I feel like "There has been an explosion, and now everything is on fire," in your very calm and measured voice, needs to be an audio clip that I can use as a response to questions such as, "So how is your day going?"
I was a child in elementary school in East Las Vegas on that day about 8 miles away. We literally heard the sound and felt the explosion in the classroom. Being 1988, we of course thought this was a nuclear missile strike and we were gonna die. Fun times.
I was an 80s kid too. I was going to say that kids these days wouldn't understand what that's like and then this happens earlier today: MOSCOW, Feb 21 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia was suspending its participation in the New START treaty with the United States that limits the two sides' strategic nuclear arsenals. Putin stressed that Russia was not withdrawing from the treaty but the suspension further imperils the last remaining pillar of arms control between the United States and Russia, which between them hold nearly 90% of the world's nuclear warheads - enough to destroy the planet many times over.
He also test fired a satan 2 while biden was in kiev...it fucking failed, russia is a failure its in its blood to fuck shit up for itself over and over again.
Horrifying to think that people were literally running for their lives, while those with limited mobility were stuck...waiting for the inevitable. Unimaginably awful.
@@drkarats6147 They were the senior managers. They have dedicated most of their life to make the company grow, hence their high position. What do you know? Maybe some guys volunteered to help and they told them to f*** off, out of pride and spite to lose the product of their work. They were like captains on the boat, not lambda employees.
I requested this one! I am so happy to see that you did this. My mom still remembers the sound and how her whole house shook and she was on the other side of town!
I too remember this. I was living in a high-rise apt complex at the time. My balcony faced south east & I was on the balconey when this explosion happened! Not being far from the airport, I immediately thought it was a plane crash. It was a powerful blast! Definitely something those that experienced will never forget!
@@michaelpipkin9942 Yes, you're right! It was called Vegas Towers back then, I lived there with my aunt for a few months. That area Maryland, Flamingo & Twain became a bit sketchy over the years. I've lived in the NW for the last 30 years, far away from any more blasts! Lol
I think for me it was more recently topped by the Beirut port explosion, simply because of its proximity to... basically everything instead of being in a desert.
@@bodybag22 Aye, for the roster of terrifying explosions it would be Pepcon, Tianjin and Beirut... and I'd add to that the Pathe footage of HMS Barham.
Jesus, hearing about the two men that died is heartbreaking. It's horrifying to think that they passed in such a horrific way because of their physical disabilities.
What saddens me most is that it did not appear anyone tried to help them (though I could be in error). Obviously it was known they had limited mobility.
Absolutley horrifying way to go, but they didn't die because of their disabilities - they died because their workplace didn't consider their needs in its safety plan. Nowadays, in the UK at least, we have to have evacuation plans for every disabled (and temporarily disabled) employee. Escapre routes, safe stopping points where they can communicate with emergency services, 'walking chairs' for going down stairs when the lifts are out, and volunteer staff members who will help them get out or stay with them until help arrives. Those men died needlessly and horrifically, but - hopefully - their deaths will have underlined the importance of accessable workplaces and evacuation procesures that take *every* employee into account.
PEPCON would be later used as the basis for a fictional company in Fallout New Vegas called REPCONN (Rocket Engineering and Production COmpaNy of Nevada). To further the connection between the two, REPCONN headquarters is also located in the game's fictional depiction of Henderson, Nevada.
As someone who had only very vaguely heard of the PEPCON accident (I think), I am legitimately surprised that "only" two people died despite the sheer number of lackluster safety practices, and even they _might_ have survived if the place had just been more wheelchair accessible. Sigh. Just another instance where safety measures only get put in place *after* at least one person dies (if they get put in place *and* actually followed at all).
It wasn’t that the place wasn’t wheelchair accessible… it was that he didn’t have a car to leave in… idk why no one gave him a ride… “some employees left in their personal cars while others ran” - don’t u think some of the ones with cars should’ve made sure to take their 2 disabled coworkers who can’t run?
Man, the footage of the PEPCON explosions are so surreal to witness. Just the massive size and impact of them; the way that camera rattles in spite of being on a hilltop miles away from the actual plant. Absolutely nuts.
It's incredible he pulled off this whole video and never once used the infamous video footage. Just the whole story, and all the facts - kept us hooked. No boom-porn required.
Its very hard to get footage of an explosion. Mostly because when the explosion happens it usually destroys everything around it. And people are usually smart enough to run away.
I'm glad you did this one thanks! My mom was pregnant with my twin sister and I when the explosion happened. She was due July 4th but when the shockwave knocked her onto her back she had to go to the hospital. She had complications but soon had us early on June 20th 1988. She said she remembers seeing garage doors being blown off, windows shattering, and an eerie silence. If anyone is interested there are videos of the explosion on top of Black Mountain anyone can see on TH-cam.
I am in a wheelchair, and hearing that the only two casualties were disabled people makes my heart sink. That plant had hundreds of employees, and not one thought to assist - and THIS is why 'just get someone to do it for you' is not an acceptable accommodation and anyone who gets this needs to scream loud and not stop screaming until it is fixed. Accessibility and awareness is no better now in industry than it was 40 years ago, I am just glad that now I don't have to be sacrificed because I no longer need to be physically present in a dangerous location, with remote work options. They rightfully focused on preventing another explosion. They completely botched understanding why those two men died and actually doing something about evacuating the disabled-but-working.
i just posted. that i was shocked and ashamed that they left wheel chair guy and polio guy behind.. id have died trying to get one of them out before i could leave them behind and live with myself..
@@eviltaylor1 it wasnt mentioned even once anyone tried all he said was polio guy, knowing hed be slow volunteered to stay behind.. if people "tried" theyd have said "Nah i got you bro" and helped him out..
If you look at the history of disasters, it’s usually the management and accountants who escape and leave the workers behind. That has been the case as at least as long as the Great Fire of Rome. Thousands of years of scurrying away while everybody else dies has consequences.
I remember accompanying my sister to the hospital, and we were unable to get her wheelchair up to the building for 15 minutes as we couldn’t find any wheelchair ramps and we had to park at the very back of the lot as every handicap parking spot was taken. Then we went to dennys across the street and they had multiple wheelchair ramps all next to the handicap parking spots. Love that
Can you do a video about the sinking of the Oceanos? The fact that the captain and crew abandoned the passengers and the entertainers stepped in to save them is like something out of a movie.
It's incredible how nobody died in that wreck, considering how incompetent and callous the crew was. Especially comparing it to other disasters where the crew did do their job and it still wasn't enough. There's also a banger song about the ship :D
@@kulsoomahsan4440 And then 3 years later he organized a rescue operation while being an entertainer on the Achille Lauro when it caught fire and had to be evacuated!
