Six Firefighter Fatalities in Construction Site Explosion - (Kansas City, Missouri -November 29, 1988)

The Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department lost six firefighters and their vehicles - two entire pumper companies - in an explosion that occurred while they were extinguishing a fire at a construction site. The fire involved a trailer/magazine containing blasting mixtures of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, most containing aluminum pellets, too. The fire also involved two other vehicles and ultimately a second trailer/magazine that also exploded.

» Overview
» Key Issues
» The Incident
» The Construction Project Site
» City, State, and Federal Codes and Guidelines
» Labeling and Coding of Storage Facilities for Explosives and Blasting Agents
» Firefighter Hazardous Material Training
» Analysis of the Awareness of the Crews as to the Danger
» Emergency Response Guidebook (DOT P 5800.4) and Material Safety Data Sheets
» Lessons Learned

Reproduced from Report 024 of the Major Fires Investigation Project conducted by TriData Corporation under contract EMW-88-C-2649 to the United States Fire Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency. Investigated by: Jack Yates