• Waverly Tanker Car Explosion 1978
  • Tanker Car Debris
  • Two tank cars that were carrying LPG
  • One box car being lifted waverly tanker explosion
  • Overhead view of the tank cars - Waverly Tank Car Explosion
  • Vehicles after explosion - Waverly Tanker Car Explosion
  • Large piece fell on vehicle - Waverly Tanker Car Explosion
  • Tanker car pieces - aftermath - Waverly Tanker Car Explosion
  • Aerial view of the master streams - Waverly Tanker Car Explosion
  • Destroyed building near Ground Zero - Waverly Tanker Car Explosion
  • Late aerial view after the fires - Waverly Tanker Car Explosion
  • Root cause of the entire event - Waverly Tanker Car Explosion
  • Waverly Tanker Car Explosion 1978 - Aerial view from a helicopter of the smoke plume coming from the fires burning in downtown Waverly following the explosion.
  • Parts of tank car 83013, burning propane and other debris were scattered over a wide area. One piece of the tank car was propelled 330 feet by the explosion. Noise and blast pressure from the explosion were felt several blocks from the scene.
  • Color photograph of the two tank cars that were carrying LPG. You can see the crane in the background that was used to life the box cars off of these cars.
  • One of the box cars being lifted off of the damaged LPG cars.
  • Overhead view of the master streams being directed at the tank cars to keep them cool.
  • Tank truck that had been brought in to offload the LPG from the damaged tank car, after the explosion; note the singes on the cab. On the right is a destroyed pickup near the site of the explosion.
  • A large piece of the tank fell over a block away right on top of this vehicle.
  • End cap from the LPG tank car that was found two blocks away. And another piece of the tank car found several hundred yards from the point of detonation.
  • Aerial view of the master streams keeping the remainder of the debris cool after the fires have been put out.
  • Destroyed building near Ground Zero
  • Late aerial view after the fires have been put out and the investigation has begun.
  • This was the root cause of the entire event.

How the Tragedy Unfolded...

Initially, local emergency services handled the accident, including inspecting the wreck for signs of any hazardous material leaks. The responding team assumed the LPG tank car was a double-wall tank car; however, it was a single-wall car.

At 5:10 a.m. on February 23, after a previous miscommunication regarding hazardous material being present, the Tennessee Office of Civil Defense (now the 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-mile (0.40 km) area around the derailment zone, with gas and electric service to the area shut off.

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