WATCH: Fire Breaks Out in Rocket Fuel Plant | Last Moments

With the Space Shuttle fleet temporarily grounded after the Challenger Disaster, this production plant was left with two years worth of excess ammonium perchlorate - which is unstable and highly flammable. Watch what happens when the plant catches fire.
"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."
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[@Qxir]

Join membership: kzbin.info/door/GHDQtN_vzFYJaq_Fx1eikgjoin Second Channel: kzbin.info/door/t93hxFmjppL5nLRAX94UrA Merch: qxir.creator-spring.com/ Patreon: www.patreon.com/qxir Twitter: twitter.com/QxirYT Discord: discord.gg/jZzvvwJ Twitch: www.twitch.tv/qxiryt/ Subreddit: www.reddit.com/r/Qxir/

[@kam2894]

first

[@yeoldeseawitch]

Cover the Mary T. Wojtyla accident next. Downer's Grove, Illinois, 1991

[@gordybishop2375]

Neighbor was Jiffy Marshmallow plant. It was rebuilt. Got to tour it. They had pictures on the wall.

[@Digitalhunny]

THANK YOU! This is just horrible, but very necessary to know & understand. We certainly never want anything like this to happen ever again. Well, again, _again_ you know?!

[@SiliconBong]

Read a book about fires at military sites, if the smoke's white it's alright, if it's brown F*k Everything And Run.

[@dr.ryttmastarecctm6595]

Watching the overpressure shockwave passing over the desert is incredible.

[@mattmarzula]

Having seen and felt that dozens of times it never gets old... When it's controlled and not targeting you of course.

[@joshdfox420]

Shockwaves are pretty nasty.. they're the reason there isn't n unbroken window in all of Ukraine

[@mbryson2899]

That really struck me.

[@jessievelasco6074]

Dude that shit was crazy you can't get away from that thing

[@purachinachinchin]

What would happen if it hits you??

[@vustvaleo8068]

still both impressive and haunting that only two people died in this incident.

[@brunoayala5925]

and where the ones that save the rest, Heroes.

[@cessnacitation-x]

@just i c e I found another video that also explains it really well kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3vZqJyGrdSVaKs

[@fastinradfordable]

Does that include deaths linked to chemical exposures?

[@Gl-my8fw]

@@fastinradfordable no evidence that that was an issue.

[@mildlyinfuriatedbird2557]

It's still haunting yet impressive that my shit clogged the toilet after only 5 minutes on the throne.

[@flandrescarlet2655]

The two that died did so to help other workers escape, RIP. I salute these two men

[@sabotabby3372]

especially considering how higher ups tend to be wonder how many people with that same responsibility would even think twice about bailing on their subordinates

[@TopG20073]

I think 1 of them was more scared from legal actions in the aftermath than for his life.

[@jwalster9412]

@@sabotabby3372 if it were modern time, the CEO's would be the first to go, the the employees would have been at alot more risk

[@misterbig9025]

999th comment

[@TopG20073]

@@misterbig9025 5th*

[@stevengillespie5270]

It would be terrifying to be in a plane and feeling the explosions.

[@xephael3485]

Being a fighter pilot is not in your future

[@ViktorKozh]

@@xephael3485 good for him.

[@xaviersavedra711]

@@xephael3485 It's not for everyone, certainly not for me, I get anxious thinking about getting into a plane, let alone fighting for my life in one.

[@stevengillespie5270]

@@xephael3485 my eyesight sucks so I wouldn't even be able to get in a cockpit

[@mattmarzula]

@@xephael3485 I'm too old. Short of an "Independence Day" scenario, I'm out.

[@JamieRees200]

I remember seeing this on a TV show called "Destroyed in seconds" when I was about 10 years old (21 years old now). I literally thought nukes went off there.

[@Dirxr]

Nice

[@butterlord-nq3ei]

I loved that show watched it when I was 4 and rewatched what I could find of it on KZbin a few years later I hope there is somewhere I can watch all the episodes in full

[@newlunarrepublic8469]

i am 21 we share the same bday

[@deletdis6173]

I loved that show. That and You Gotta See This.

[@alexprice4229]

Spike TV was amazing for 10 year old kids

[@CatSans]

Dude, this gave me chills. You could easily be a high-quality documentary maker. Actually... you are.

[@thepatriarchy819]

He creates very short powerful docs

[@hobinrood710]

@@thepatriarchy819 Some of his longer, 20 minute videos are just as good, but there aren't as many when he goes hard like that. I like the balance.

[@FilosophicalPharmer]

Year of occurrence, 1988, would be nice to have in title. 👍🏼

[@matman7691]

@@FilosophicalPharmer read the description...

[@FilosophicalPharmer]

@@matman7691 You’re assuming I’m watching on something that makes that easy.

[@12gauge_shawtyy]

Bruce and Roy are such heroes. I hope they are remembered and memorialized well. The first responders too, but less so. I could never imagine driving towards something like this

[@adenmitchell7633]

Who?

