During the war Texas City became a big industrial center. It had seven petrochemical refineries, two oil pipeline companies and the only tin smelter in the US. The city was growing and expanding. Schools operated in two shifts, just like the chemical plants. The demand for industry was high, but safety standards were still low and inexperienced. the year of 1947 became a crucial event in the memories of the city. On April 16 and 17 a major disaster befallen on the whole population that for many years after could not be forgotten.
It all started on a bright and clear morning when the ship in the Texas City Harbor, The Grand camp, full of ammonium nitrate fertilizers, destined for war torn Europe, was on fire. Ammonium nitrate is a highly dangerous and explosive material if it is unsafely used, the same material was used in Oklahoma bombing. Since the fires in the port weren't rare, unfortunately people weren't as alarmed as they should have been. On the contrary those who have noticed the reddish-orange and brown smoke were particularly attracted by the colorful fumes. Kids after school and neighboring pedestrians, rushed to the harbor to watch the fireman use their techniques to put out the fire. Even though that policeman blocked the road with two cars it didn't stop a crowd of more that 400 people assembling. In addition two airplanes with spectators circled in the sky.
Previously, shortly after Grand camp docked at the port of Texas City there was smoke detected in No.4 hold where 880 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizers was stocked. Crew members attempted to put out the fire with half filled jug of drinking water and hand-held fire extinguishers. The first call to the fire department was only made half an hour later. The whole situation wasn't taken very seriously in the beginning. One of the officers from the ship that was docked about 200 yards away was even taking pictures of the whole scenario. The fire of Grand camp spread very rapidly and soon it was out of control. Soon 27 out of 50 volunteer fire fighters along with four engines of the Texas City Fire Department arrived at the scene. But there wasn't much they could do, by that time. As soon as the water from the fire hoses hit the hot deck it immediately evaporated.
The vice president of the Texas City Terminal Railway phoned a close by chemical plant and asked one of the engineers if it was dangerous to burn ammonium nitrate.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire not only affected the city of New York, but also the rest of the country. It forever changed the way our country would look at safety regulations in factories and buildings. The fire proved to America what can and will happen if we over-look safety regulations and over-crowd buildings. Unfortunately, 146 lives are taken before we fully understand this concept.
At 2215 hrs, on November 28, 1942, Fire Alarm Headquarters from Box 1514, situated at Stuart and Carver streets, received an alarm. When the responding apparatus arrived they found a small car fire at the corner of Stuart Street and Broadway. After the fire was extinguished the firefighters were about to return to quarters when their attention was called to smoke emanating from the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub a few doors away. Upon their arrival at the entrance of the Broadway lounge on Broadway they encountered numerous people leaving the premises admidst the cries of “fire”. The chief in charge immediately ordered that a third alarm be sounded from Alarm Box 1521 which the alarm was received by fire alarm headquarters at 2223 hrs. A civilian sent an alarm that was received at 2220 by fire alarm headquarters. As soon as the chief in charge realized that the immediate problem was one of rescue he ordered that a fourth alarm (received at 2224) and a fifth alarm (received at 1102) be sent. The apparatus responding was comprised of 25 engine companies, 5 ladder companies, 1 water tower company, 1 rescue company and various other apparatus. 18 hose steams for cooling purposes and three ladders were utilized (located at Piedmont, Broadway, and Shawmut for venting operations).
In West Warwick Rhode Island, on February 20th, 2003, during the performance of the band Great White, a fire broke out that eventually claimed the lives of 100 people and injured an additional 200. The band’s tour manager arranged for, and ignited pyrotechnic props, large fireworks designed to display a shower of sparks. The sparks ignited foam soundproofing near stage. The fire spread quickly. Most were killed either in the crush to exit the building or overcome by fumes while trying to find an exit. The immediate cause was well documented due to witness reports and a videotape that was taken during the concert. In the period that followed the tragedy there were many attempts to fix blame. Following a Grand Jury investigation, several of the parties involved plead guilty to violations of the law and served or are currently sentences in prison.
On the fateful and unforgettable afternoon of June 17, 1972 Hotel Vendome experienced yet another fire. Actually it experienced several fires in different locations on this date. Electricians working on the first floor reported smoke coming from the upper floors, and a bartender reported smoke in the basement. All occupants in the basement café were safely escorted out, and 3 engine companies, 2 ladder companies, and 1 District Chief arrived on scene noticing ...
Hurricane Harvey is located in Houston, Texas. It was the first major hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Wilma in 2005, ending a record 12- years period with no major hurricanes making landfall in the country. The sprawling and soaked Houston metro area and other deluge towns in southeast Texas braced for devastating floods and pummeling rainfall on Sunday as tropical storm Harvey stalled over land and drenched dogged searchers and anxious residents. Houston, Texas has set up shelters for people to stay out of the weather with good food, clean and fresh water, and dry, clean clothes. It is getting bigger and it has been confirmed that there will be more flooding close by to that area.
The drought was near historic high levels for the time of year. In the moments before the entrapment on of the squads and the crew boss trainee were working with a fire engine and its three person crew when a spot fire erupted right next to the road. The seven Northwest Regular Crew number six and a engine crew got in there vehicles and drove south past the fire along the edge of the road. While driving they radioed the other 14 crewmembers who were working north further up the river about the dangerous situation. The 14 crewmembers and the incident commander and two Northwest Regular number six squad members were suppressing spot fires between the river and the road ¼ mile north of the first squad when they were informed of the situation that was threatening there es...
