The explosion sent the VM&P tank rocketing into the air, trailing a cloud of smoke and fire from the burning liquid; it landed approximately 130 feet away. Witnesses heard the explosion and saw the fireball from several miles away. Within moments, two more tanks ruptured and released their contents into the rapidly escalating fire that was concentrated inside the earthen spill containment area surrounding the tank farm.3 As the fire burned, the contents of other tanks over-pressurized or ignited, launching steel tank tops (10-12 feet in diameter); vent valves; pipes; and steel parts off-site and into the adjoining community. A tank top struck a mobile home in the community (approximately 300 feet away) and a pressure/vacuum valve hit a neighboring business nearly 400 feet away (Figures 2 and 3).