Gasoline Can Blamed for Truck Blast Injuring 106 in Wall Street Area
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—New York Post photos by Liotta. Copyright 1978, New York Post Corporation
While driving on routine fire inspection duty on a crowded financial district street of New York City, the men riding on Engine 10 saw a violent explosion and fire occur about 200 feet ahead. The blast, which demolished an ice cream truck, injured 106 persons, but through a remarkable stroke of luck, there were no deaths.
Engine 10 left its station in lower Manhattan shortly after 1:30 p.m. last June 20, a sunny, 85-degree day, and proceeded west on Fulton Street. The street was crowded with financial district workers on their late lunch hour and others with business in the area.
The ice cream truck, in which the explosion occurred, was at Fulton and Nassau Streets, between the engine company and Broadway. Knowing that a large number of persons were exposed to the explosion and that injuries—and possibly deaths—would be numerous, Engine 10 radioed for more fire companies and ambulances.
Second alarm
The additional companies responding to fill out the first-alarm assignment were Engines 6 and 7, Ladders 1 and 15 and Chief Joseph Greblunas of the 1st Battalion. Upon seeing a large number of injured, Lieutenant Leo Lieberman of Engine 6 transmitted a second alarm. This brought in Engines 9, 55 and 15, Ladder 8, Rescue 1, Chief Cupo of the 4th Battalion and Deputy Chief Robert Radke of Division 1.
Fulton Street was filled with screaming, running pedestrians. Panic had control of the crowd. Blood flowed from wounds inflicted by the explosion and cuts from glass that fell from windows. While there was a tendency for the people to run away from the explosion, they turned and started running back toward the fire as firemen began stretching the first hose line to the fire. The crowd formed a barrier around the burning truck which hampered fire fighters and other rescue workers until enough policemen could be brought in to move the crowd back.
Fire extinguished
Fire, police and ambulance units poured into the area. Engine 10 extinguished the fire with one 2 1/2-inch line while Engine 7 stretched a second line as a precaution. The other companies were used for search and rescue. A systematic examination had to be made of buildings for explosion and flying glass victims.
While the extinguishment and search were in progress, the police tried to identify the vehicle. As this was impossible from its appearance, they ran a check of the plate registration. From this they were able to identify it as an ice cream truck registered to a Brooklyn firm.
The police bomb squad, agents of the Federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau and lire marshals began an examination of the debris to determine the cause.
Investigators eventually traced the cause of the explosion to a 2 1/2-gallon can of gasoline in the right well hole of the truck. The driver, Lee Balter, 23, stated he spotted a small fire in the well and stopped. An explosion followed and then a second more violent explosion as the truck’s gasoline tank ruptured, causing the glass in the surrounding buildings to shatter. Flying glass caused most of the injuries.
Cause of explosions
The portable gas can on the ice cream truck was reportedly used for refilling generators that supplied the truck’s refrigeration equipment. Investigators reported that a rag had been stuffed in the mouth of the gasoline can. With the movement of the truck, they explained, the rag became soaked and flammable vapors began to evolve.
Safe storage of gasoline in portable containers should only be in approved safety cans with spring-closed caps. In many areas, fire prevention codes regulate the amount of flammable liquids that may be stored or used without a permit. In New York City, a maximum of 1 gallon of gasoline may be used without a permit.
Lessons learned from this incident include:
- Additional explosions must be anticipated and necessary safety precautions taken.
- Where panic and fear have taken over the actions of a crowd, anticipate the herd instinct.
- Call for police assistance early for crowd control.
- In crowded areas, hydrants may be blocked by cars and hidden behind spectators.
- Relay pumping may be necessary from outside the immediate fireground to ensure an adequate supply of water.
- Multiple alarms are necessary because of the large number of people, blocked hydrants, blocked access to the fireground, possible injuries and the need for systematic search of all areas affected.
- Communications among units arriving on the fireground must be maintained and any problems encountered reported promptly.
- Firemen with emergency medical training must be used fully for aiding the injured.
- Records of those assisted, their hospital designation and their injuries must be kept. Families are sometimes separated in panic situations.
- Fire prevention inspection should not overlook the storage of quantities of gasoline in vehicles.
Precautions to take
A fire department can aid the investigation of an explosion scene by limit ing the amount of water to that which is necessary to extinguish the fire and using fog streams. The fire department also should postpone any salvage or other work that might disturb the debris until after investigators arrive.
Fire department personnel should maintain security at the fire scene to prevent anyone from disturbing or removing items that may be of importance to the investigation. They also should look for any unusual items, such as clocks or timing devices, explosive paper, dynamite residue and explosive identification devices.
The only positive aspect of this tragedy was that there were no fatalities. Considering the hundreds of workers and shoppers in the area, it was surprising that only 106 persons were injured. All the victims were treated at three local hospitals and of these, 24 were admitted with serious injuries. One woman had burns on 35 percent of her body.
Copyright 1978, New York Post Corporation
—Photos copyright 1978, New York Post Corporation.
