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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