This incident is-in my opinion, fortunately-still being discussed as a case study today. I learned about it during my firefighter training a few years ago, and it served as good educational material for both new and veteran first responders. Perspective: Consider the original video footage. Then take a moment to remember those who were lost to other similar events in history which were not caught on camera. Three which immediately come to mind were the Texas City disaster, Halifax explosion, and the USS Mount Hood explosion. Now you have an idea of just how violent these huge chemical explosions can be. It takes a LOT of explosive force to send a visible shockwave across the desert floor as if it were water. Speaking of the Halifax explosion, I'd like to think that both Roy Westerfield and Vincent Coleman are up there somewhere enjoying peace and a cold drink together. Well-done, gentlemen. You both deserve to be remembered for your selfless actions in the face of impending death.
The marshmallow factory is less known but still a crazy part of the story. The heat and force of the explosion set off the marshmallows to heat up and expand, burning a few employees so bad they died. My dad said he was in middle school on the other side of town and he thought there was nuclear bomb testing when they felt the shock.
I remember eating lunch in middle school in Henderson when this happened. We all ran outside when the 3rd explosion happened, I felt the concussion and the hot air hit me, and seen a bird fell out of the sky. We all thought we were at war.
The explosion video just sent a wave of nostalgia through me. I remember watching this in the show Destroyed In Seconds and noticing the white specks going across the ground, then the realization that those little specks were actually cars. Not to mention some of them were still passing by when the explosion happened.
By the time that show aired, I had already seen the raw video elsewhere... I was disappointed that they had synchronized the explosion and audio, and wiped out the people talking. It really lessens the impact of the video, it's so much better to see the explosion happen, and the shock wave coming, and hear the guy say, "that's gonna be loud!", and THEN hear the deafening sound.
Thanks to the presence of mind of that fleeing employee, many firefighter lives were saved. It may not seem like it, but the talk he had with the fire-chief had heroic repercussions.
I had actually watched a documentary about this and hadn’t known that the reason the two workers were killed was because of their mobility issues and the lack of their opportunities to get out without assistance. Absolutely horrible.
Always appreciate how you tell these accidents (many of which I haven't heard about before) and the amount of research that must go into your videos. Thank you!
This is the original footage of the blasts - it's pretty scary to be honest and while 2 men died, it's amazing there weren't additional deaths. th-cam.com/video/gGSx54CkWsQ/w-d-xo.html
I teach fire science and a lot about hazmat. These videos with good explanation are invaluable. One of the jobs of a firefighter is to tour and know your jurisdiction and what is stored in that area. That is of great value, and combined with teaching about accidents is very important.
This really breaks my heart. I also have major mobility limitations and I often think about how I would most certainly perish in an emergency (especially with all the shootings here in the USA). The one gentleman that willingly stayed behind to call the fire department is a true angel. 😔
I live very close to where the PEPCON explosion happened, just a few blocks away. It's all just suburban sprawl now. I think the exact location of the old plant is a strip mall with a mechanic's garage now. There's no plaque or memorial or anything. My grandpa was working construction several miles away when it happened. He said you could see the shockwave coming, and it felt like he'd been punched in the chest even from that distance. Just a crazy amount of force behind that blast.
The famous video of the blast taken from the mountain is still one that absolutely, absolutely amazing and terrifying. Any time you can literally see the blast wave...
I’d seen this explosion on tv programs as a kid, but never heard the larger story surrounding the event, and it was really nice to get the context behind this insane event!
Was hoping to see this one eventually! I was six when it went kerplooey. I slept through it as my sister was being born and had the day off of school, but she was born in the hospital closest to it. They had to evacuate the entire hospital and my mom and newborn sister came home with bandages from cuts due to broken glass. Lots of stories from classmates the next day about windows being blown out and furniture being knocked down. A family friend quit working at Pepcon six weeks before the disaster and apparently employees were very irresponsible with handling the materials there.
Not surprised about the LAX handling of things : people get very complacent working with dangerous stuff because nothing ever happens for a long time••••• until it does.
How about the fact that the broadcast engineer, the guy who got the footage of this explosion, just happened to be up on that hillside a few miles away that day with a video camera. That is truly amazing to me. Without the footage, it would be hard to grasp just how damn large those explanations were. It’s still hard to grasp. I believe they were the largest explosions on US soil during peacetime in recoded history.
Thank you for covering this disaster!! My grandfather was a police officer in Henderson at the time and had just gotten off of a graveyard shift the night before, got home and laid down on the couch to sleep was awoken by this and was immediately called back out to help!
I live in Henderson and remember this very well. It was very very scary. After the first blast I got down on my hands and knees to go close all the curtains for I thought the windows may break and didn’t know what the heck was going on, then the big blast went off. It sure rattled my house but the windows stayed intact.
I had just gotten into the hobby of high power rocketry a few months prior to this. The rocket motors we used were similar to the Space Shuttle's solid fuel boosters, and were also made with ammonium perchlorate. There was a shortage of AP that affected the hobby market for a while after this disaster. In 2001 there was a factory fire at the company that was the biggest manufacturer of hobby rocket motors, which killed one worker and resulted in a much worse shortage of motors.
I remember watching the Challenger explosion while at school. Our whole school had a space themed week leading up to the launch with day of culminating in an Ice Cream social before the live broadcast to every classroom. I just remember sitting there eating my ice cream and watching the shuttle takeoff with everyone being so excited to boom the shuttle exploded and everyone is freaking out. It was so bad that they had to bring in grief counselors to the school the next day, they ending up holding an Assembly where the school attended to help us process what we saw. Needless to say that was the first and last time we ever watched live events at school lol. Almost 40 years later and I can still remember it like yesterday.
I was 8 years old and in the 3rd grade when this happened. My school was about 5 miles away from it, the way the crow flies. I still remember every single thing about it. Especially the big one that flattened KIDD Marshmallow plant and the desert floor around it. My Dad was Master Electrician at Hoover Dam that week and was at Lake Mead coming in from fishing. He remembers the big mushroom cloud shoot up over the mountains from the main explosion.
Ooh, so that's what happened! I've seen the footage taken from that hill, (where the still in this video is from) a few times. It was on Destroyed in Seconds, they gave a much briefer description of the disaster, and mentioned there were two fatalities. For anyone interested, who hasn't already seen it, the video is available here on on TH-cam. It's as intense as it sounds.
I work for a workman's compensation insurance company and so many of your videos validate safety awareness. My heart breaks for the handicapped victims and their inability to escape danger. Sadly tragedies such as these serve as a source for positive change for employees in high risk situations.
you make learning about tragedy manageable. I haven't watch this video yet but your videos always make me JUMP to them. I remember when you had FAR less subscribers and TBH you deserve another million my fascinating friend. You bring such a human element to these videos that raw detail lacks. Thank you for your contributions to the teaching of tragedy.
I have to admire that in something this horrific, with a ten mile destruction radius, just TWO people died, and both knew that their chances of survival were lowered and still chose to stay to try to help. It's rare that you hear about something like this where the only casualties were management, it seems. Kudos and Bravo to both Bruce and Roy.