[@basilbrush9075]

@@adenmitchell7633 the two who died

[@TurtleSauceGaming]

Fun fact, notice they didn't drive to it. There is really nothing you can do. They couldn't get close enough, and even if they could there is no way they are putting out that fire. The solution is to let it burn itself out and then clean up.

[@bradsanders407]

The two people who were directly responsible for this? Assuming the reports were true they were saying it's not a matter of if but when with how lackadaisical the place was ran.

[@allangibson8494]

@@TurtleSauceGaming The fire brigade stopped when the first blast blew their windscreen in. A rather sensible move.

[@Relkond]

Some notes: - the plant was making an oxidizer. Oxidizers notably don’t burn. - oxidizer is one of two ingredients in the SRB fuel - the other was powdered metal - aluminum. (iron/steel/magnesium - most metals would provide similar reactions) - the plant made one ingredient to the rocket fuel, and stored it in metal drums - ie the second ingredient of the rocket fuel. Notably, not all the drums they used were metal. Some were plastic. - the plant had regular fires, which were always quickly extinguished with water. It was treated almost as a ‘it’s the nature of what we’re making, which might even be true, to an extent. - throwing water on this fire did not put it out - yes, they were equipped to put out fires, and they tried. - One of the two dead was last seen staring at the fire, unable to believe it was happening. Which I can honestly understand: ‘How does oxidizer burn?’ The answer is, ‘it doesn’t. It just makes other things burn real good’. Which I think is what makes a gas leak a credible cause.

[@jonasghafur4940]

not exactly true. Or rather, part of the truth. Ammonium Perchlorate explosively decomposes when heated. Even without a fuel for an explosive RedOx it can still explode pretty scarily.

[@alexrossouw7702]

And burning the perchlorate probably makes more oxygen get released, which make more fire, and so on, perpetuating a disaster in short time

[@Relkond]

@@jonasghafur4940 a decomposition reaction is a little different from a combustion reaction. Decomposition reactions break compounds down - H2CO3 -> H2O + CO2, or 2H2O2 -> 2H2O + O2. combustion on the other hand, combines things. 2H2 + O2 -> 2H2O. Either can release energy. Either can consume energy. Does decomposing perchlorate produce a flame? (armchair chemist here…) thing is, the claim was they had a fire, which they were unable to put out. For this incident, was the perchlorate one corner of the fire triangle? Or was it the whole show by itself?

[@allangibson8494]

Oxidisers don’t burn but they do detonate. Both Ammonium Nitrate and Ammonium Perchlorate are explosives as they have a fuel (ammonia) and an oxidiser. They are both fuel poor however so give a higher yield when more fuel is added. Other explosives like TNT are oxidiser poor so have their yield boosted when ammonium nitrate or perchlorate is added - which is what Torpex is.

[@jwalster9412]

You mentioned magnesium, which is a flammable, and hard to extinguish metal. Magnesium is hard to put out on its own, you would need a type c extinguisher. But I imagine, with the added oxidizer, you wouldn't be able to put it out and would have to wait for it to burn off on its own

[@ExperimentIV]

the full footage caught of this is on youtube, and it’s insane. you can see the pressure waves, and they’re just relentless. left me awestruck

[@andymouse]

@im calling saul Ta.

[@areyouavinalaff]

@im calling saul lol

[@ExperimentIV]

if anyone wants the video that isn’t a fake spam link, it’s here. it’s absolutely nuts how the plant is surrounded by so much flat land so you can just see it run across. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXi2qWhqeNCKqbM

[@wolu9456]

the china propane explosion was good too. i miss liveleak so much. just think of the updates from Ukraine[always with location data[from the poster or in the comments].

[@lakoncers13]

Look at footage of what that area of Henderson looks like now as opposed to when this happened. I would guess that over 500k people now live in the area that was just desert back when this happened

[@ianbrennan9635]

Incredible and horrifying to watch. I can't even imagine what it might be like to experience something like that.

[@hellfiregamez5968]

Hopefully we never will either, a nuclear war would be much worse than this

[@michaelpipkin9942]

I was in first grade and I felt it. The teacher thought it was an earthquake and it moved every desk in the room.

[@lakoncers13]

@@michaelpipkin9942 I was at Dorris French in 5th grade when it happened which is at Trop and Pecos. What school were you in?

[@michaelpipkin9942]

@@lakoncers13 LV Day School, Jones & DI

[@J_McPhearsom]

My grandfather was CEO of Kerr-McGee at this time. I can serious go ask (record) him for all the background details on this incident (and many others) if you want to include in an updated story. I probably only have a few more years, at best to, hear these crazy stories firsthand while he’s still around.

[@hobinrood710]

Do it anyways john. Even if qxir doesn't need or want them, those stories should be documented from every perspective.

[@isabellind1292]

I hope you do document your grandfather's accounts. I think it would be an honor to him too that his experiences are passed down to others after he dies. I wish you both the best.

[@mjriemen]

You must be friggin rich then, right?

[@bmint]

DO IT!!

