Pittsburgh Gasometer Explosion

The Pittsburg Gasometer Explosion was a bizarre accident that took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on the morning of November 14, 1927. [cite journal
last = Brotzman
first = W. S.
title = Damaging Gas Explosion At Pittsburgh, PA.
journal = Monthly Weather Review
volume = 55
issue = 11
pages = 500
publisher = Weather Bureau
date = 25 January 1928
url = http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/055/mwr-055-11-0500a.pdf
accessdate = 2008-01-17
doi = 10.1175/1520-0493(1927)55<500a:DGEAPP>2.0.CO;2
doilabel = 10.1175/1520-0493(1927)55500a:DGEAPP2.0.CO;2] A huge cylindrical gasometer, the largest in the world at that time, developed a leak, and repairmen were sent to fix it. The repairmen used an open flame blowtorch to find the leak. [cite web
last = Sebak
first = Rick
title = One morning, the North Side exploded
work = Pittsburgh Magazine
publisher = WQED Pittsburgh
date = November 2006
url = http://www.wqed.org/mag/columns/sebak/2006/1106_explosion.shtml
accessdate = 2008-01-17] This turned out to be a serious mistake. The leak was found, but the tank full of natural gas then floated into the air like a balloon and exploded, causing a rain of fire and metal over a one mile radius. 28 people were killed and hundreds were injured.

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