I was in fifth grade when this happened. My school & house were about 8 miles from Pepcon. I was at lunch in our school cafeteria when the first explosion happened. All the kids went quiet but then brushed it off since no one was sure what was going on at that point. By the time we were outside playing for recess there was a smoke plume in the sky. We thought maybe a plane had crashed. Everything was business as usual until the gigantic explosion happened that sent kids running and screaming in all directions. They made us shelter in place for the next several hours inside one of the classrooms. Our poor parents couldn't come get us until the all-clear. Some kids were crying. Some were freaked out so bad and inconsolable they thought it was WWIII that started. Got home later and saw two windows shattered and our heavy wooden coffee table had moved about an inch. Crazy how big that explosion was and how much power it had.
In my workplace, we’ve had the fire alarm go off a few times for minor things. After the first one time, we started hounding management about wheelchair accessibility and making sure employees and customers who are in wheelchairs or with limited mobility have a means of evacuating the building should we ever have a truly dangerous incident occur. They have added special chairs to the stairways so we can help people get down the stairs in them. It’s not a perfect solution, as many disabled individuals need their chairs, but we hope to avoid any tragedies regarding the disabled.
Holy shit, I remember this when I was a kid. I lived in green valley and every window, glass door, and car windshield and window in my apartment complex was shattered from the explosion. I lived there for years after and every time we moved furniture we found broken glass.
so cool that you've done a video on this incident. i remember watching a documentary on it on youtube, but istg it evaporated into thin air over the last few years, i couldnt find it anywhere! now people can learn of PEPCON explosion on youtube thanks to your effort
Its scary, apparently at some places (I think I was schools or universities being discussed?) the 'plan' is leave behind the disabled if they can't keep up or get out without needing help that would slow others down... they just have to wait for rescue
For real, that part of the story really stood out to me. Were there really no colleagues around to help the one man in the wheelchair escape?! And how brave/sad that the other man volunteered to stay behind to talk to emergency services. He gave everything else a fighting chance. But the least the company could have done was make sure there was an adequate evacuation plan in place. 😒 Infuriating.
i dont and it made me sick in my stomach that there was no report of anyone trying to help these two men.. i couldnt live with myself knowing i let a guy in a wheelchair die so i could live,.
@@FutureJouster When I worked in group and nursing homes, residents who are bed bound or not mobile were supposed to be left behind. During a tornado, for example, we were instructed to surround them with blankets and pillows and shut their door. During a fire, if you can’t drag them out or if you run a high risk of not making it out, you leave them behind and wait for rescue. It’s disturbing to think you very possibly must leave people to die.
There should have been fire drills so everyone would know where the nearest exits were located and noone would be left behind. A buddy system to insure disabled people had assistance would have been appropriate. The workers nearby, who could have helped should feel bad for not doing so. 😢
As a freshman in high school I was in math class when the large explosion happened. It was about 30-40 miles from Pepcon and considering we weren't far from Nellis AFB most everyone thought it was a big sonic boom. The way the building and ground shook I wasn't so sure having grown up on Air Force bases but didn't know what actually happened til I got home. Considering the size of the explosion it's amazing more weren't killed.
I was 20 at the time, lived in Spring Valley. My grandparents lived in Henderson, about 4 miles from Pepcon. When the explosion happened, my grandmother said her entire house shook so hard she thought it was going to fall apart. The blast spread across the valley and quite literally THREW me out of my bed. Grandparents home wasn't damaged, I wasn't hurt, but that was certainly a day I'll NEVER forget. I also remember the MGM Grand fire in 1980. I was in 7th grade when a teacher wheeled in a television so we could all watch the spectacle while it happened. Was another day fully ingrained in memory. That's been covered by this channel as well. I love Fascinating Horror for so many reasons!
I was a kid standing in our driveway in northwest las vegas, which was the edge of vegas at the time. I'll never forget the sound and the feeling, even from that far away. I stood there frozen staring at the rising cloud until my grandma dragged me inside. Never heard a word she said.
This one really sticks out as an example of the value of communication and safety training. It's easy to binge all these videos and get caught in a mindset of "oh god i'm gonna die in a horrible accidnet and there's nothing i can do about it" but this shows that safety training works! Things like the employee warning the fire chief and the prompt evacuations show that we can do a lot to make even the most horrific situations imaginable much more survivable. So, I'll still die in a horrible accident because I'm disabled, but most of the rest of y'all will make it!
3:55 The shot of a Clark Country Fire Department vehicle is from Clark County, Kentucky (which contains the town of Winchester) - not Clark County, Nevada.
I remember this. I was a kid in Vegas at the time, and the shockwave from the explosion destroyed our metal carport and put cracks throughout our house.
I think I've mentioned this elsewhere, but as you're expanding your topics, I would highly recommend you cover the Sewol Ferry Disaster in South Korea. I hope you're looking at that one for a future video. One of the most impactful stories in that country's modern history.
Very well done, as always! I work for a company that does HazMat and OSHA safety training, and as with so many of your videos, I immediately sent this to my instructors. Thank you so much for all the well researched work you put into this!!
I was in third grade when this happened and attended Laura Dearing ES, which wasn’t very close to the site of the blast but we heard it across town and my school evacuated just sending kids to walk home on their own. There was no emergency plan in place in the 80s. We just winged it . 🤪😅
I happen to know a bit about this one and have worked in similar facilities in another state. That chemical was a volatile it explode if stepped on. Furthermore, it has a dust-like quality and would become airborne, coating the floor and every other surface where it was being used. We were forced to wear sponges on the bottom of our shoes, and no more than two people could enter the building at a time. Anyone else on the site would have to enter an underground bunker any time someone had to be inside the facility. It was some scary stuff. By the way… the explosions were actually filmed from atop a nearby mountain. I’m sure it would be easy enough to find this footage online if anyone really wants to see it.
My parents visited the marshmallow factory a couple weeks prior to the explosion for a tour. To this day they remark on how weird it is for a location that was fresh in their mind to be completely gone
I was at a friend’s house near Pecos Road and Lake Mead Boulevard, helping him move some I-beams. The shock wave from the explosion nearly knocked us over. We were miles away from the explosion, but could see the smoke.
The description of the evacuation was wild. People didn't get together to carry or assist the disabled individuals? People with cars drove away from the building as fast as they could and just left the people on foot? What sort of people were working there? I know people want to survive but I don't remember EVER hearing such an "every man for himself" mentality in a disaster. 🤯
Saw this footage years ago on a couple of other TH-cam channels. The first was from one of those TV shows, but they had dramatic music or a narrator talking over it. But the entire video with sounds of the blasts was on the other channel. Wasn't there some big explosion over in Beruit 2 or 3 years ago? PEPCON instantly came to mind when I saw that other one.
Living near an Army ammo plant was a constant concern. Having a parent working there added to the concern! One day my parent was leaving the plant at shift change and it happened - the TNT part of the plant went UP! Mostly contained by the terrain and operated remotely, no one was killed. Debris fell over a wide area. A few employees, not related to the TNT production, were injured by projectiles, a few seriously. Good video!
