SC Tiger Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Truck hauling ammonium nitrate blew up in Arkansas. Left nothing but a big hole: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2019/mar/27/fertilizer-truck-explosion-spurs-evacuations-south/ Regrettably the driver was killed. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigobsessed Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 WOW!!!! That sucks!! Prayers for the driver and his family! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC Tiger Posted March 28, 2019 Author Share Posted March 28, 2019 Picture of where the truck....was: Prayers for the family. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janice6 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Timothy McVeigh showed the potential for fertilizers also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmohme Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Wow! So sorry for the driver but, Wow! Back in my wrecker days, I got called out to a truck that was coming from the Olin ammunition plant. It was a sealed load and we had to wait for another truck because of the contents being explosive. While waiting I noticed the small fire extinguisher on the front of the trailer. I asked the driver what that was for. He said "Hell if I know!" 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janice6 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 3 minutes ago, jmohme said: Wow! So sorry for the driver but, Wow! Back in my wrecker days, I got called out to a truck that was coming from the Olin ammunition plant. It was a sealed load and we had to wait for another truck because of the contents being explosive. While waiting I noticed the small fire extinguisher on the front of the trailer. I asked the driver what that was for. He said "Hell if I know!" Sometime it's only desired to meet the letter of the law, not the intent of the law. You would need one hell of a fire extinguisher in reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmohme Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 1 minute ago, janice6 said: Sometime it's only desired to meet the letter of the law, not the intent of the law. You would need one hell of a fire extinguisher in reality. That explosion in Arkansas is proof of the futility of some safety regs. Not that safety regulations are not necessary, but a fire extinguisher on a sealed load of gunpowder is not good for much more that the joke that the driver and I made of it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moshe Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 On the bright side, he didn't McVeigh anyone. Yes, I know I changed a name into a gerund. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janice6 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 (edited) 4 minutes ago, jmohme said: That explosion in Arkansas is proof of the futility of some safety regs. Not that safety regulations are not necessary, but a fire extinguisher on a sealed load of gunpowder is not good for much more that the joke that the driver and I made of it. I agree. The driver might have been better off with an ejection seat. Edited March 28, 2019 by janice6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaBud Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 (edited) Ammonium nitrate is dangerous stuff. Especially when you have 20 TONS stored somewhere. The 1971 Ruffner Mountain explosion was an accident that occurred on Sunday evening, July 25, 1971when 20 tons of ammonium nitrate, stored by Southern Packaging at the inactive Ruffner No. 2 mine, exploded, injuring 13 people and causing as much as $500,000 in damage to structures through the Roebuck-South East Lake area. The explosion occurred down-slope from the mine portal, crusher and conveyor, near the heavy media plant and former office building. The explosives, used in strip mining, were stored in green plastic tubes in a brick and tin building formerly used as a wash house, and in trucks parked nearby. Employee Nickey Blankenshipwas at the site to check on the stored materials when he noticed flames. He drove away and reported the fire to Irondale Fire Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. Officers met with him about a mile away from the plant and were discussing how to proceed when the initial blast was heard. The first explosion was followed by a second, more powerful one which generated a massive shock wave felt for miles. The blast made an oblong 35 foot by 65 foot crater, about 30 feet deep, where the shed and trailers had stood. Other structures at the No. 2 mine, including a boiler house and a heavy media concentration facility, were heavily damaged. The blasts were heard and felt throughout Eastern Birmingham. Houses and other structures on the mountain slope were shaken and damaged and windows were blown out at Roebuck Shopping Center. The heaviest damage to homes was on Observatory Drive near Banks High School. From: http://www.bhamwiki.com/w/1971_Ruffner_Mountain_explosion Edited March 28, 2019 by BamaBud 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenoF250 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 1 hour ago, jmohme said: That explosion in Arkansas is proof of the futility of some safety regs. Not that safety regulations are not necessary, but a fire extinguisher on a sealed load of gunpowder is not good for much more that the joke that the driver and I made of it. That fire extinguisher can put out other things BEFORE it gets to the gunpowder. Would anyone stand there and do it? Not likely. Not sure why this guy stood around for so long, I would have put on my boogie shoes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fog Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 One article I read said he had left the immediate area to talk to firefighters that were staged some little distance away. He left talking to them and walked back to the truck. It wasn't clear if he then tried to use the fire extinguisher or if he had already tried to use it and returned for some other reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