[@hobinrood710]

@@mjriemen Probably... But that's not what matters. What matters is that the story gets told. Every perspective matters Matt. I'm homeless looking for work right now and you wanna be a total prude about someone's bank account. Seriously I have to panhandle and I wish you spent one day in my shoes. You would snap after 3 hours because you wouldn't make a damn thing with that entitled mentality. You gotta work hard to get where that family is. You gotta network, you gotta be friendly to rich people and poor people as well. And you aren't, so maybe you should stop with that at the very least. Do different, do better. Because if my ass can try and get a job, you can be nicer.

[@definitelyjustcj4148]

RIP to everyone that died I remember I saw this on a documentary once. I took a class in the FFA and we went over chemical plant safety and they used this event as an example

[@definitelyjustcj4148]

@just i c e dude solid explanation I can totally see how air fryer potato wedges caused the May 4, 1988, Pacific Engineering and Production Company of Nevada (PEPCON) ammonium perchlorate factory explosion. I finally get it now!!!

[@joundii3100]

@@definitelyjustcj4148 It's a bot.

[@supremecai5857]

@@joundii3100 r/whoosh

[@PlumSack79]

What's with this comment? Did you also take a class in epic run on sentences with a major in mindless drivel? Wake up clown.

[@joundii3100]

@@supremecai5857 No.

[@kyledubs8293]

Amazing how many of these type of incidents have happened over the years.

[@themodernfrontiersmen]

I work in industrial construction. We do a lot of work around dangerous chemicals- we work in a giant industrial center full of a hundred different plants for several companies. The project we are working on now is an expansion to a plant that has some of the most dangerous chemicals (on of the chemicals, Dimethyl-Ethyl or something like that, will kill you in a minute if it touches your skin. You have barely any time to get to a shower, so they have them everywhere) we had to weld over these extremely explosive tanks. Anyways, there are so many permits and safety procedures that exist THANKS to all of the case where things have gone wrong and people have gotten hurt. So this stuff has happened many times-especially in the 20th century- but it is extremely rare today. Most people in the plant get hurt from falling off a ladder or getting hit in the head by a rotating aerial lift, not chemical/fire related injuries.

[@ledgeri]

Yet today's CGI in movies still have to catch up to the timescale-realism of these!

[@casucasueq4479]

The BP (sold or name changed now) refinery/plant in Lima, Ohio blew up a couple times while I was growing up there in the 80s - 90s.

[@lianefehrle9921]

There was a Kerr-McGee plant in a town about 20 miles away from me. My father in law use to be third in line of the big boss over that plant. He used to go inside these tubes to put in a balloon like thing that kids sat on to jump. His wife would go out and buy them for him. He used those to plug up that tube to keep fumes from coming out of it. He died of cancer of course. People would get there cars repainted every year because of the stuff eating the paint off. The company sent him to India and Australian to start new plants up or teach people the safety procedures to that plant. The company sold out or something. The name is different now. There has been a lot of law suits filed against Kerr-McGee but they were settled out of court. This company never had an explosion like that. Scary stuff

[@joshdfox420]

Lots of large LP tankers like to go up...sometimes just from static sometimes stupidity.

[@ExperimentIV]

oh damn, awesome that you covered this. it wasnt the perchlorate alone, but pepcon kept them stored in aluminum bins, which would eventually lead to this. i wish workplace safety was taken more seriously. just because safety rules are written in blood doesn’t mean they need to be. it would also be pretty interesting if you did a video on the challenger disaster as well. that one horrifies me for so many reasons. great stuff as always, qxir

[@ExperimentIV]

to be clear, the perchlorate is only half of the solid fuel and is (relatively) inert on its own if stored safely. it’s an oxidiser. the improper storage meant that when a spark hit it, the perchlorate and aluminum reacted with each other, much like how a solid rocket booster on a space shuttle would work, just completely uncontrolled. unlike a liquid fuel engine on the space shuttle (it had that too), once you lit the solid rocket boosters, you couldn’t put them out. once the fire started, your only choice was to get the hell out of dodge. it’s really lucky that only two people died in this, and that it didn’t destroy much of the towns and cities nearby, only levelling the pepcon plant to the ground.

[@zechsblack5891]

@im calling saul :|

[@themodernfrontiersmen]

Back then, and with some companies, yeah. But in the modern day it is very different. I work in a huge industrial center that has tons of plants from a crap ton of companies (Trinseo, Dow, DuPont, Cabot, IFF, etc.) and they make everything from the most dangerous chemicals imaginable that will kill you in a minute to wood pulp they put in our food. I work in the construction sector so we do a lot of new construction, additions, and plant maintaince. I have seen many different buildings that make different things, but safety is a huge deal. They are like safety extremists in there, you need a permit for everything and projects are given tons of time for completion (usually) due to the extended time it takes to finish a job with safety concerns. In addition to the extreme obsession with safety, there is also a lot of procedures for the operators and a lot going on all over the plant. The Dow Emergency services responds to an incident within minutes too. Saw a guy fall off of a ladder and break his ankle, not even three minutes after emergency services were called they showed up and took him away. Point is, safety and environmental concern's are a huge deal in the modern day (at least for most companies, def not Tesla lol)

[@ExperimentIV]

@@themodernfrontiersmen well, i’m definitely glad to hear things have improved!