I was a couple miles away in 2nd grade when this happened. I remember being at lunch and seeing the ceiling fall. We raced outside. Then we were told to go to our classrooms. We sheltered under our desks. I saw thumb tacks shoot from one side of the room to the other. Then our school made shirts that said I survived the Pepcon blast. 80s were wild. Broke windows in my house
I was a kid and I remember this one for some reason. Thanks for this one. Watching the actual video is mind blowing! The straight raw footage. I worked at that solar farm next to WECCO in 2015. 👍
Thank you for your sensitivity in pointing out that the two people left behind (one by choice) had been disabled people. We're often overlooked entirely by society and in every other article or video about this disaster, that fact is just a brief mention. Nobody brings it to the front to make it clear these people *could have survived* if things had been more accessible (but the ADA wouldn't become law until the 1990s),
I remember seeing footage of this explosion on a television episode about explosions when I was very young. Only the recent disasters in Shenzen and Beruit look scarier than the Pepcon explosion. It was extremely fortunate the area was sparsely populated, it could have been so much worse.
Sounds like one of those tragic accidents that no one could have foreseen unlike some of the others when gross human incompetence and negligence have been the major culprits
We must have watched different vids. This has incompetence and negligence written all over it. Too much chemical on site, improper storage of said chemical, no evacuation plan, no adequate firefighting equipment, etc.
Was there malicious intent? No. Did the unforeseeable events of the Challenger Explosion make situations far worse than anticipated? Yes. But it still feels like cost-cutting and poor planning were at fault here. I mean, no fire-suppression systems where the barrels were stored... really? The Americans with Disabilities Act wouldn't be signed into law until July of 1990 (I wonder if this event was a partial catalyst?), but you can't help but think someone was negligent with the safety of these mobility-issue employees and the other workers at the site.
There is a common misconception about oxidizers that is rampant among people who make decisions - that they are not flammable/combustible when their literal job is to strongly oxidize. All it takes is coming in contact with incompatible materials (the storage containers in PEPCON’s case) and a source of ignition. In the case of some other propellants, it only needs to start the oxidation process by touching something incompatible to exothermically decompose and will self-sustain until everything is consumed. AP and N2O4 are not flammable but are still listed in 29 CFR 1910.119 Appendix A for a good reason.
I was living in Las Vegas when this explosion happened. It felt like an earthquake. Although I was in Las Vegas some 16 miles away, we could see the flames!
The initial call reporting the fire always makes me think of that clip from King of the Hill where Boomhauer tries to call 911 to tell them the MegaloMart is on fire but can’t get the words out. “I said big-ol-meg-Lo-mart. It goan b-o-o-m man”
I stumbled on a video of this explosion over a decade ago and was (metaphorically) blown away by the footage. Later, I moved to Vegas and was able to find the exact spot in Henderson where the factory used to stand, an extremely unremarkable little street: American Pacific Drive. It was surreal. I had coworkers who were born and raised in Vegas tell me they'd had windows blown out when the factory had exploded.
I feel like "There has been an explosion, and now everything is on fire," in your very calm and measured voice, needs to be an audio clip that I can use as a response to questions such as, "So how is your day going?"
Lol!! I SO appreciate your sense if humor & share it.
That would be GREAT!
I would pay actual dollars for that
@fascinating horror
Look, a merch opportunity.
@@Cec9e13 Absolutely there is, lol. A bloody fun one, too.
I was a child in elementary school in East Las Vegas on that day about 8 miles away. We literally heard the sound and felt the explosion in the classroom. Being 1988, we of course thought this was a nuclear missile strike and we were gonna die. Fun times.
I wasn't born yet but I got to do the shelter in place drills in school during the 90's because of this. Lots of fun.
I was an 80s kid too. I was going to say that kids these days wouldn't understand what that's like and then this happens earlier today:
MOSCOW, Feb 21 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia was suspending its participation in the New START treaty with the United States that limits the two sides' strategic nuclear arsenals.
Putin stressed that Russia was not withdrawing from the treaty but the suspension further imperils the last remaining pillar of arms control between the United States and Russia, which between them hold nearly 90% of the world's nuclear warheads - enough to destroy the planet many times over.
Honestly
I feel like that wouldn't be an unreasonable assumption at the time
Glad you're ok!
He also test fired a satan 2 while biden was in kiev...it fucking failed, russia is a failure its in its blood to fuck shit up for itself over and over again.
8 mile
The one person who warned the fire chief is an absolute hero and didn't even know it.
For real. That’s exactly what I thought
Horrifying to think that people were literally running for their lives, while those with limited mobility were stuck...waiting for the inevitable.
Unimaginably awful.
and noone helped them, just left em
@@drkarats6147
They were the senior managers. They have dedicated most of their life to make the company grow, hence their high position. What do you know? Maybe some guys volunteered to help and they told them to f*** off, out of pride and spite to lose the product of their work. They were like captains on the boat, not lambda employees.
@Garlic Goblin Ziusudra there's really no need to make up fanfiction justifying abandoning two disabled people to their deaths
@@nozoto Does pulling random shit out of thin air to justify two disabled people being unable to escape a disaster make you feel better or something?
You guys are missing the fact that 1 of them stayed behind in order to alert the authorities that's pretty freaking heroic in my book
I requested this one! I am so happy to see that you did this. My mom still remembers the sound and how her whole house shook and she was on the other side of town!
Saw the footage if the explosion and it was tremendous. I've only experienced a sonic boom and fireworks factory explosion
I too remember this.
I was living in a high-rise apt complex at the time. My balcony faced south east & I was on the balconey when this explosion happened!
Not being far from the airport, I immediately thought it was a plane crash.
It was a powerful blast!
Definitely something those that experienced will never forget!
Excellent request !
@@truthylucy7068 Where were you at? Maryland Parkway and Flamingo I'm guessing? Or around there.
@@michaelpipkin9942 Yes, you're right!
It was called Vegas Towers back then, I lived there with my aunt for a few months.
That area Maryland, Flamingo & Twain became a bit sketchy over the years.
I've lived in the NW for the last 30 years, far away from any more blasts! Lol
After all these years, the video of that explosion is still one of the most incredible things I've seen on TH-cam.
You are right. The scale and speed of the explosion is mind boggling
I think for me it was more recently topped by the Beirut port explosion, simply because of its proximity to... basically everything instead of being in a desert.
Agreed. One of the videos I watch every so often whenever it pops into my mind
I'll also add the 2015 Tianjin industrial explosions to this growing list of terrifyingly impressive events.
@@bodybag22 Aye, for the roster of terrifying explosions it would be Pepcon, Tianjin and Beirut... and I'd add to that the Pathe footage of HMS Barham.
Jesus, hearing about the two men that died is heartbreaking. It's horrifying to think that they passed in such a horrific way because of their physical disabilities.
What saddens me most is that it did not appear anyone tried to help them (though I could be in error). Obviously it was known they had limited mobility.
@EclipseStrife same 💀
LOL
Natural selection has entered the chat
Absolutley horrifying way to go, but they didn't die because of their disabilities - they died because their workplace didn't consider their needs in its safety plan.
Nowadays, in the UK at least, we have to have evacuation plans for every disabled (and temporarily disabled) employee. Escapre routes, safe stopping points where they can communicate with emergency services, 'walking chairs' for going down stairs when the lifts are out, and volunteer staff members who will help them get out or stay with them until help arrives.
