseous commodities.-Timeline:...
containing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exploded as a result of cleanup related to this derailment.
Derailment
At about 10:30 p.m. on February 22, twenty-four cars of a Louisville and Nashville RailroadLouisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...
freight train derailed in the downtown area of Waverly. Initially, local emergency services handled the accident, including inspecting the wreck for signs of any hazardous material (hazmat) leaks. The responding team assumed the LPG tank car was a double-wall tank car; however, it was a single-wall car.
Response to derailment
At 5:10 a.m. on February 23, after a previous miscommunication regarding hazmats being present, the Tennessee Office of Civil Defense (TOCD, now Tennessee Emergency Management Agency) sent out a hazmat team to assess the situation. They concurred with the local officials' decision to keep the tank cars cool by spraying them with streams of water, and the decision was made to evacuate a 1/4 mi area around the derailment zone, with gas and electric service to the area shut off.By this time, Louisville and Nashville wreck crews were beginning to clear debris. The tank car that would eventually explode, owned by Union Tank Car Company
Union Tank Car Company
Union Tank Car Company or UTLX is a railway equipment leasing company headquartered in metro Chicago, Illinois. As the name says, they specialise in tank cars, and covered hopper cars.Founded in 1866 by J. J...
and numbered UTLX 83013, was buried by debris. Crews removed the wrecked cars and UTLX 83013 was moved to clear the tracks, and the rail line partially reopened at about 8:00 p.m. on February 23. A tanker truck and a crew specializing in LPG cleanup arrived about 1:00 p.m. on February 24.
Tank car explodes
Temperatures during the previous two days of the incident had remained in the mid-20s Fahrenheit (around -3.5 °C) and light snow was on the ground, but by mid-day on February 24 the temperature had risen to the mid-50s Fahrenheit (around 12.5 °C) and the sun was showing through clear skies.About 20 minutes before the LPG removal was to begin, the area was tested with dedicated gas detection equipment and no leaks were found. The Waverly police and fire chiefs were on the scene and the hazmat crew was moving its equipment to start the transfer when at 2:58 p.m. vapor was discovered leaking from the tank car. Before any action could be taken, a BLEVE
BLEVE
A boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion occurs when a vessel containing a pressurized liquid above its boiling point ruptures.-Mechanism:...
(Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) occurred.
The blast was felt for hundreds of feet and seen for miles, and disabled most of the fire-fighting equipment at the site. One piece of the tank car was launched over 330 feet (100.6 m), landing in front of a house. The explosion started numerous fires in nearby buildings and torched a number of road vehicles and other rail cars.
Response to explosion
Over the next several hours over 250 emergency vehicles converged on the blast site, some from as far as NashvilleNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. Air ambulances from Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
Army Post were dispatched to the site and the worst burn victims were moved to Nashville for initial treatment. A number of these were then transported to burn centers in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
and Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
late on February 25. The evacuation radius was moved out to 1 miles (1.6 km) in case a second tanker exploded.
By 7:00 p.m. the fires were under control, and a search for additional casualties was begun. It was later called off because of visibility problems, but restarted at 5:30 a.m. on February 25. A car loaded with paper products reignited at about 3:15 p.m., but was quickly put out. A second LPG car was emptied by 10:30 p.m. Local residents were allowed to return home at 8:30 a.m. on February 26.
Aftermath
A total of sixteen people died as a result of the blast and the aftermath, six of whom were killed instantly. Those lost included Waverly's fire chief Wilbur York and police chief Guy Barnett, TOCD state investigator Mark Belyew, members of the L&N wreck crew, and several residents of the area. 43 others were injured to various degrees.Sixteen structures in Waverly were destroyed, and another 20 seriously damaged. The total property damage was estimated at US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1.8 million (in 1979 dollars, over US$5 million in 2005 dollars).
The National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
eventually blamed the blast on the car itself, as a crack had developed when the car was damaged by the derailment. It is believed that this crack expanded when the car was moved off the tracks, eventually causing overpressurization in the tank, causing the single wall to give out. The NTSB commended the town of Waverly on its preparedness for such an emergency, but also exposed the need for all people involved in accident cleanups to be trained in how to handle hazardous materials.
The Waverly explosion, along with several other accidents involving railroad derailments and hazardous materials (the most famous being the train derailment in Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on November 10, 1979) resulted in a major rework of how authorities deal with such emergencies. Tennessee and the TOCD created a set of standards and the Tennessee Hazardous Materials Institute in 1980 for the training of hazmat responders, and since the institute's formation, there have been no fatalities of Tennessee emergency responders at hazmat sites.
External links
36.087°N 87.792°W