The Buddy's Gulf Explosion Page Two

 Here you can see the damage to the station.  There is a body under that pile of rubble.

The biggest concern was the houses behind the station,  one is already on fire.  Notice the angle of the telephone pole and the fence as a result of the explosion.  The fence closest to the explosion is completely on fire.

This is the same scene today.  The house on fire has been torn down.





In the meantime,  the battle now has three fronts:  The pit, the houses, and the gas station itself.

By now reinforcements have arrived.  Serious equipment in the form of "Big John" the city's Snorkel Truck has set-up and is shooting foam everywhere.   That's Gary McClure on left & Paul Young on the right.

 

Here's "Big John" in action.  Notice the passersby.  Today, they'd block off an entire neighborhood!

 

Another shot of "Big John"  as the fire in the pit is starting to get under control but other fires yet remain.  Mike Patrick is seen on the right in a hurry to get some more equipment.

This is what that corner looks like today.



Epilogue:

As usual,  several things were in play to cause this accident:.  1: They had removed the old gasoline storage tanks and replaced them with new ones.  2:  They were pressure testing the tanks at the time of the explosion .  This is necessary to check for leaks.  3:  There had been welding on the overhead metal canopy around the time of this process.  As I recall, this was proven not to be the cause of the explosion, but still a bad idea however.  3:  The general opinion was that somehow,  gasoline fumes had traveled through a small tunnel to the station itself,  and something inside the station ignited it.  (This tunnel carried the electrical conduit for the gas pumps).

Back to Buddy's Gulf Page 1

While we're talking about fires and the fire department.....

This was the Charleston Fire Department membership in 1974.   See a larger photo HERE.

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