The following is a list of boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE) accidents. It shows whether the accident occurred during dangerous goods transportation or at a fixed facility, the accident origin (e.g., storage, process reactor, rail tank car, tank truck), the material involved, its amount, the number of fatalities, and whether a fireball developed (which is typically the case if the material is flammable).

Boiler explosions are not listed here, see List of boiler explosions. Note, however, that not all boiler explosions are BLEVEs, with some being fuel–air explosions arising in the boiler furnace.

Gas cylinders explosions are listed only where many (typically tens of) canisters exploded in a single event.

List

+ Date Country Location Fixed or transport Type Material Amount (tons) Fatalities Fireball Main article, details and references13 December 1926Saint-AubanFStorageChlorine2522N28 May 1928HamburgFStorage (runaway reaction)Phosgene1010N10 May 1929Syracuse, New YorkFStorageChlorine251N24 December 1939ZărneștiFStorageChlorine1060N29 July 1943LudwigshafenTRailButadiene (80%) and butene (20%) mixture1657YAt BASF plantMarch 1944Oklahoma City, OklahomaTRoadLPG75Y5 November 1947RaumaFStorageChlorine3019N28 July 1948LudwigshafenTRailDiethyl ether33209Y7 July 1951Newark, New JerseyFStorageLPG26000YSeventy tanks4 April 1952DuisburgFStorageChlorine3019N24 June 1952Kansas City, MissouriTRoadLPG2Y4 January 1954Atlanta, GeorgiaFStorageLPG0YDuring cargo transfer of a tank truck13 January 1954Lakeport, CaliforniaFStorageLPG0YDuring cargo transfer of a tank truck4 June 1954Institute, West VirginiaTRailAcrolein200Y19 July 1955LudwigshafenTRoadLPG0Y29 July 1956Dumas, TexasFStoragePentane and hexane mixture122019YMcKee refinery tank explosion and fire22 October 1956Cottage Grove, OregonFStorageLPG< 3912YAt an oil refinery8 January 1957Montreal, QuebecFStorageLPG51001YAt Shell refinery. Caused by overfill. Maximum height of flames estimated at 1.5 km.24 April 1957FProcess reactorFormalin and phenol mixture0NAt a Factory Mutual research facility. The term "boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion" was coined in the wake of this accident.24 October 1957Sacramento, CaliforniaTRoadLPG181YDuring unloading of a tank truck1958MichiganLPG551Y1958CelleTRailLPG25Y4 March 1958Shattuck, OklahomaTRailLPG1500Y22 December 1958Brownfield, TexasTRoadLPG254Y22 January 1959Monroe, LouisianaTRailPropylene268Y12 March 1959Brinkley, ArkansasFStorageLPG< 901YCaused by a truck driver starting off without unplugging a transfer hose28 May 1959McKittrick, CaliforniaFStorageLPG0Y2 June 1959Deer Lake, PennsylvaniaTRoadLPG2011Y28 June 1959Meldrim, GeorgiaTRailLPG5523YMeldrim trestle disaster18 August 1959Kansas City, MissouriFStorageGasoline705Along Southwest Boulevard. Kansas City Fire Department's second largest loss of life in the line of duty.28 March 1960Glasgow, ScotlandFStorageWhisky390019Cheapside Street whisky bond fire17 April 1962Brandenburg, KentuckyFProcess reactor (runaway reaction)Ethylene oxide and ammonia mixture705Y27 May 1962Berlin, New YorkTRoadLPG1310Y12 October 1964Moran, KansasTRailLPG0YFour tank cars BLEVEd.13 December 1964Columbus, OhioTRailEthylene oxide0YJanuary 1966Crawfordville, GeorgiaTRailLPGY4 January 1966FeyzinFStorageLPG100018YFeyzin disaster28 August 1966Walton, KentuckyTRailLPG0Y22 August 1967Texarkana, TexasTRailButadiene0Y1 January 1968Dunreith, IndianaTRailEthylene oxide0Y27 May 1968Cotulla, TexasTRailEthylene oxide0Y21 August 1968LiévinTRoadAmmonia196N27 November 1968Tarrytown, New YorkFStorageLPG0YJanuary 1969Geary, OklahomaTRailLPG0Y2 January 1969RépcelakFStorageCarbon dioxide359N25 January 1969Laurel, MississippiTRailLPG652YSeveral tank cars BLEVEd.18 February 1969Crete, NebraskaTRailAmmonia658NMarch 1969Pringle, TexasTRailLPGY29 