Texas City, 1947 A French freighter caught fire at the dock. It carried 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate. Crowds gathered to watch the orange smoke. Then it detonated. The blast leveled the town. A second ship exploded the next day. Nearly 600 people died. The anchor flew two miles inland.
Source
Texas State Historical Association, 'Texas City Disaster'; Stephen Minutaglio, 2003, 'City on Fire: The Forgotten Disaster That Devastated a Town'
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