[@huggleskuishy]

Agreed

[@calebfitzsimmons7070]

Could you imagine being in a wheel chair and still wheeling around ushering all your employees out safely. What a fucking legend.

[@irishtino1595]

Pat Rose, the young man hit by a rock and suffered TBI, passed away in 2017 at age 51. I read his obituary and his family said he really enjoyed life despite the challenging injury.

[@SmoothTurtle840]

0:40 Oh so _that’s_ where the name “REPCON” in the Fallout series comes from! Not to mention that it’s headquarters are explorable in New Vegas, which takes place in Nevada.

[@spookygloberotter05]

Specially considering there also was a disaster in REPCONN no? The terminals make it a bit confusing to me

[@SmoothTurtle840]

@@spookygloberotter05 Terminal lore sure is confusing

[@jamsanator0511]

I was thinking the same thing. Maybe we’re just virgins who play video games too much trolololol

[@ckopen7192]

yeah, this company was the inspiration behind repconn

[@Madworld_NZ]

Bethsoft loves adding Easter eggs in the Fallout games

[@robotomo4249]

It's hard to believe that things like this can actually happen because we've seen it in movies so often, these movies minimise the severity of explosions like these greatly. But this raw footage is no where near a movie, it reveals just how fragile we are and how one small mistake can end multiple lives.

[@Nightweaver1]

Movie effects directors also don't use actual rocket fuel when they create explosions -- they generally use gasoline, which produces a nice big fireball but very little percussive blast. (Or just CGI in this day and age.) A real explosion like this is many orders of magnitude more energetic.

[@konradzukowski213]

What baffles me the most us that the same company happened to have the same "accident" twice... That just means for me that whoever was responsible for that catastrophy, either because didn't consider risks, couldn't be bothered to fix them or possibly allowed for those risks to remain under what i can only assume to be "it was cheaper that way", quite possibly stayed within the company and allowed for things to happen again.

[@sabotabby3372]

imagine what the comments would look like if this was a soviet plant, somehow its harder to condemn the failures that happen under our noses

[@MrJest2]

It's always about the money. I am pretty sure there were many people working at the plant who knew how poorly the storage was setup, and knew what needed to be done to rectify the situation. But the money had to come from Corporate to implement the solutions, and they weren't willing to immediately cough up the cash to construct safe storage.

[@sabotabby3372]

@@MrJest2 never a dollar of all their wealth but marks the workers' dead

[@bradsanders407]

@@sabotabby3372 amen to that. On another video I just watched some moron american was bad mouthing the Chinese aviation industry. Which has stricter and more strengent guidelines than our FAA which has led to them having one of the safest track records on the planet. Didn't stop this imbecile from mouthing off. Fresh off the US having one of the biggest cover-ups of a cover-up in aviation history that cost over 500 lives and the only person to be jailed was the freaking test pilot. Guess who helped start the fixing of that problem by being the second country to ground this particular plane? Yep, China.

[@Polit_Burro]

dead workers are just part of the costs of doing business in America. Capitalists don't care, because they pass the costs on anyway.

[@curbyourshi1056]

RIP Roy and Bruce. Hope it was quick for you both, you heroes.

[@Nightweaver1]

If you're blown into atoms like they were, I'm fairly sure we can assume it was very quick for both of them.

[@jwalster9412]

@@Nightweaver1 you probably wouldn't have heard the full explosion.

[@10wuebc]

i'd imagine the pressure wave would have been enough to kill them instantly.

[@ShihammeDarc]

I was wondering, why couldn't they escape with the workers?

[@DankTDS]

@@ShihammeDarc i have no clue but my guess was that they were both disabled and couldn't run as fast as the others

[@TangoWolf09]

From a purely aesthetic standpoint, this is my favorite video of any explosion(s) I've come across. The way the flashpoint instantly darkens the periphery of the image, combined with the shockwave rushing outward from its source, and the way the noise, once it reaches the camera, hits you in your chest, it's a beautifully horrific demonstration of the raw power of explosives.

[@leonardgibney2997]

Beirut blast was incredible. 3,500 tonnes

[@drzoidberg1702]

One of my favorite qualities of a Qxir video is the raw footage with sound at the end of the videos, really adds that extra wow factor!

[@Imurai]

As a wheelchair userr, I salute those men.

[@RobC_0]

The amount of information that you aquire on these events is commendable, my good sir. Keep'em coming.

[@wanderinghistorian]

Fun fact, the explosion you hear at the end of the video is what a nuclear explosion really sounds like. The films you see with rumbling noise are added in later by sound effects. We only have one surviving example (a poor black and white film) that captures the actual sound, and it's just like that, a sharp retort - like any other explosion.

