Waynesboro 5th Street fire

Waynesboro 5th Street fire

Date	July 31, 1984 (1984-07-31)
Time	11:57 p.m.
Location	Waynesboro, Virginia, U.S.
Deaths	11
Non-fatal injuries	23

On July 31, 1984, a series of gas explosions occurred in Waynesboro, Virginia, following reports of gas leaks earlier that night. Eleven people were killed, and twenty-three others were injured.

Event

Explosion

On Tuesday, July 31, 1984, roughly three hours prior to the incident, eyewitnesses reported smelling gas and seeing white smoke rising from manholes near the 5th Street and the North Charlotte Avenue intersection in Waynesboro, Virginia. The explosion occurred later that night at 11:57 p.m. at 215 5th Street.

That morning, part of 5th Street had been dug up after a gas leak was discovered during a fire call on Sunday, July 29. Over the weekend, garbage cans had caught fire outside 567 North Charlotte Avenue. Although fire crews extinguished the blaze in about 10 minutes after it started around 1:37 a.m., the greater concern was the lingering odor of gas.

"Everyone smelled the gas," said Waynesboro Deputy Fire Chief Jody Sanders. Investigators later determined that gas had been leaking into the basement of a business at 215 5th Street. "We could have had at least five houses blow up. If the wind hadn’t been on our side, Augusta Lumber would have gone up too, and it would have been much worse."

Rescue efforts

By the morning of August 1, most fires had either been extinguished or burned out on their own, though a few still smoldered. Paramedics, search and rescue dogs, and helicopters combed the area for survivors, while heavy construction equipment cleared debris from the street. Schools and offices were closed, and residents were asked to leave their homes to allow rescue operations to continue smoothly. By afternoon, hundreds of evacuees had returned home after city officials declared the surrounding houses safe. They confirmed that no further explosions were possible and that all fires had been put out. Traffic restrictions remained in effect on several roads near the blast site.

Immediate aftermath

The remaining 260 tons of propane inside the damaged pipes were fully vented throughout the week, through both input and output points. Nitrogen gas was then pumped into the lines to ensure all propane had been removed, a procedure previously carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency.

References

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