'Is it a killer cloud?' Duluth-Superior benzene oil spill evacuation: Through the eyes of a child episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 6, 2022 · 15 MIN

'Is it a killer cloud?' Duluth-Superior benzene oil spill evacuation: Through the eyes of a child

from The Vault

In the minutes before 3 a.m. on June 30, 1992, as the Northland slept, a freight train carrying hazardous materials just south of Superior derailed, sending train cars carrying aromatic chemicals sailing 71 feet into the waters of the Nemadji River.  The result was catastrophic —  the chemical cocktail created an orange colored vapor cloud measuring 20 miles long and 5 miles wide — and it parked itself over the populated area of Superior and neighboring Duluth. As a result, more than 50,000 residents were evacuated.  Reporter Trisha Taurinskas recalls the scary situation and speaks with then-Police Chief Scott Lyons about the events of that day. 

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'Is it a killer cloud?' Duluth-Superior benzene oil spill evacuation: Through the eyes of a child

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This episode was published on September 6, 2022.

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In the minutes before 3 a.m. on June 30, 1992, as the Northland slept, a freight train carrying hazardous materials just south of Superior derailed, sending train cars carrying aromatic chemicals sailing 71 feet into the waters of the Nemadji...

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