[@rocketcello5354]

As a massive space nerd that knows how volatile Ammonium Perchlorate is, and how volatile the aluminium storage drums are if you give them the right conditions. Aluminium is extremely reactive (google thermite), especially when given an oxidizer, such as ammonium perchlorate. Aluminium powder was heavily tested to be used as an additive to rocket fuels for military stuff in the 60's, but the issue was that all the best fuels could violently decompose (hydrazine and UDMH (unsymetrical dimethyl hyrazine) if given the right catalysts, such as certain impurities in aluminium (the most common catalyst for hydrazine in monopropellant (only one fuel, not a fuel and oxidizer, which is what I'm referring to here) rocket engines is aluminium oxide and iridium, so if a tiny bit of aluminium oxide forms on this (which is basically inevitable, cause aluminum oxide form when elemental aluminum is exposed to the atmosphere, so it'd be a pain to store for long periods, so it was dropped. and also the issues of if the metal didn't burn properly, it'd just chuck out flakes of aluminium oxide, which is useless in air-air missiles, as you'd see where it came from and where the plane that fired it is. and quite a funny moment is during a german test fire of such an engine was that the engine was fired horizontally, with the exhaust gas being deflected upwards and away by a slanted ramp, and since the aluminium wasn't burning properly, all the trees behind the engine got coated in the stuff, very appropriate, as it was near Christmas.

[@infamoushacker4chan883]

Thanks for the insight. That was an interesting read.

[@benderc7778]

There's an article about hydrazine being added to nitromethane during drag racing in the 60s. Stuff was too dangerous it was outlawed due to engine explosions even more violent than nitro alone.

[@rocketcello5354]

@@infamoushacker4chan883 that was basically just an info dump from my brain that remembers the weirdest things.

[@rocketcello5354]

@@benderc7778 holy hell, it's a sensitive explosive that's both a fuel and an oxidizer being mixed with a toxic, corrosive, and unstable chemical. if any air bubbles get into nitromethane, something called the hammer lock effect causes it to blow. as some engineers found out in the 40's while testing tetranitromethane (basically 3 nitromethane molecules alongside another with 3 less hydrogens to make space for the bonds between them) as an oxidizer, testing it, seeing it be pretty insensitive, actually firing, it, and having every motor blow up cause when the valves in the tanks closed, it formed air bubbles. it packs more energy than TNT weight for weight. how the hell was that even allowed onto the track in the 1st place.

[@ayzayahhartfield1546]

I’m from Henderson. This story makes a story I heard previously make a lot more sense. I was in an Uber and we drove by where the PEPCON plant used to be and the driver was telling me a very confusing story of an explosion that took place there. I thought he was talking about the nuclear testing that was done in Nevada throughout the 1950s but this makes a lot more sense

[@usmale49]

Absolutely horrific and the two gentlemen in wheelchairs lost there lives while helping others to escape. Great video on your part! Very thorough reporting. Thank you for uploading and sharing! 😞💔

[@kylehill5096]

you know it’s a good day when qxir uploads

[@casucasueq4479]

I live in Henderson 🚀 Thanks for the more in depth explanation, by far the best I've seen.

[@shoobidyboop8634]

"It is one of the largest domestic non-nuclear explosions in recorded history." And THAT is a LOT of qualifiers.

[@ernestoacosta7918]

Also it’s ONE of them

[@Gapsx1eGewehr]

I believe Halifax still tops that list even after all these years. I'm unsure, to be honest.

[@SecretMarsupial]

Just 3 really

[@shoobidyboop8634]

@@SecretMarsupial I count 4.

[@SoWhat1221]

@@shoobidyboop8634 Eh, I wouldn't really count "recorded history", as I'd wager all large man-made explosions occurred within recorded history.

[@DerpsWithWolves]

Another horrifying detail, is that Ammonium Perchlorate, while itself potentially explosive, is not itself the full mixture for rocket fuel. Whoever... The containers it was stored in at the PEPCO site were primarily composed of plastic and rubber (not the metal barrels seen outside), and it so happened that melted plastic and rubber contained some of the chemical compounds (mostly hydrocarbons, which they are a product of) necessary to make Ammonium Perchlorate *more* explosive. As the fire continued, and grew hotter, it was simultaneously mixing and making the fuel it was burning more dangerous, leading to larger and more powerful explosive flash-over events. Obviously not a great choice of container for the stuff.

[@jwalster9412]

Would the explosions have been alot less without the plastic?

