Emergencies and World Disasters
Frozen Hoses, 300-Foot Fireballs: How a Town Survived BLEVE Chaos
21 min•27 juli 2026
Om avsnittet
Frozen Hoses, 300-Foot Fireballs: How a Town Survived BLEVE Chaos
Cold that turns water to ice and tank cars that can blow in ninety minutes - a town of about 2,300 people watched 300-foot fireballs that were visible thirteen miles away while hoses froze at 10°F. How did Weyauwega avoid mass casualties when BLEVE was counting down?
In this episode, we follow the March 4, 1996 derailment in Weyauwega, Wisconsin, the immediate response by local and mutual aid fire departments, and the decisions made under a ticking ninety-minute danger window - could a small town outrun a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion?
Date: March 4, 1996
Location: Weyauwega, Wisconsin
Population: approximately 2,300
Temperature: about 10 degrees Fahrenheit
Visible distance: fireballs seen from nearly 13 miles away
- An 81-car Wisconsin Central freight train entered Weyauwega at 5:49:32 a.m.
- 37 of the train's 81 cars derailed after a missing switch lock bar had been absent for about one year.
- Fireballs reached approximately 300 feet into the sky.
- Tank cars threatened catastrophic BLEVE after roughly 90 minutes of direct heat exposure.
- No fatalities were reported that morning despite multiple ruptured tank cars and widespread fires.
To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
Cold that turns water to ice and tank cars that can blow in ninety minutes - a town of about 2,300 people watched 300-foot fireballs that were visible thirteen miles away while hoses froze at 10°F. How did Weyauwega avoid mass casualties when BLEVE was counting down?
In this episode, we follow the March 4, 1996 derailment in Weyauwega, Wisconsin, the immediate response by local and mutual aid fire departments, and the decisions made under a ticking ninety-minute danger window - could a small town outrun a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion?
Date: March 4, 1996
Location: Weyauwega, Wisconsin
Population: approximately 2,300
Temperature: about 10 degrees Fahrenheit
Visible distance: fireballs seen from nearly 13 miles away
- An 81-car Wisconsin Central freight train entered Weyauwega at 5:49:32 a.m.
- 37 of the train's 81 cars derailed after a missing switch lock bar had been absent for about one year.
- Fireballs reached approximately 300 feet into the sky.
- Tank cars threatened catastrophic BLEVE after roughly 90 minutes of direct heat exposure.
- No fatalities were reported that morning despite multiple ruptured tank cars and widespread fires.
To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
Emergencies and World Disasters med Creator at Obomedia finns tillgänglig på flera plattformar. Informationen på denna sida kommer från offentliga podd-flöden.