2020 Volgograd explosion

Last updated
2020 Volgograd explosion
Map european russia volgograd.png
Volgograd, the location of the explosion
Date10 August 2020 (2020-08-10)
Time12:40  SAMT (8:40  UTC)
Location Volgograd, Russia
Deaths0
Non-fatal injuries13

On the afternoon of August 10, 2020, a large explosion occurred at a gas station in Volgograd, Russia. The explosion caused 13 injuries and could be felt thousands of meters away.

Contents

Explosion

On the afternoon of August 10, a large fire broke out at a gas station in Volgograd, Russia. Firefighters were called around 12:40 local time (8:40 UTC) to battle the blaze. The fire soon went out of control producing a large explosion. This explosion was accompanied by a shockwave which could be felt thousands of meters away. The shockwave knocked down firefighters and injured 13 people. Fortunately, all staff at the gas station were able to safely evacuate before the fire escalated. [1] The explosion also caused a huge fireball which rose several hundred meters into the air. It took 70 firefighters and a firefighting robot to finally extinguish the fire. [2]

Footage

Video of the explosion soon became viral on social media networks. Some residents of the area ventured out to film the blast. The video was widely shared on YouTube in the days following the explosion. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gas explosion</span> Explosion caused by mixing a combustible gas with air in the presence of an ignition source

A gas explosion is the ignition of a mixture of air and flammable gas, typically from a gas leak. In household accidents, the principal explosive gases are those used for heating or cooking purposes such as natural gas, methane, propane, butane. In industrial explosions many other gases, like hydrogen, as well as evaporated (gaseous) gasoline or ethanol play an important role. Industrial gas explosions can be prevented with the use of intrinsic safety barriers to prevent ignition, or use of alternative energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PEPCON disaster</span> 1988 explosions and fire in Henderson, Nevada

On May 4, 1988, a fire followed by several explosions occurred at the Pacific Engineering and Production Company of Nevada (PEPCON) chemical plant in Henderson, Nevada. The disaster caused two fatalities, 372 injuries, and an estimated $100 million of damage. A large portion of the Las Vegas Valley within a 10-mile (16 km) radius of the plant was affected, and several agencies activated disaster plans.

There have been many extremely large explosions, accidental and intentional, caused by modern high explosives, boiling liquid expanding vapour explosions (BLEVEs), older explosives such as gunpowder, volatile petroleum-based fuels such as gasoline, and other chemical reactions. This list contains the largest known examples, sorted by date. An unambiguous ranking in order of severity is not possible; a 1994 study by historian Jay White of 130 large explosions suggested that they need to be ranked by an overall effect of power, quantity, radius, loss of life and property destruction, but concluded that such rankings are difficult to assess.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 Jilin chemical plant explosions</span> Industrial incident in Jilin, China

The Jilin chemical plant explosions were a series of explosions which occurred on November 13, 2005, in the No.102 Petrochemical Plant in Jilin City, Jilin Province, China, over the period of an hour. The explosions killed six, injured dozens, and caused the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.

The Lagos armoury explosion was the accidental detonation of a large stock of high explosives at a military storage facility in the city of Lagos, Nigeria, on 27 January 2002. The fires created by the debris from this explosion burnt down a large section of Northern Lagos, and created a panic that spread to other areas. As people fled the flames, many stumbled into a concealed canal and drowned. The explosion and its aftermath are believed to have killed at least 1,100 people and displaced over 20,000, with many thousands injured or homeless. The government of Nigeria launched an enquiry, which blamed the Nigerian Army for failing to properly maintain the base, or to decommission it when instructed to do so in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pembroke Refinery</span>

The Pembroke Refinery is an oil refinery situated on the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales at Rhoscrowther in the community of Angle. It first came on stream in 1964 and was Regent/Texaco's only British refinery. The refinery occupies a prominent position on the south bank of the Milford Haven Waterway and can be seen for many miles. Around a quarter of the site is within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park which was created in 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Bruno pipeline explosion</span> 2010 natural gas pipeline explosion which killed 8 people

The San Bruno pipeline explosion occurred at 6:11 pm PDT on September 9, 2010, in San Bruno, California, when a 30-inch (76 cm) diameter steel natural gas pipeline owned by Pacific Gas & Electric exploded into flames in the Crestmoor residential neighborhood 2 miles (3.2 km) west of San Francisco International Airport near Skyline Boulevard and San Bruno Avenue. The loud roar and shaking led some residents of the area, first responders, and news media to initially believe that it was an earthquake or that a large airplane had crashed. It took crews nearly an hour to determine it was a gas pipeline explosion. As of September 29, 2010, the death toll was eight people. The United States Geological Survey registered the explosion and resulting shock wave as a magnitude 1.1 earthquake. Eyewitnesses reported the initial blast "shot a fireball more than 1,000 feet (300 m) in the air".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evangelos Florakis Naval Base explosion</span> 2011 self-detonation of a munitions stockpile in Mari, Cyprus