railfancwb Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Timothy McVeigh showed the potential for fertilizers also.Ammonium Nitrate has been used in construction as an explosive for many years. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KWalrad Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Hoe-lee sheep-****! Hopefully the driver never knew what hit him and went painlessly and quickly. Guess it's true. His eyes were blew. Blew through his skull. (Sorry. Couldn't resist.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willie-pete Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 I used to work for a company that made dynamite and was partially responsible for the law requiring placarding on dangerous truck shipment. A truck hauling dynamite from their plant in PA had to stop somewhere in the mountains when the driver noticed a hot wheel. He pulled off the side of the road and walked to find help. The truck caught fire from the hot wheel and another fire department responded to the burning truck. They had no idea of the dynamite cargo. Of course the truck exploded and a number of firefighters were killed /injured . That incident along with others as egregious caused the law requiring placards on all dangerous loads including Explosives Gases Flamable Liquids Flamable Solids Oxidizers Poisons Radioactives Corrosives Miscellaneous I am an EPA certified Haz-Mat Technician. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G19 DB Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Wow. Prayers for the family. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozarkpugs Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Back in the 70s a propane truck was in our dealership being worked on and a carburetor fire accrued . It would have only took 1 fire extinguisher to put it out but about 5 were employed . Out of about 25 employees only 5 or 6 stayed around to see if it was going to blow everyone else abandoned ship .Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC Tiger Posted March 29, 2019 Author Share Posted March 29, 2019 15 hours ago, jmohme said: Wow! So sorry for the driver but, Wow! Back in my wrecker days, I got called out to a truck that was coming from the Olin ammunition plant. It was a sealed load and we had to wait for another truck because of the contents being explosive. While waiting I noticed the small fire extinguisher on the front of the trailer. I asked the driver what that was for. He said "Hell if I know!" Maybe putting out a small fire in the engine or brakes or something. If I see smoke coming out of the trailer - I'm calling 911 from a safe distance. If the truck is in Arkansas, I'm calling from Boise maybe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willie-pete Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 (edited) I am really surprised the driver was killed. We never let anybody get closer that the distances from the DOT Haz-Mat guidebook. The truck should have been placarded 1942 - Oxidizer which is Class 5. I am assuming it was since the FD only had injuries and was not close enough to the explosion. Edited March 29, 2019 by willie-pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M&P15T Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 (edited) That looks like it was an instant, vaporizing explosion!!! Remember this one? Biggest boom I ever seen!! Edited March 29, 2019 by M&P15T 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willie-pete Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Pepcon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC Tiger Posted March 29, 2019 Author Share Posted March 29, 2019 38 minutes ago, M&P15T said: That looks like it was an instant, vaporizing explosion!!! Remember this one? Biggest boom I ever seen!! 32 minutes ago, willie-pete said: Pepcon Check out this one - an accident in a Chinese factory where an inspector was basically vaporized instantly. NSFE - Ho Lee Fuk Spoiler 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willie-pete Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 (edited) 56 minutes ago, SC Tiger said: Check out this one - an accident in a Chinese factory where an inspector was basically vaporized instantly. NSFE - Ho Lee Fuk Hide contents I When you mix a presumed flammable liquid with what I also presume is no inerting of the vessel and a glass-lined reactor that cannot be grounded; that is generally the end result. Notice he is busy at the manway doing something like adding materials or taking a sample. More than likely something sparked at the manway and there was a flammable mixture in the vessel. If you really want the Bejesus scared out of you, look into a glass lined reactor full of flammables while the agitator is running with the lights out. You will see little lightning bolts dancing around inside the reactor. The only thing that saves the explosion is nitrogen inerting in the vessel; therefore no flammable mixture can build up. We had a flash fire at the manway one day doing essentially the same thing. Fire squirted out the manway which wasn’t completely dogged down. It got sucked up the exhaust piping and caught organics that had stuck on the internal ductwork. I was fighting the fire on the roof from a ground monitor and saw things fling out of the exhaust piping. Looking at them later, it was melted parts of the bronze exhaust fan impeller. Edited March 29, 2019 by willie-pete Sp. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tadbart Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 They said it happened on US 287. But that sure looks like a dirt road with a crater in the middle of it... What's the last thing that went through that driver's mind? A piece of hot chicken ****. @KWalrad 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silentpoet Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Reportedly the driver was trying to unhook his truck from the trailer when it blew. This is somewhat local to me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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