[@DerpsWithWolves]

​@@jwalster9412 Likely, or impeded in other ways. Ammonium Perchlorate does still present an explosion risk on its own, especially if contained in sealed vessels, but in itself it's an oxidizer, not a fuel - meaning that it provides its own oxygen and burns very easily, but contains relatively little energy for its mass. Still very dangerous, but it gets worse when combined with a hydrocarbon; a material which does not have its own oxygen, but contains very large amounts of energy relative to its mass. They both provide what the other lacks, and mix to much more easily explode than just one of them alone. Now, considering one was only a container, and thus there was a LOT more oxidizer by volume than there was fuel, that also meant that these blasts were much, much smaller than they could have been if it was a more balanced mixture, (aka proper rocket fuel). Also, likely much of the containers were simply blown apart by the blasts, and never got to mix - so just how much of the blast's overall power was their doing is difficult to estimate. I would go out on a limb though and say that the plastic mixing may have acted as a catalyst to starts many of the blasts. Since the plastic and rubber containers would melt in the presence of a sustained fire, the Ammonium Perchlorate would no longer be contained, and thus able to vent gas pressure - reducing the risk of an explosion. But, if enough plastic mixed to cause a small explosion, the shockwave of that blast could create an environment of sufficient pressure to facilitate explosive decomposition of Ammonium Perchlorate in open air, setting off a much larger amount. Not so say such explosions wouldn't have happened, but I think it may well have caused them to happen sooner, and larger.

[@sashimiroll5055]

As dark as this series is, it’s my favourite on your channel. These stories are heart breaking, but they also remind me how lucky I am to have been able to not be in situations like the ones presented in this series.

[@sabotabby3372]

its a good reminder that safety regulations are written in worker's blood

[@infamoushacker4chan883]

The Shockwave passing over the desert looks absolutely incredible.

[@DJ-Daz]

I saw this on The Discovery Channel (you know when The Discovery channel was great and educational), way back in the 90's on Sky. Thank you for bringing it back.

[@michaelmoorrees3585]

I remember that explosion. I had visited Las Vegas in the 1980s, and drove thru Henderson, when going to the Hoover Dam. Back then, there was still a lot of open land between the city of Las Vegas, and the then town of Henderson. Go there today, and Henderson is now within suburban Las Vegas. If that explosion happened today, 1000s, if not 10s of thousands, would be dead !

[@NyuuMikuru1]

Full of houses now. Lived back in 82-94. Started building houses everywhere after I left.

[@bmstylee]

For addition info on PEPCON Plainly Difficult has a solid summary of it as well.

[@flash_flood_area]

Wow. That footage. So sorry for all the workers and their families. I'm sure there were huge numbers of awful injuries, even if they didn't die

[@Tendies7645]

Thank you to Mr hawker and westerfield for executing the plant and sacrificing their lives to save others

[@unionpride525]

I was a kid in Vegas when this happened. We didn't live to far away and did a bit of damage to our house. When I got outside I saw the mushroom cloud and one of our neighbors yelled that we were being nuked. It was scary as hell.

[@isabellind1292]

EEW! That's terrifying.

[@BriarLeaf00]

Qxir always brings the fire (no disrespect to the victims) short video essay content and I love it. He manages to cram in 7 minutes what takes others like half an hour to get through.

[@basedmax9029]

Talk about a jump in quality! Long time fan really notices the editing and the effort put into this one. Keep it up man, really outdone yourself on this one.

[@anto687]

Qxir your production quality has gone WAY up, I was really impressed by the emphatic titles on the screen! Great stuff pal I love to see it!

[@benmcreynolds8581]

This reminds me of that parked ship in that harbor where the ships owners couldn't pay for it to move. Then it exploded. The pressure wave was one of the most insane things that wasn't a nuke I've ever seen. Then the dash cam of the police officer heading to a location that notices a bunch of fog. Fog eeriely low to the ground only... He luckily was suspicious of it. Then a explosion occurred and ignited all the leaked gas. Which was what the fog the officer saw.. he barely out drove it in reverse, all on dash cam video. It looked like the end of the world if a astroid hit.

[@thepsychedeliccartographer5765]

I love your videos , there's a small handful of content creators I follow and you are number 1

[@swettyspaghtti]

Brown noser

[@thepsychedeliccartographer5765]

I can't see this reply for some reason. 😂

[@JM-nt5fm]

Fred Gibson, who owned that plant and was in charge was a good man. Lots of great stories from him. The fire was caused because of leaking gas line under the plant that was made of old oil well drill rod. Maintenance welding set off a pool of natural gas and because of the challenger explosion the perchlorates were being stored on site. Fred said his buddy the Cadillac dealer in the area called him up immediately after to make sure he was okay and gave him a car because he felt bad for him. Another one of his friends called him up and said he fixed a hangar door he was having problems with because the shock wave bent the door back straight. At the time they were already outgrowing southern Nevada and we're planning on moving to their current location and the new plant design was already done. Given the strategic necessity of the plant for ICBM propellant they had fairly rapid funding for the new facility and it was up and running quickly. He made sure they kept that facility far away from people for safety. I met Fred many years later and he truly wished no one had gotten hurt. Obviously in hindsight the storage methodology was unwise but I believe him when he told me that he never thought what happened could happen. It's a good lesson, that's been repeated now in a few harbor storage facilities. Do not store large amounts of perchlorates or fertilizers or anything else with huge potential chemical energy in one particular area. Rest in peace Fred, you're missed!

[@bewareofsasquatch]

I love how the use the word “vaporized” because it’s so harsh but sadly that’s what happened and you didn’t sugarcoated so I respect that.