Those men died needlessly and horrifically, but - hopefully - their deaths will have underlined the importance of accessable workplaces and evacuation procesures that take *every* employee into account.
PEPCON would be later used as the basis for a fictional company in Fallout New Vegas called REPCONN (Rocket Engineering and Production COmpaNy of Nevada). To further the connection between the two, REPCONN headquarters is also located in the game's fictional depiction of Henderson, Nevada.
I did wonder this actually
New Vegas is how I first heard about the Pepcon disaster. It’s mentioned on some of the Fallout wiki sites.
Ghouls in Spaaaaaaaaace!!!!
I was thinking the same!
@@McDicker96 Shhh that's supposed to be a secret, smoothskin!
As someone who had only very vaguely heard of the PEPCON accident (I think), I am legitimately surprised that "only" two people died despite the sheer number of lackluster safety practices, and even they _might_ have survived if the place had just been more wheelchair accessible. Sigh. Just another instance where safety measures only get put in place *after* at least one person dies (if they get put in place *and* actually followed at all).
Well that ruined that, 2 deaths? I'll save ten mins
And the guys who died were exactly the guys who would have had to sign off on wheelchair access installation…
@ih8bs666 For whatever it's worth, the Americans with Disabilities Act did not go into effect until the early 90s.
It wasn’t that the place wasn’t wheelchair accessible… it was that he didn’t have a car to leave in… idk why no one gave him a ride… “some employees left in their personal cars while others ran” - don’t u think some of the ones with cars should’ve made sure to take their 2 disabled coworkers who can’t run?
@@noeyes6151 ??? What about what happened? I mean, this channel is basically a big memorial.
Man, the footage of the PEPCON explosions are so surreal to witness. Just the massive size and impact of them; the way that camera rattles in spite of being on a hilltop miles away from the actual plant. Absolutely nuts.
It's incredible he pulled off this whole video and never once used the infamous video footage. Just the whole story, and all the facts - kept us hooked. No boom-porn required.
I remember learning about this disaster in 1999 and, up until the Beirut explosion, I had never seen shock waves like that before.
Its very hard to get footage of an explosion. Mostly because when the explosion happens it usually destroys everything around it. And people are usually smart enough to run away.
The Lebanon explosion was a fraction of this one by comparison in kilotons
@@FluffyFerretFarm but the Beirut explosion was in the city
They really are quite amazing
@@FluffyFerretFarm The same author said Beirut = 1kt of equivalent TNT, whereas this one at 3:40 says 0.25 ktTNT. Was Beirut larger or smaller?
I'm glad you did this one thanks! My mom was pregnant with my twin sister and I when the explosion happened. She was due July 4th but when the shockwave knocked her onto her back she had to go to the hospital. She had complications but soon had us early on June 20th 1988. She said she remembers seeing garage doors being blown off, windows shattering, and an eerie silence. If anyone is interested there are videos of the explosion on top of Black Mountain anyone can see on TH-cam.
@A See hey, your birthday is about 4 months from now, happy birthday (kinda early, I know, but got you somethin') 🎁
@@St.Linguini_of_Pesto lol thanks so much!!
Awwww glad she and you both were ok.
I am in a wheelchair, and hearing that the only two casualties were disabled people makes my heart sink. That plant had hundreds of employees, and not one thought to assist - and THIS is why 'just get someone to do it for you' is not an acceptable accommodation and anyone who gets this needs to scream loud and not stop screaming until it is fixed. Accessibility and awareness is no better now in industry than it was 40 years ago, I am just glad that now I don't have to be sacrificed because I no longer need to be physically present in a dangerous location, with remote work options.
They rightfully focused on preventing another explosion. They completely botched understanding why those two men died and actually doing something about evacuating the disabled-but-working.
i just posted. that i was shocked and ashamed that they left wheel chair guy and polio guy behind..
id have died trying to get one of them out before i could leave them behind and live with myself..
@@ripvanwinkle2002 They did try but he asked them to leave him and save themselves, man is a true hero. Remember him for that.
@@eviltaylor1 it wasnt mentioned even once anyone tried all he said was polio guy, knowing hed be slow volunteered to stay behind..
if people "tried" theyd have said "Nah i got you bro" and helped him out..
If you look at the history of disasters, it’s usually the management and accountants who escape and leave the workers behind.
That has been the case as at least as long as the Great Fire of Rome. Thousands of years of scurrying away while everybody else dies has consequences.
I remember accompanying my sister to the hospital, and we were unable to get her wheelchair up to the building for 15 minutes as we couldn’t find any wheelchair ramps and we had to park at the very back of the lot as every handicap parking spot was taken. Then we went to dennys across the street and they had multiple wheelchair ramps all next to the handicap parking spots. Love that
Can you do a video about the sinking of the Oceanos?
The fact that the captain and crew abandoned the passengers and the entertainers stepped in to save them is like something out of a movie.
I remember that, very compelling story.
There are already several videos about the sinking on TH-cam.
It's incredible how nobody died in that wreck, considering how incompetent and callous the crew was. Especially comparing it to other disasters where the crew did do their job and it still wasn't enough.
There's also a banger song about the ship :D
Moss Hill. He did what the captain didn't do. He stayed on until every last person was safely rescued. Then he left the ship. Badass.
@@kulsoomahsan4440 And then 3 years later he organized a rescue operation while being an entertainer on the Achille Lauro when it caught fire and had to be evacuated!
This incident is-in my opinion, fortunately-still being discussed as a case study today. I learned about it during my firefighter training a few years ago, and it served as good educational material for both new and veteran first responders.
Perspective: Consider the original video footage. Then take a moment to remember those who were lost to other similar events in history which were not caught on camera. Three which immediately come to mind were the Texas City disaster, Halifax explosion, and the USS Mount Hood explosion. Now you have an idea of just how violent these huge chemical explosions can be. It takes a LOT of explosive force to send a visible shockwave across the desert floor as if it were water.
Speaking of the Halifax explosion, I'd like to think that both Roy Westerfield and Vincent Coleman are up there somewhere enjoying peace and a cold drink together. Well-done, gentlemen. You both deserve to be remembered for your selfless actions in the face of impending death.
The marshmallow factory is less known but still a crazy part of the story. The heat and force of the explosion set off the marshmallows to heat up and expand, burning a few employees so bad they died. My dad said he was in middle school on the other side of town and he thought there was nuclear bomb testing when they felt the shock.
I think this is only an urban legend, cause only 2 fatalities are reported in this context.
I remember eating lunch in middle school in Henderson when this happened. We all ran outside when the 3rd explosion happened, I felt the concussion and the hot air hit me, and seen a bird fell out of the sky. We all thought we were at war.
On the field trips, we would get blue marshmallows at the end of the tour. I can't believe they blew up on marshmallow Factory
The explosion video just sent a wave of nostalgia through me. I remember watching this in the show Destroyed In Seconds and noticing the white specks going across the ground, then the realization that those little specks were actually cars. Not to mention some of them were still passing by when the explosion happened.
That show was amazing.
