1979 Mississauga train derailment

The Mississauga train derailment of 1979 occurred on Saturday, November 10, 1979, in Canada, when a 106-car Canadian Pacific freight train carrying explosive and poisonous chemicals from Windsor, Ontario was derailed near the intersection of Mavis Road and Dundas Street in Mississauga, Ontario. As a result of the derailment, more than 200,000 people were evacuated in what was then the largest peacetime evacuation in North America until the New Orleans evacuation of 2005. There were no deaths resulting from the incident. This was the last major explosion in the Greater Toronto Area until the Sunrise Propane blast in 2008.

Causes

On the 33rd car, heat began to build up in an improperly-lubricated journal bearing on one of the wheels, resulting in the condition known among train workers as a "hot box". Residents living beside the tracks reported smoke and sparks coming from the car, and those who were close to Mississauga thought the train was afire. The friction eventually burned through the axle and bearing, and as the train was passing the Burnhamthorpe Road level crossing, a wheelset (one axle and pair of wheels) fell off completely.

Explosion and evacuation

At 11:53 p.m., at the Mavis Road crossing, the damaged bogie (undercarriage) left the track, causing the remaining parts of the train to derail. The impact caused several tank cars filled with propane to burst into flames.

The derailment also ruptured several other tankers, spilling styrene, toluene, propane, caustic soda, and chlorine onto the tracks and into the air. A huge explosion resulted, sending a fireball 1,500 m (4,900 ft) into the sky which could be seen from 100 km (62 mi) away. As the flames were erupting, the train's brakeman, Larry Krupa, 27, managed to close an air brake angle spigot at the west end of the undamaged 32nd car, allowing the engineer to release the air brakes between the locomotives and the derailed cars and move the front part of the train eastward along the tracks, away from danger. This prevented those cars from becoming involved in the fire, important as many of them also contained dangerous goods. Mr. Krupa was later recommended for the Order of Canada for his bravery.

After more explosions, firefighters concentrated on cooling cars, allowing the fire to burn itself out, but a ruptured chlorine tank became a cause for concern. With the possibility of a deadly cloud of chlorine gas spreading through suburban Mississauga, more than 200,000 people were evacuated. A number of residents (mostly the extreme west and north of Mississauga) allowed evacuees to stay with them until the crisis abated. Some of these people were later moved again as their hosts were also evacuated. The evacuation was managed by various officials including the mayor of Mississauga, Hazel McCallion, the Peel Regional Police and other governmental authorities. McCallion sprained her ankle early during the crisis, but continued to hobble to press conferences.

Aftermath

Within a few days Mississauga was practically deserted, until the contamination had been cleared, the danger neutralized and residents were allowed to return to their homes. The city was finally reopened on the evening of November 16. The chlorine tank was emptied on November 19.

At the time, it was the largest peacetime evacuation in North American history, and is currently the second largest after the evacuation of New Orleans, Louisiana after the effect of Hurricane Katrina.

Due to the speed and efficiency with which it was conducted, many cities later studied and modeled their own emergency plans after Mississauga's.

References

• "Mississauga Train Derailment (1979)". Local history. City of Mississauga. http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/localhistory?paf_gear_id=9700018&itemId=5500001. Retrieved 2006-05-03. 
• "The Mississauga Evacuation, Final Report, November 1981". Ministry of the Solicitor General of Ontario. http://cidbimena.desastres.hn/docum/crid/Diciembre2004/pdf/eng/doc4131/doc4131.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-21. 
• "Miracle of Mississauga", Toronto Sun Publishing, 1979.

Coordinates: 43°34′16″N 79°38′24″W / 43.571°N 79.64°W / 43.571; -79.64