Atlas Foundry Propane Tanks Vent Fire After The Explosions

October 6, 2007. I must apologize for the quality of the fire footage.

At around 2:30pm this afternoon, Tacoma FD personnel report what appeared to be a large fire behind the foundry. Tacoma FD responding to investigate reported a large thermal column. Upon arrival, that fire unit requested a 2-11 alarm.

I was getting my scanners and camera gear ready to go at this time. Plant personnel reported to the FD that a 15,000 gallon LPG (propane) tank was on fire along with smaller tanks and fire was spreading to a second 15,000 gallon tank. Fire personnel were ordered to evacuate the facality and to move 10,000 feet away.

I was loading the gear into the car and 20 miles away. The tank exploded. I heard and felt it. Burning debris rained onto SR 16/ Hwy 16. WSP shut down SR 16. That freeway became the command center. The explosion temporarily knocked power out in the city, started a brush fire between SR 16 and I5.

A master stream was remotely operated by fire personnel. A civilian evacuation was ordered in the 10,000 foot area. A "HOT" zone was created in a 2500 foot radius around the area.

It was extremely difficult to find a good vantage point. I was able to get too Irving Park at South 25 and Ash. This is on a bluff and gave me an okay view through the trees of the scene several blocks away. I was there three minutes before police evacuated the park. You can hear the officer in the background telling people to get out, then calling me "Sir". There was schrapnel on the ground from the first tank explosion. They were worried that the second tank which I filmed was going to explode.

So far I have not heard of any deaths. Several injured, some with burns. I do not know how severe. May they all recover. A big story like this can be difficult to cover with a large evacuation area making it difficult to tape the scene.

Update: The driver of the exploding propane tanker did die of the burns and injuries received.

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[KnittingPasta]

wish they would have moved the branches out of the way

[VX2100DV]

@KnittingPasta I would have liked to have done that, but unfortunately the branches were out of reach.

[currentuserjade]

vx....You really should not have posted the title as you did, it's false and misleading for the contents you posted. Nobody is bitching about your post description..even though it's a novel in itself.

Read again..."IT'S YOUR TITLE" that is pissing everyone off!!!!

[VX2100DV]

Wasn't trying to mislead. I've changed the title.

[roywhiteo5]

if you see a burning propane tank, dont take a video of it, get out of there. if it exploded it probably could have burned you from the radiant heat alone

[mobiusone95]

wow thats kind of convincing

[konkov123]

AFTER EXPLOSION

[prehsi]

Amazing

[currentuserjade]

Kudos to you for being one of the very few people on Youtube to have the courage to admit fault and rectify the situation, THANK YOU!!!

[whoisbrianwilde]

Dude, you titled it as showing the explosion, yet you didn't show us the explosion. You should change the title and learn to impress people on youtube.