April 1969Cumming, IowaTRailAmmonia910NMay 1969Livingston, AlabamaTRailLPG0Y2 June 1969North CarolinaTRoadLPG0Y11 September 1969Glendora, MississippiTRailVinyl chloride550Y30,000 people evacuated21 October 1969Troup, TexasTRailEthylene oxide0Y8 December 1969DouaiFHVAC plantAmmonia0.30Occurred at a brewery1970Hopkinton, MassachusettsTRoadLPG40Y30 May 1970New York City, New YorkTRoadOxygen122NAt Victory Memorial Hospital in Brooklyn. Occurred after a liquid oxygen tanker finished unloading a cargo.21 June 1970Crescent City, IllinoisTRailLPG2750YIn downtown area22 July 1970PerpignanTRailLPG452YInside a gas storage and bottling plant27 August 1970Byron, New YorkTRailVinyl chloride0Y23 October 1970Hull, EnglandTRoadLPG2Y19 January 1971Baton Rouge, LouisianaTRailEthylene40Y4 February 1971Eden Prairie, MinnesotaTRoadLPG170Y19 October 1971Houston, TexasTRailVinyl chloride501Y1972MontanaFStorageLPG1Y9 February 1972Tewksbury, MassachusettsTRoadLPG283YWhen unloading at the Lowell Gas Company plant9 March 1972Lynchburg, VirginiaTRoadLPG93Y30 March 1972Duque de CaxiasFStorageLPG1000+38Y1 July 1972JiménezTRailLPG65+10–100YAt a marshalling yard21 September 1972Hightstown, New JerseyTRoadPropylene182YOn the New Jersey Turnpike5 July 1973Kingman, ArizonaTRailLPG10013YKingman explosion6 November 1973Wadstrom,Ventura, CaliforniaTRailLPG3YThe accident was caused by two boys releasing the hand brakes of standing tank cars.17 December 1973Mountainville, New YorkFStorageLPG280Y1974Aberdeen, ScotlandTRoadLPG20Y11 January 1974West St. Paul, MinnesotaFStorageLPG274Y12 February 1974Oneonta, New YorkTRailLPG2880Y1 March 1974Londonderry, PennsylvaniaFStorageHydrogen5YAt Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station Unit 1. Occurred when firefighters introduced water in a vent stack, plugging it with ice as a result.17 April 1974BielefeldTRailGasoline0YSeveral tank cars exploded.29 June 1974Climax, TexasTRailVinyl chloride1080Y21 September 1974Houston, TexasTRailButadiene921YAt a Southern Pacific Transportation Company marshalling yard14 October 1974BenicarlóTRoadEthylene200Y29 April 1975Eagle Pass, TexasTRoadLPG1816Y22 June 1975Angleton, TexasFStorageLPG410Y1 September 1975Saylor, IowaTRailLPG0YFour tank cars BLEVEd.22 October 1975Fertile, MinnesotaTRailLPG750Y14 December 1975Niagara Falls, New YorkTRailChlorine204N11 May 1976Houston, TexasTRoadAmmonia206N19 August 1976Flint, MichiganTRoadLPG501Y31 August 1976Gadsden, AlabamaFStorageGasoline43YAt a gas station2 September 1976Haltern am SeeTRailCarbon dioxide2311NAt a marshalling yard18 October 1976Clifford, MichiganTRailAcrylonitrile0Y26 November 1976Belt, MontanaTRailLPG802Y6 February 1977Boynton Beach, FloridaF/TRail StorageLPG0YA train laden with propane struck a wall next to four LPG spheres.20 February 1977Dallas, TexasTRailLPG680Y19 June 1977PueblaFStorageVinyl chloride1101YAt a plastic factory12 July 1977CassinoFStorageLPG5Y8 December 1977CartagenaFProcess reactorAmmonia2130NAt Abocol urea plant28 December 1977Goldonna, LouisianaTRailLPG702Y31 January 1978New Martinsville, West VirginiaFStorageNitrogenNAt an Air Products & Chemicals and Mobay Chemical Corporation facility24 February 1978Waverly, TennesseeTRailLPG4516YWaverly tank car explosion29 March 1978Lewisville, ArkansasTRailVinyl chloride1100Y30 May 1978Texas City, TexasFStorageLPG15007YJune 1978Whiting, IndianaTRailHydrogen1YAt a marshalling yard11 July 1978AlcanarTRoadPropylene25217YLos Alfaques disaster4 August 1978Donnellson, IowaTPipelineLPG4352Y22 November 1978Canyon, TexasTRailLPG0Y18 December 1978NijmegenTRoadLPG170YAt a gas station. A fixed LPG tank was also exposed but did not explode.8 April 1979Crestview, FloridaTRailAmmonia0N10 June 1979Verdigris, OklahomaTRailAmmonia752NOccurred when unloading a tank car at the Agrico plant30 