The expansion of agriculture and railroads helped form Texas’s present economy. The invention of the steam engine not only allowed people to move across the country in 7 days, instead of 6 months, but it also allowed crops and livestock to be carried to markets and places where they would be sold anywhere in the country. They could be moved to another farm in Texas as well. Since it’s such a large state, railroads were a necessity for travel, and general transportation. The railroad-building boom lasted 40 years. The production of cotton in Texas introduced some of the first slave-based cotton farms, and was the dominant crop for a very long time. After this event, Texas’s economy was forever changed.
Growing up in McKinney, Texas, Lewis did many odd jobs before he was in the Texas National Guard. He was a bread truck driver for a bakery and worked on cars, to name a few . The life in Texas at the time of Lewis’ high school years was about economic expansion, with petroleum being the basic regional builder in the south west. Oil made the region’s economy different, where as it used to depend on agriculture and timber. But oil fueled the growing automobile industry, with every 4.3 Texans having a car by 1929. By 1930, Texas...
Most of the destructions from the events of August 29th 2005, when Katrina Hit the City Of New Orleans, were not only caused by the storm itself; but also, by failure of the engineering of the levee system protecting the entire infrastructure of the city. The years of poor decision making and avoidance of the levee system led to one of the most catastrophic events in the history of the United States. Throughout our research, we have identified three key players in charge of the levee system design, construction and maintenance. These three organizations are the Unites States Corps of Engineers, the New Orleans Levee District and the Louisiana Department of Transportation. The consequences of the hurricane showed the organizations negligence in the design, construction and maintenance of the protective walls. Later independent sresearch showed that more than 50 levees and food walls failed during the passage of the hurricane. This failure caused the flooding of most of New Orleans and all of ST. Bernard Parish. The Unites States Corps of Engineers had been in charge of the of the levee system and flood walls construction since the 1936 flood act. According to the law, the Louisiana Department of Transportation is in charge to inspect the overall design and engineering practices implemented in the construction of the system. Once the levee systems were finished, they were handed over to the New Orleans Levee District for regular maintenance and periodically inspections. The uncoordinated actions of these three agencies resulted in the complete failure of a system that was supposed to protect the people of New Orleans. The evidence is clear that this catastrophic event did not happened by chance. The uncoordinated response of these...
Hurricane Katrina was one of the most interesting and deadly hurricane to ever hit the United States. This hurricane devastated New Orleans and all of its inhabitants. This hurricane was especially devastating as New Orleans is 13 feet(3.9624 metres) below sea level. The government wasn’t prepared for the damage of New Orleans, and neither were the Levees. The Levee crash was one of the major causes of the flooding in New Orleans. The deaths and damages cost billions. After this storm many people didn’t want to move back to their home, New
In 1973, one of the most influential reports to ever come out of the fire service was created. This report would change the fire service forever and still to this day have a great impact on the way things are done in the fire service. One of the most impacted sectors within the fire service is the way firefighters perceive and implement fire prevention strategies and techniques. This report was called “America Burning” and was published by the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control. The report was sent directly to the president of the United States of America, who at the current time was Richard
Do you remember the conflict that America had in the Persian Gulf a few years back? An incident occurred there where a man drove a truck loaded with explosives into the building where more than 100 Marines were stationed. He blew up the building, along with the Marines. The incident was published by the AP Press soon after. Now do you remember the bombing just four years ago, in Oklahoma City? Suspects Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols drove a Ryder Van loaded with 4,800 pounds of fertilizer and fuel oil to the front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, where it subsequently exploded, killing 169 people and injuring some 500 others. Of course you do. While both were massive acts of violence involving American citizens, the impact of such acts is always felt the most when it happens right here at home.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire is a turning point in history because, unions gained powerful alliances and people who wanted to fight for their safety. Which now in the U.S there is a set of guidelines that need to be follow to ensure the safety of the employees. He writes: “The Triangle fire of March 25, 1911, was for ninety years the deadliest workplace disaster in New York history—and the most important (Von Drehle 3).” Von Drehle emphasizes how important this event is in history and he draw comparisons to the to
Every year many natural disasters happen around the world. In New Orleans, and several other states, a devastating hurricane struck. High speed winds and major flooding caused many people to lose their homes and even their lives. Many people have heard of hurricane Katrina, but not everybody knows what caused it and the affect it had on the United States.
It killed the majority of the people on board the Grandcamp that day and killed many of people living in Texas City. When the explosion occurred it killed many people living in Texas City and most of the people living their were owners of dogs, cats, and many other pets. Well when the explosion killed the owners, many of the pets would be waiting outside on the front porch of the owners house for their owner to come (if the house still had a porch) and their owner never came and many of the pets died of starvation. When the anchor of the Grandcamp was found the town of Texas City put it up in their park to remember this tragic day and the propellor of the High Flyer stands right next to it in the park. Their was one big funeral for many of the people that died that day. More than five thousand people attended the funeral. Hundreds of lawsuits were filed and many of them were won. The explosion damaged one hundred million dollars worth of buildings, parks, hospitals, and many other things. Congress granted Texas City seventeen million dollars to repair the town and start to rebuild. And another way that people helped out was by doing fundraisers for the city. One fundraiser made one million dollars. The song “The Day Texas City Turned Into a Fiery Hell” was made fifty years later and was based off of the explosion at Grandcamp. It was recorded by Sam