[@RealRedRabbit]

Cause and aftermath aside, the fact that only TWO people died in this is absolutely astounding to me. Christ, I can't even imagine what it must have been like fleeing from that, constantly checking your rear view, waiting for the inevitable.

[@williambilliam5001]

In a macabre sort of comforting way of understanding this, the two who were killed probably didn't feel anything. One moment they were there and conscious, the next they were merely chunks of mass in a massive physics exercise. In other words, they were gone before they could even register pain, let alone be aware of it. Still absolutely tragic, though. 😥

[@N00N01]

For anyone wondering why fiberglass can catch fire, its bc fiberglass is basicly glass reinforced plastic(-Donoteat01 2016) , as by that it holds large or relitively large amounts of oil product compared to regular desert sand in form of normal glass(as beach sand is rough and better for concrete)

[@blerst7066]

Salute to the two men who gave their lives to save dozens of others.

[@randyj4452]

I was in 6th grade on the playground about 12 miles away in North Las Vegas. I will never forget the sound of that blast, nor the light thump in my chest!

[@shutterbugstravel]

My school was about 15 miles away (give or take), and I also will never forget that sound or feeling. I literally jumped out of my chair. We were taking a test or reading or something, because I remember it was quiet in the room. We were inside, but I remember feeling that boom in my body. I remember it being a terrifying day, for sure.

[@pewpewdragon4483]

It's so chilling to see the explosion but not hear it until 10s later

[@MulldoonGaming]

Bro I haven’t even heard of this one where do you find all these?

[@DeathknightDragon]

Really? It's a fairly well known video that's been around on the Tube for quite a number of years, plus on Discovery's Destroyed In Seconds.

[@booboothefool3342]

He causes them

[@ramonabarca2340]

yea me too Bro! LOL

[@09impala]

Wikipedia

[@lourdesdeath4379]

I live in Las Vegas and am shocked that I've never heard about this! I even looked up where it happened and I regularly drive past where PEPCON was located!

[@AngelLopez-bm4jz]

I found this channel and immediately binged almost all videos. This is one of the best/ entertaining/ funny KZbin channel on the platform.

[@nathanblanchard8897]

My grandparents lived in Henderson when this happened. Every window in their house was shattered and the large garage door in the rear of their house (facing the explosion) was blown off the hinges. The replacement door was equipped with a cross beam like you’d see on a castle, supposedly “just in case”, but I’m not sure how accurate that is lol. Pretty crazy how recent this was!

[@MrNurseGuy1]

i remember this. I lived just far away that i couldn't hear it, but we were all warned to bring pets inside to keep them safe from the fallout.

[@IcedKatana]

We need to see more of your drawings we love them, its what made us fall in love with your channel please bring them back!

[@stevenbaer5999]

He was actually atomized to nothing but yet he actually saved so many lives. That's actually a great hero, knowing that he couldn't make it. 💔🤔😲💔😢😢💔

[@stanverspui2609]

Hi Qxir, maby a cool video idea would be the Fireworks disaster in Enschede, The Netherlands. On may 13th 2000, the company S.E. Fireworks in Enschede, The Netherlands exploded, causing the neighborhood of Roombeek to get destroyed. At least 23 people died as a direct result. It's still a mystery what caused the fire(s) at the "fireworks" storage and shipment facility, and no information has been officially released regarding the types of explosives which would cause a 75 GigaJoules detonation.

[@btymania1026]

I remember our chemistry teacher showed us this footage during a combustion unit.

[@markwackerman5593]

the special effects and transitions were really good this episode

[@manttahray3239]

Interesting event and great story telling, I liked the clean transition and formatting of the victims name and face. It gives off a real professional look which is necessary in a series like ‘last moments’.

[@CJ_102]

Im genuinely surprised this sort of thing is not more common across ALL industries. Companies are constantly cutting corners and tend to continue doing that until catastrophic failure. At which point insurance companies suddenly price the true risks correctly and lawyers play musical chairs.

[@CarsandCats]

This has to be the first time I've seen a video of an explosion and the cameraman didn't point at the ground or sky.

[@werquantum]

This is a good video to show to kids when teaching them about the dangers of playing with matches.

[@Vegasnativesinner85]

My stepfather was the only survivor in site 1 that day.. he is truly a walking miracle that married my mother years later.. he lived in UMC hospital for two years! Deaf in one ear, and blind in one eye.

[@Armoredcompany]

To think that the fireball was bright enough to momentarily overwhelm the camera from several miles away...

[@RestitutorEuropa]

It’s kinda crazy when you realize this disaster happened due to another disaster happening earlier (the challenger explosion).

[@mjallen1308]

That blast pressure wave though 😳 and then amount of time it takes to hear the blast. It’s surreal seeing a mega explosion that, at first, is silent - until the loud bang finally hits you. This Is nuts. I can’t imagine trying to escape from this, having to just act and do - no time to think. RIP to the two who lost their lives making sure others were able to escape. Occupational safety and regulations are written in blood and this case is no different.