August 1979Good Hope, LouisianaTShippingLPG12012YCollision between MV Inca Tupac Yupanqui and butane-laden barge TB Panama City8 September 1979Paxton, Shelby County, TexasTRailTetrahydrofuran and ethylene oxide0YDerailment of 33 tank cars and two locomotives10 November 1979Mississauga, OntarioTRailLPG210YThree tank cars explode8 January 1980Berg en DalTShipping0Collision between vessels Kombi 21 and Rodort 6 on the river Waal by the hamlet of Erlecom3 March 1980Los Angeles, CaliforniaTRoadGasoline365Y1 August 1981Cerritos, San Luis PotosíTRailChlorine11029N21 June 1982GrootebroekFStorage126 June 1982Lundbreck, AlbertaTRailLPG0YJuly 1982Tyne and Wear, EnglandLPG~20YTwo 1-ton tanks exploded28 September 1982Livingston, LouisianaTRailVinyl chloride and styrene6400Y11 December 1982Taft, LouisianaFStorage (runaway reaction)Acrolein2500YMore than 20,000 evacuated29 December 1982FlorenceTRoadLPG4Y12 July 1983Reserve, LouisianaFProcess vessel (runaway reaction)Chloroprene133 September 1983Murdock, IllinoisTRailLPG0Y4 October 1983Houston, TexasFStorageMethyl bromide282NJanuary 1984Cleveland, EnglandFStorageLPG10Y23 July 1984Romeoville, IllinoisFProcess vesselLPG15Y1984 Romeoville petroleum refinery disaster19 November 1984San Juan IxhuatepecFStorageLPG3000500+YSan Juanico disaster19 May 1985Priolo GargalloFStorageLPG500YAt Enichem petrochemical plant. The BLEVE was caused by a jet fire from the broken pipe of a distillation column.9 June 1985Pine Bluff, ArkansasTRailEthylene oxide0Y28 January 1986Merritt Island, FloridaTSpacecraftHydrogen and oxygen7YSpace Shuttle Challenger disaster1987MinnesotaFStorageLPG0YThree propane tanks BLEVEd at a research facility.17 August 1987Cairns, QueenslandFStorageLPG201Y21 March 1988Kings Ripton, EnglandFStorageLPG0YStorage tank for domestic use16 August 1988Spinetta MarengoFProcess vessel (runaway reaction)Diisopropyl monohydroperoxide0YUncontrolled thermal decomposition of Luperox DH at Atofina plant21 November 1988WormsFStorageCarbon dioxide663N23 December 1988Memphis, TennesseeTRoadLPG189YMemphis tank truck disaster20 May 1989Alma AtaTRailLPG2320+YFollowing a train collision1 April 1990Sydney, New South WalesFStorageLPG240+0YOccurred at Boral's St. Peters facility. Fire broke out at about 9:00 pm, burning for over nine hours. A 100-ton tank and many smaller ones exploded.28 August 1992IshikariFStorageNitrogen40N27 June 1993Warwick, QuebecFStorageLPG24YOccurred in a barn serving as maternity for calvesAugust 1993PanipatFProcess vesselAmmonia6N4 March 1994Weyauwega, WisconsinTRailLPG0YWeyauwega, Wisconsin, derailment15 March 1996PaeseTRoadLPG132YThe fire initiated when a tank truck was offloading cargo.18 March 1996CapaciTRoadLPG5Y1 December 1996La PlataFPipesLPG2Y29 April 1997PendikFStorageLPG100YAt a factory for packaging of aerosol containers2 October 1997Burnside, IllinoisFStorageLPG22YNear a grain dryer1998Xi'anFStorageLPG11Y9 April 1998Albert City, IowaFStorageLPG342YAt Herrig Brothers turkey farm22 March 1999DortyrolFStorageLPG~302Y1 May 1999Kamena VourlaTRoadLPG184Y23 September 1999Toronto, OntarioTRailLPG60+0Y30 December 1999Mont-Saint-Hilaire, QuebecTRailGasoline4Y22 March 2000CasablancaTRoadLPG0YA tank truck exploded at an offloading station. The fire engulfed two fixed tanks but cooling by firemen and relief valves prevented further BLEVEs.9 May 2000BordesTRoadLPG100YSeveral gas canisters on board a truck27 May 2000Eunice, LouisianaTRailMethyl chloride0Y19 July 2000Willoughby, OhioFStorageLPG660YAmeriGas plant, overfilled propane cylinders. Later the company recalled other cylinders it has sold to prevent further accidents.20 October 2000Downey, CaliforniaFStorageLPG20Y22 October 2000TexasTLPG172Y25 December 2000DouglasFStorageLPG~10Y7 January 2001KanpurTRoadLPG12Y7 January 2001Truth or Consequences, New MexicoF/TStorage