This is where I remember it from as well. The two guys on the mountain captured the whole thing, crazy stuff
I was trying to think if the name! Thank you
I can't take u seriously wit that pfp 💀💀
By the time that show aired, I had already seen the raw video elsewhere... I was disappointed that they had synchronized the explosion and audio, and wiped out the people talking. It really lessens the impact of the video, it's so much better to see the explosion happen, and the shock wave coming, and hear the guy say, "that's gonna be loud!", and THEN hear the deafening sound.
Thanks to the presence of mind of that fleeing employee, many firefighter lives were saved. It may not seem like it, but the talk he had with the fire-chief had heroic repercussions.
fore-warned is fore-armed. and stuff, but it's true. When you know what's going to happen, you can act to mitigate it.
I had actually watched a documentary about this and hadn’t known that the reason the two workers were killed was because of their mobility issues and the lack of their opportunities to get out without assistance. Absolutely horrible.
Always appreciate how you tell these accidents (many of which I haven't heard about before) and the amount of research that must go into your videos. Thank you!
Hear, hear! Always top notch
It is good, but he takes the official account and adds literary flair for the most part.
People haven't heard of this because the government chose not to release the story to the news channels..
This is the original footage of the blasts - it's pretty scary to be honest and while 2 men died, it's amazing there weren't additional deaths. th-cam.com/video/gGSx54CkWsQ/w-d-xo.html
I teach fire science and a lot about hazmat. These videos with good explanation are invaluable. One of the jobs of a firefighter is to tour and know your jurisdiction and what is stored in that area. That is of great value, and combined with teaching about accidents is very important.
This really breaks my heart. I also have major mobility limitations and I often think about how I would most certainly perish in an emergency (especially with all the shootings here in the USA). The one gentleman that willingly stayed behind to call the fire department is a true angel. 😔
I hope you never find yourself in such a situation and if you do find yourself in any danger that people will be good enough to help you. Cheers.
@@kulsoomahsan4440 thank you so much, that's very kind of you☺
Still my fave 3:00am notification when I can't sleep. Thank you for always making amazing content for us!
5am here!
2:16 here! 😅
2am here!
2045 here!
4 am in Canada 🇨🇦 😊
I live very close to where the PEPCON explosion happened, just a few blocks away. It's all just suburban sprawl now. I think the exact location of the old plant is a strip mall with a mechanic's garage now. There's no plaque or memorial or anything.
My grandpa was working construction several miles away when it happened. He said you could see the shockwave coming, and it felt like he'd been punched in the chest even from that distance. Just a crazy amount of force behind that blast.
The famous video of the blast taken from the mountain is still one that absolutely, absolutely amazing and terrifying. Any time you can literally see the blast wave...
I’d seen this explosion on tv programs as a kid, but never heard the larger story surrounding the event, and it was really nice to get the context behind this insane event!
I really appreciate how you stick to the facts of the incidents you cover, avoiding irrelevant opinion and sensationalist descriptions.
It's a very British thing to be very matter of fact.
@@Smedley1947 👌
Was hoping to see this one eventually! I was six when it went kerplooey. I slept through it as my sister was being born and had the day off of school, but she was born in the hospital closest to it. They had to evacuate the entire hospital and my mom and newborn sister came home with bandages from cuts due to broken glass.
Lots of stories from classmates the next day about windows being blown out and furniture being knocked down.
A family friend quit working at Pepcon six weeks before the disaster and apparently employees were very irresponsible with handling the materials there.
Not surprised about the LAX handling of things : people get very complacent working with dangerous stuff because nothing ever happens for a long time••••• until it does.
How about the fact that the broadcast engineer, the guy who got the footage of this explosion, just happened to be up on that hillside a few miles away that day with a video camera. That is truly amazing to me. Without the footage, it would be hard to grasp just how damn large those explanations were. It’s still hard to grasp. I believe they were the largest explosions on US soil during peacetime in recoded history.
I'm rather fond of large explanations.
Thank you for covering this disaster!! My grandfather was a police officer in Henderson at the time and had just gotten off of a graveyard shift the night before, got home and laid down on the couch to sleep was awoken by this and was immediately called back out to help!
I live in Henderson and remember this very well. It was very very scary. After the first blast I got down on my hands and knees to go close all the curtains for I thought the windows may break and didn’t know what the heck was going on, then the big blast went off. It sure rattled my house but the windows stayed intact.
I had just gotten into the hobby of high power rocketry a few months prior to this. The rocket motors we used were similar to the Space Shuttle's solid fuel boosters, and were also made with ammonium perchlorate. There was a shortage of AP that affected the hobby market for a while after this disaster.
In 2001 there was a factory fire at the company that was the biggest manufacturer of hobby rocket motors, which killed one worker and resulted in a much worse shortage of motors.
I remember watching the Challenger explosion while at school. Our whole school had a space themed week leading up to the launch with day of culminating in an Ice Cream social before the live broadcast to every classroom. I just remember sitting there eating my ice cream and watching the shuttle takeoff with everyone being so excited to boom the shuttle exploded and everyone is freaking out.
It was so bad that they had to bring in grief counselors to the school the next day, they ending up holding an Assembly where the school attended to help us process what we saw. Needless to say that was the first and last time we ever watched live events at school lol. Almost 40 years later and I can still remember it like yesterday.
You and me both.
One of the more underrated channels on YT. Another great upload!
He has a MILLION subscribers.
@@princeofcupspoc9073 and he should have more
I used to live in Las Vegas, and this was covered extensively on the anniversary of the explosion. The videos are unreal.
I just love everything about this channel. The narration, the music and the actual story are always spot on.
That feeling when you're absolutely sure Fascinating Horror has already covered a particular disaster, and then...
And to think some dude who brought his camcorder with him on his lunch break ended up shooting some of the greatest explosion footage of all time…
I was 8 years old and in the 3rd grade when this happened. My school was about 5 miles away from it, the way the crow flies. I still remember every single thing about it. Especially the big one that flattened KIDD Marshmallow plant and the desert floor around it. My Dad was Master Electrician at Hoover Dam that week and was at Lake Mead coming in from fishing. He remembers the big mushroom cloud shoot up over the mountains from the main explosion.
I remember watching this on TV. So sad that 2 died unnecessarily.
It’s a minor miracle that there were only two deaths though.
Reading it.... I suspect at least one of them chose to stay behind as the rest fled so he could call authorities.
Ooh, so that's what happened! I've seen the footage taken from that hill, (where the still in this video is from) a few times. It was on Destroyed in Seconds, they gave a much briefer description of the disaster, and mentioned there were two fatalities.
For anyone interested, who hasn't already seen it, the video is available here on on TH-cam. It's as intense as it sounds.
I work for a workman's compensation insurance company and so many of your videos validate safety awareness. My heart breaks for the handicapped victims and their inability to escape danger. Sadly tragedies such as these serve as a source for positive change for employees in high risk situations.
Those poor people!
you make learning about tragedy manageable. I haven't watch this video yet but your videos always make me JUMP to them. I remember when you had FAR less subscribers and TBH you deserve another million my fascinating friend. You bring such a human element to these videos that raw detail lacks. Thank you for your contributions to the teaching of tragedy.