On 11 July 2011, at Evangelos Florakis Naval Base, situated at Mari, Larnaca in Cyprus, a large amount of ammunition and military explosives self-detonated, killing 13 people, including the Commander of the Cyprus Navy, Andreas Ioannides, the base commander, Lambros Lambrou, and six firefighters. A further 62 people were injured. The explosion was the worst peacetime military accident ever recorded in Cyprus, with a yield of approximately 481 tons TNT equivalent, as determined by the official investigation into the accident. It was the largest artificial non-nuclear explosion of the 21st century until the 2020 Beirut explosions.

On the evening of December 27, 1983, firefighters in Buffalo, New York responded to a call regarding a propane gas leak. Shortly after their arrival, the propane ignited, leveling a warehouse and causing a wide swath of damage. Five firefighters and two civilians were killed in the blast, and left dozens more injured. The event remains the largest single day loss of life for the Buffalo Fire Department.

The following lists events from the year 2013 in Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Kaohsiung gas explosions</span> Industrial disaster in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

On 31 July 2014, a series of gas explosions occurred in the Cianjhen and Lingya districts of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, following reports of gas leaks earlier that night. Thirty-two people were killed and 321 people were injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Tianjin explosions</span> Explosions at the Binhai New Area of Tianjin, China

On 12 August 2015, a series of explosions at the Port of Tianjin in Tianjin, Northern China, killed 173 people, according to official reports, and injured hundreds of others. The explosions occurred at a container storage station in the Binhai New Area of Tianjin, China. The first two explosions occurred 33 seconds apart. The second explosion was much larger and involved the detonation of about 800 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. Fires caused by the initial explosions continued to burn uncontrolled throughout the weekend, resulting in eight additional explosions on 15 August.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puttingal temple fire</span> 2016 explosion in Paravur, Kerala, India

On 10 April 2016 at approximately 03:30 AM IST, the Puttingal Temple in Paravur, Kollam, Kerala, India, experienced a fireworks accident after firework celebrations went awry. As a result, 111 people were killed and more than 350 were injured, including some with severe burns. The temple and at least 150 houses in the area of the temple were damaged by the blast. According to local reports and eyewitnesses, the explosion and fire were caused by sparks from a firecracker being used in a competitive fireworks display igniting fireworks in a concrete storehouse. About 15,000 pilgrims were visiting the temple to mark local Hindu celebrations during the last day of a seven-day festival of the goddess Bhadrakali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low Moor Explosion</span> 1916 industrial disaster in Bradford, England

The Low Moor Explosion was a fire and a series of explosions at a munitions factory in Low Moor, Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire in August 1916. The factory was manufacturing picric acid to be used as an explosive for the First World War effort and was well alight when the Bradford Fire Brigade arrived. A massive explosion and a series of smaller ones killed 40 people including on-site workers, a railwayman and six firemen who had attended the fire from the Odsal and Nelson Street fire stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Durham gas explosion</span> 2019 gas explosion in Durham, North Carolina, United States

On April 10, 2019, a gas explosion occurred near downtown Durham, North Carolina at the 115 block of North Duke Street in the Brightleaf District. The blast destroyed several buildings and damaged dozens of others, killing two people and injuring 25 others, including 9 firefighters. City officials cited a gas leak as the cause of the explosion.

The 1946 Greenville propane explosion occurred on 19 November 1946, at the Ideal Laundry laundromat in Greenville, South Carolina. A tank containing around 3,500 US gallons (13 m3) of propane exploded around 6 PM, after leaking vapors were ignited by the boilers in the basement. The blast, which killed 6 people and injured over 150, was felt as far away as Gaffney, 50 miles to the northeast.

The Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum gas explosion took place in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on October 31, 1963; 81 people died and about 400 others were injured. It was one of the worst disasters in the history of the state.

References

  1. "Huge blast rip through gas station in Russian city of Volgograd, injuring at least 13".
  2. "Russia explosion:Huge blast rips through gas station in Volgograd, injuring at least 13" . Archived from the original on 2020-08-12.
  3. "Explosion at Volgograd Gas Station".