Tianjin explosion (Strong Language)

[Jesus Malverde]

[Duckhunter935]

1. That was a big blast

[yuiyoshida]

2. like a mini

nuke going off!!

[freshwest]

3. Natural gas line explosion? Refinery? What is it? There had to have been casualties... n/t

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. I heard part of it was calcium carbide which produces acetylene gas when it gets wet.

[Jesus Malverde]

6. Some speculation

Before the explosions, many firefighters were already at the scene trying to control a blaze, AFP reports.

There have been suggestions that water sprayed on some of the chemicals could have led to the blasts.
Calcium carbide, known to be at the site, reacts with water to create the highly explosive acetylene.

Chemical experts suggest an acetylene blast could then have detonated ammonium nitrate for a much larger blast.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-33844084

[backscatter712]

10. I heard that on NPR.

Calcium carbide was in the warehouse, as well as ammonium nitrate and potassium nitrate. Makes for a very big boom.

Before I heard that, I was speculating that it could have been a fuel-related explosion, like a BLEVE. Those make very big booms too.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

4. It was like,..."Oh, cool." then shit got real.

[phantom power]

7. holy, holy hell

[Warpy]

8. Death toll now 104 per CNN online

Officials think they know what happened: firefighters were called to a small chemical fire, didn't know there was calcium carbide in open containers (!) and poured water on it and them, generating acetylene gas. That was the first explosion. The second occurred when the acetylene ignited bales of ammonium nitrate.

Here is dashcam video from some poor bugger who was going to work the graveyard shift in the area. He never got there, he wisely started to back up when the first explosion hit.

[packman]

12. Poor bugger - Hell, luckiest bugger

a few minutes early to impress the boss and he would be one of the dead. Reminds me of the line when some volcanologists were fleeing a monitoring station of a soon to erupt mountain and one told the other that if he was going to stay to get some jelly and jam because his ass would soon be toast.

[Renew Deal]

9. Here's another one. Graphic Warning

Some blood later in the video.

[tomm2thumbs]

11. flyover drone