Would you do a video on the recent train derailment and chemical spill in Ohio when more information comes to light?
Something fishy is going on with that one
Maybe he will do a video about that 20 years from now.
The Disaster on Duffy Street - is an old one that's even worse. Nightmare fuel...
I have to admire that in something this horrific, with a ten mile destruction radius, just TWO people died, and both knew that their chances of survival were lowered and still chose to stay to try to help. It's rare that you hear about something like this where the only casualties were management, it seems. Kudos and Bravo to both Bruce and Roy.
I was in fifth grade when this happened. My school & house were about 8 miles from Pepcon.
I was at lunch in our school cafeteria when the first explosion happened. All the kids went quiet but then brushed it off since no one was sure what was going on at that point.
By the time we were outside playing for recess there was a smoke plume in the sky. We thought maybe a plane had crashed. Everything was business as usual until the gigantic explosion happened that sent kids running and screaming in all directions.
They made us shelter in place for the next several hours inside one of the classrooms. Our poor parents couldn't come get us until the all-clear. Some kids were crying. Some were freaked out so bad and inconsolable they thought it was WWIII that started.
Got home later and saw two windows shattered and our heavy wooden coffee table had moved about an inch. Crazy how big that explosion was and how much power it had.
If you think you had a bad day at work at least it probably didn't involve telling your boss "I blew up the work place today".
...Yet.
Lmao
And everything else in a 10 mile radius ^^
Dont forget the boss's shiny Cadillac now burnt to a crisp
Given the boss died .....
In my workplace, we’ve had the fire alarm go off a few times for minor things. After the first one time, we started hounding management about wheelchair accessibility and making sure employees and customers who are in wheelchairs or with limited mobility have a means of evacuating the building should we ever have a truly dangerous incident occur. They have added special chairs to the stairways so we can help people get down the stairs in them.
It’s not a perfect solution, as many disabled individuals need their chairs, but we hope to avoid any tragedies regarding the disabled.
Holy shit, I remember this when I was a kid. I lived in green valley and every window, glass door, and car windshield and window in my apartment complex was shattered from the explosion. I lived there for years after and every time we moved furniture we found broken glass.
And now the whole site where it happened is covered in McHouses and apartments.
so cool that you've done a video on this incident. i remember watching a documentary on it on youtube, but istg it evaporated into thin air over the last few years, i couldnt find it anywhere! now people can learn of PEPCON explosion on youtube thanks to your effort
The fact the two people that were caught in the blast were people with mobility problems really shakes me, because I use mobility aids too.
Its scary, apparently at some places (I think I was schools or universities being discussed?) the 'plan' is leave behind the disabled if they can't keep up or get out without needing help that would slow others down... they just have to wait for rescue
For real, that part of the story really stood out to me. Were there really no colleagues around to help the one man in the wheelchair escape?! And how brave/sad that the other man volunteered to stay behind to talk to emergency services. He gave everything else a fighting chance. But the least the company could have done was make sure there was an adequate evacuation plan in place. 😒 Infuriating.
i dont and it made me sick in my stomach that there was no report of anyone trying to help these two men..
i couldnt live with myself knowing i let a guy in a wheelchair die so i could live,.
@@FutureJouster When I worked in group and nursing homes, residents who are bed bound or not mobile were supposed to be left behind. During a tornado, for example, we were instructed to surround them with blankets and pillows and shut their door. During a fire, if you can’t drag them out or if you run a high risk of not making it out, you leave them behind and wait for rescue. It’s disturbing to think you very possibly must leave people to die.
There should have been fire drills so everyone would know where the nearest exits were located and noone would be left behind. A buddy system to insure disabled people had assistance would have been appropriate. The workers nearby, who could have helped should feel bad for not doing so. 😢
I remember seeing this explosion on "Destroyed in Seconds" back in the day - core memory unlocked
As a freshman in high school I was in math class when the large explosion happened. It was about 30-40 miles from Pepcon and considering we weren't far from Nellis AFB most everyone thought it was a big sonic boom. The way the building and ground shook I wasn't so sure having grown up on Air Force bases but didn't know what actually happened til I got home. Considering the size of the explosion it's amazing more weren't killed.
Well, isn't this a lovely follow-up to Dark History's video on the Beirut explosion that I just watched! Welding+Ammonium 2: Explosive Boogaloo.
I remember this event well. Those of us who were alive at the time, still talk about it regularly.
I was in first grade at a Jones and Desert Inn.
The whole room shook everywhere at once.
I was 20 at the time, lived in Spring Valley. My grandparents lived in Henderson, about 4 miles from Pepcon. When the explosion happened, my grandmother said her entire house shook so hard she thought it was going to fall apart. The blast spread across the valley and quite literally THREW me out of my bed. Grandparents home wasn't damaged, I wasn't hurt, but that was certainly a day I'll NEVER forget.
I also remember the MGM Grand fire in 1980. I was in 7th grade when a teacher wheeled in a television so we could all watch the spectacle while it happened. Was another day fully ingrained in memory.
That's been covered by this channel as well. I love Fascinating Horror for so many reasons!
I have a feeling you'll be doing a video 5-10 years from now about a certain train derailment in Ohio.
Thanks GOP for the deregulation!
Liberal doish.
The East Palestine derailment has already been done actually
Our narrator's voice has returned to normal. Glad whatever ailed you has passed. Thanks for all you do.
Thank you sir! Always a pleasure to have coffee in the morning and wake up watching my favorite channel!! I appreciate your hard work!
Watching the footage of the PEPCON explosions is heart stopping! Thank goodness more people didn’t lose their lives!
as someone who requested this, thank you. my parents remember this, it's wild
Found this in the algorithm. Probably the first and last time I find a gem of a channel like this.
Thanks dude
I was a kid standing in our driveway in northwest las vegas, which was the edge of vegas at the time. I'll never forget the sound and the feeling, even from that far away. I stood there frozen staring at the rising cloud until my grandma dragged me inside. Never heard a word she said.
This one really sticks out as an example of the value of communication and safety training. It's easy to binge all these videos and get caught in a mindset of "oh god i'm gonna die in a horrible accidnet and there's nothing i can do about it" but this shows that safety training works! Things like the employee warning the fire chief and the prompt evacuations show that we can do a lot to make even the most horrific situations imaginable much more survivable. So, I'll still die in a horrible accident because I'm disabled, but most of the rest of y'all will make it!
3:55 The shot of a Clark Country Fire Department vehicle is from Clark County, Kentucky (which contains the town of Winchester) - not Clark County, Nevada.
Another thorough report. This story disappeared quickly, so I never heard of the outcome, until now. Well done, Mr. Fascinating.
Would love to see a video on the 2020 Beirut port explosion!
I remember this. I was a kid in Vegas at the time, and the shockwave from the explosion destroyed our metal carport and put cracks throughout our house.
Never heard of the shockwave hitting the plane before. That alone is bloody epic. Imagine being on the plane and seeing the mushroom cloud...
