FORT ST. JOHN -- On this day in 2009, Fort St. John residents were shaken by a massive trucking warehouse fire that forced the evacuation of over 130 homes.
Today marks the 15th anniversary of the Roseanu Transport explosion.
During the evening hours of August 16th, fireballs erupted 150 metres into the sky as the fire raged along the Alaska Highway. Temperatures soared above 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, causing 55-gallon drums containing methanol and acid chemicals to explode.
“Initially, we had contacted the owners of the product in the building and there’s approximately 130 to 140 barrels of either methanol products, or acid products, that were burning at the time of the fire, at the high point of the fire,” then Fire Chief Fred Burrows said in an interview with CTV’s Canada AM.
The blasts continued into the night, sending plumes of toxic smoke into the air with a visibly startled Burrows providing regular updates to local reporters.
It took days before residents of a nearby trailer park, where over 130 mobile homes were located, could return home. The intense heat melting the siding off many of them.
Nine hours after it began, the fire was finally extinguished.
“90 percent of the town’s population, including myself, all flocked to that fire. Nothing exciting ever happens here, but when it does, everyone wants a piece,” said one resident on social media.
The warehouse was completely destroyed, resulting in over a million dollars in damage.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, which was later deemed to be sparked by an electrical fire.
With files from CTV's Canada AM