[@dsandoval9396]

You said it's unstable in the first minute but if I remember correctly it's VERY stable. I remember watching a documentary where they said there was never an accidental explosion because if it ever started burning, which didn't happen often, it was water soluble so all they had to do was hit it with water and it would QUICKLY extinguish. Iirc, the reason the fire grew out of control was that it was being stored in metal containers and was literally baking in the sun. Heated sodiumperclorate along with contaminates introduced into the chemical was what made it dangerous as it became volatile at THAT point. I could be wrong but I'm sure that was the case, I actually took an interest in this incident albeit a decade ago.

[@sarahwilkinson7846]

Love me some Qxir it’s my favorite part of fridays🥰🥰🥰

[@anynonymous1585]

Friday, Friday, gotta watch Qxir on Friday. Its the weekend

[@dotMSOffice]

I was recently looking for this footage as I remembered it from a Documentary I watched as a kid. Made me wanna join the Fire Department even more than I already wanted to.

[@timelyseeker]

It's always weird how morbid curiosity makes us want to see the stuff from Older KZbin as well - like the earthquake videos and explosions

[@chemistryofquestionablequa6252]

Did you end up joining?

[@dotMSOffice]

@@chemistryofquestionablequa6252 yee

[@IntrovertedOreo]

That's really good camera quality for it being 1988. RIP to the men who died.

[@thepsychedeliccartographer5765]

Been waiting all day man! Thanks for the upload!

[@jamiejansen6030]

I want a last moments of the Dutch enschede firework disaster

[@Mars.719]

jus left work early cause i ran my foot over with a electric pallet jack, this upload making my day better

[@dystopian..]

Heal well friend

[@TikiOperator]

Yeah you didn't, that's next to impossible if you're actually certified

[@dystopian..]

@@TikiOperator FU

[@ajenkmeister6982]

Awww, I hope you got yourself checked out!

[@trope5105]

WOW!! i did a report, albeit lazily, in highschool on this disaster, but i have never seen even these few clips! ive only seen pictures!! holy friggin crap man, u can tell how massive the biggest explosion was!!! Gott damn man, i had no idea what the devastation actually looked like in action!

[@ronnydawson8594]

I grew up in Henderson NV. And PepCon was INSANE. My neighbor died. When the first explosion happened my mother put us under the dining room table with the matresses from our beds all around us. Then she gave us kids (3 kids ages 3 4 and 6) snacks and juice boxes.

[@clayton9136]

I'd be interested to know if this caused major panic in nearby cities, with residents thinking they were under attack after they saw the smoke and heard the explosion.

[@mattd6085]

I think industrial accident will come to mind well before attack, given that they live next to a giant industrial site

[@clayton9136]

@@mattd6085 Given the times. And the magnitude, I'd strongly disagree.

[@Wellh0wrya]

Jaaaaysus

[@nonamernobrainer846]

The text over the video is an excellent addition, keep it up, because it makes the video "richer"

[@jacobleukus6930]

My crusade continues Qxir, The Green Ramp Disaster would be perfect for one of these and more people should know about it. Great video as always man

[@mischiefqueen]

Thank you so much for your ever increasing quality of videos! I adore your commentary and truly admire the research you do for this.

[@amla214]

Watched this video years ago and every so often , I’ll watch it and I’m still struck with “ wow”. Thanks for the video

[@kevinmcd112]

I was in elementary school when the plant exploded. We heard and felt the 2 largest explosions. Our entire neighborhood had lost most of the glass doors and windows. My entire 4th grade class was completely terrified.

[@DaShneeko]

I live in Henderson and the sidewalks are still green in color from this. Awesome to a video about about something that happened just a few miles away from my house.

[@MrJack123455]

Your editing in this video was really good! I love the transitions and the typography work

[@Maxypad05]

Roy and Bruce are heroes, Rest in peace brave souls

[@FlacidRob]

Great video as usual my guy. You should look into the Halifax explosion as well

[@bradrankin844]

What a terrible situation that was for the people involved!! BUT, what an AWESOME and AMAZING DISPLAY OF POWER in those EXPLOSIONS! GREAT VIDEO AS ALWAYS SIR! KEEP UP YOUR AMAZING WORK HERE ON YOUR CHANNEL!👍👍👍👍

[@JudeFurr]

Thank you for your continued quality videos

[@Khmerstreets]

The shockwave is incredible to watch. It gives you a real sense of scale.

[@Disciple_Of_Lerxst]

Thanks for sharing this info! I remember when this happened! I've seen this video dozens of times and prior to that explosion in Beirut a couple of years ago, this was the largest, non-nuclear, blast I've ever seen. Never got the story or audio until now. Good work!

[@deinemudda1049]

I'm stunned to see that there's a Freight train standing up right on the rails, like nothing blew up at all

[@tedstrong3990]

I wait till every Friday for a new Qxir video, my man has been delivering every week on a consistent basis lately. Have a great weekend Qxir!

[@standoughope]

Classic footage from decades ago. I couldn't believe the shock wave when I first saw it in the 90's.

[@andie_pants]

This footage never gets old. So utterly terrifying!