Man this was perfect timing with all the stuff that has happened in Ohio recently.
Yay!! IAM not alone in connecting FH and Ohio!!
Don't overlook the Detroit derailment just 2 or 4 days after Ohio.
I think I've mentioned this elsewhere, but as you're expanding your topics, I would highly recommend you cover the Sewol Ferry Disaster in South Korea. I hope you're looking at that one for a future video. One of the most impactful stories in that country's modern history.
I love waking up to a new FH ☺️ I've been a subscriber since you only had a handful of videos made. I'm thrilled to see your success!
Interesting to hear the history, This is one of the underrated TH-cam channels for sure.
Very well done, as always! I work for a company that does HazMat and OSHA safety training, and as with so many of your videos, I immediately sent this to my instructors. Thank you so much for all the well researched work you put into this!!
I was in third grade when this happened and attended Laura Dearing ES, which wasn’t very close to the site of the blast but we heard it across town and my school evacuated just sending kids to walk home on their own. There was no emergency plan in place in the 80s. We just winged it . 🤪😅
I was at Mable Hogard sixth grade center when it happened. They just kept us in class.
I was at Las Vegas Day School. Jones and Desert Inn and we still felt it!!!
I happen to know a bit about this one and have worked in similar facilities in another state. That chemical was a volatile it explode if stepped on. Furthermore, it has a dust-like quality and would become airborne, coating the floor and every other surface where it was being used. We were forced to wear sponges on the bottom of our shoes, and no more than two people could enter the building at a time. Anyone else on the site would have to enter an underground bunker any time someone had to be inside the facility. It was some scary stuff.
By the way… the explosions were actually filmed from atop a nearby mountain. I’m sure it would be easy enough to find this footage online if anyone really wants to see it.
It's very sad that there was no evacuation plan in place for the two workers with limmited mobility.
Another excellent video!! Thank you!!! Love the music!!! It never gets old!! I look forward to it as much as I do the videos!!!
My parents visited the marshmallow factory a couple weeks prior to the explosion for a tour. To this day they remark on how weird it is for a location that was fresh in their mind to be completely gone
I was at a friend’s house near Pecos Road and Lake Mead Boulevard, helping him move some I-beams. The shock wave from the explosion nearly knocked us over. We were miles away from the explosion, but could see the smoke.
7:35 Up to this point I'd never heard of the United States Fire Administration, but I love the fact that its logo is a bald eagle stamping out a fire.
Neither had I!
The description of the evacuation was wild. People didn't get together to carry or assist the disabled individuals? People with cars drove away from the building as fast as they could and just left the people on foot? What sort of people were working there? I know people want to survive but I don't remember EVER hearing such an "every man for himself" mentality in a disaster. 🤯
Saw this footage years ago on a couple of other TH-cam channels. The first was from one of those TV shows, but they had dramatic music or a narrator talking over it. But the entire video with sounds of the blasts was on the other channel. Wasn't there some big explosion over in Beruit 2 or 3 years ago? PEPCON instantly came to mind when I saw that other one.
Dock blew up
I know I am aging myself here but when I think of Beirut explosions, the first that springs to my mind is the attack on the Marines.
Living near an Army ammo plant was a constant concern. Having a parent working there added to the concern! One day my parent was leaving the plant at shift change and it happened - the TNT part of the plant went UP! Mostly contained by the terrain and operated remotely, no one was killed. Debris fell over a wide area. A few employees, not related to the TNT production, were injured by projectiles, a few seriously. Good video!
The fact that a descending airliner could feel the shockwave is INSANE
I was a couple miles away in 2nd grade when this happened. I remember being at lunch and seeing the ceiling fall. We raced outside. Then we were told to go to our classrooms. We sheltered under our desks. I saw thumb tacks shoot from one side of the room to the other. Then our school made shirts that said I survived the Pepcon blast. 80s were wild. Broke windows in my house
Ah yes, my favourite nice voiced spooky boi with another meticulously edited and interesting video. Thank you for your efforts
I was a kid and I remember this one for some reason. Thanks for this one. Watching the actual video is mind blowing! The straight raw footage. I worked at that solar farm next to WECCO in 2015. 👍
We appreciate your dedication and hard work. God bless you.
I'm glad you did this. This blast was insane and Rememeber seeing this when TH-cam first came around.
Thank you for your sensitivity in pointing out that the two people left behind (one by choice) had been disabled people. We're often overlooked entirely by society and in every other article or video about this disaster, that fact is just a brief mention. Nobody brings it to the front to make it clear these people *could have survived* if things had been more accessible (but the ADA wouldn't become law until the 1990s),
I remember seeing footage of this explosion on a television episode about explosions when I was very young. Only the recent disasters in Shenzen and Beruit look scarier than the Pepcon explosion. It was extremely fortunate the area was sparsely populated, it could have been so much worse.
Sounds like one of those tragic accidents that no one could have foreseen unlike some of the others when gross human incompetence and negligence have been the major culprits
We must have watched different vids. This has incompetence and negligence written all over it. Too much chemical on site, improper storage of said chemical, no evacuation plan, no adequate firefighting equipment, etc.
Not to mention the fact that it wasn’t wheel chair accessible
Was there malicious intent? No. Did the unforeseeable events of the Challenger Explosion make situations far worse than anticipated? Yes. But it still feels like cost-cutting and poor planning were at fault here. I mean, no fire-suppression systems where the barrels were stored... really? The Americans with Disabilities Act wouldn't be signed into law until July of 1990 (I wonder if this event was a partial catalyst?), but you can't help but think someone was negligent with the safety of these mobility-issue employees and the other workers at the site.
There is a common misconception about oxidizers that is rampant among people who make decisions - that they are not flammable/combustible when their literal job is to strongly oxidize. All it takes is coming in contact with incompatible materials (the storage containers in PEPCON’s case) and a source of ignition. In the case of some other propellants, it only needs to start the oxidation process by touching something incompatible to exothermically decompose and will self-sustain until everything is consumed.
AP and N2O4 are not flammable but are still listed in 29 CFR 1910.119 Appendix A for a good reason.
I was living in Las Vegas when this explosion happened. It felt like an earthquake. Although I was in Las Vegas some 16 miles away, we could see the flames!
That one random employee saved the entire fire department by pure luck
What is also amazing is how much different the area looked then versus today (granted 35 years later).
Oh wow. This is where REPCON from Fallout New Vegas comes from!
Grats on the 1M subs! Have been here since you were only at around 20k, it's amazing to see how much you've grown. Keep it Up!
The initial call reporting the fire always makes me think of that clip from King of the Hill where Boomhauer tries to call 911 to tell them the MegaloMart is on fire but can’t get the words out. “I said big-ol-meg-Lo-mart. It goan b-o-o-m man”
I stumbled on a video of this explosion over a decade ago and was (metaphorically) blown away by the footage. Later, I moved to Vegas and was able to find the exact spot in Henderson where the factory used to stand, an extremely unremarkable little street: American Pacific Drive. It was surreal. I had coworkers who were born and raised in Vegas tell me they'd had windows blown out when the factory had exploded.