A photo from open sources
July 4, 1948 Kuibyshev (Samara) could easily disappear into the result of a terrible disaster that erupted on the banks of the river. Samara
July 4, 1948 a fire swept the Kuibyshev transshipment tank farm. It was the largest oil storage fire in history. USSR. Fighters of fire brigades rescued the city from death. Many of them at the same time gave their lives.
Lightning strike
On that day Kuibyshev in the morning watered like a bucket. Sounds of the rain interrupted by thunder rumbles, cloudy sky crossed out arrows of lightning. At 10:25 one of them hit tank 18 transshipment base “Glavneftesnaba”. Fire torch soared in sky.
A photo from open sources
Reference. Kuibyshev oil depot of 1948 – this is 33 land tanks with capacities from 2.400 to 5.000 t. On the day of the tragedy at 29 containers were stored 63.968t. petroleum products. In the tank No. 18, in which was struck by lightning, that day was 4.256t. raw oil.
At 10:28 (after 3 minutes) the guards of the fire brigade tank farms began to localize the source of ignition, and at 10:35 on 6 fire trucks arrived at the tank farm. But even before their arrival tanks No. 16 (445t. kerosene) and No. 17 (977t. oil) caught fire.
A man who was not afraid to take over responsibility
One of the six arriving vehicles arrived operational duty KJV Captain Telki. This day was his day off at the fire department he came in just a few minutes. Upon hearing the alarm, he jumped on the bandwagon of the first fireman cars.
Arriving at the scene, he took command of the fire fighting and all responsibility. Immediately assigned the highest fire degree of danger, ordered to announce a fire alarm in the city, instructed to begin the evacuation of the river standing on the opposite bank. Samara maternity hospital and called all the available firefighters from area. This fire will be his last, home from him Captain Telki will not return.
11:05
At 11:05, another 7 fire trucks arrived at the crash site by calculations, a fire train approached along the railway branch, and from the side of the river – fire boat and 2 ferries. All employees were alerted fire service, police. After another half an hour at the disposal of firefighters arrived 50 cadets aviation school and formed combined detachment of workers of the river fleet and tank farm. Guide extinguishing passed from Telka to the managers who arrived at the place fire service area.
A photo from open sources
By 14:00 more than 300 people were involved in the fight against fire. The first and main task assigned to them was localize the fire. At 14:30 oil boiling in tank No. 18 gushed through the neck and rushed towards the tank number 19 with 3.740t. salt oil. Flame engulfed storage, quantity burning oil products increased one and a half times.
14:40
At 14:40 one of the burning tanks exploded (No. 17). a flurry of fire went in which, in a matter of seconds, alive the people on his way burned up. Many were not left the remains. The wave has reached the opposite shore, where also people were hurt. Oil spilled over the surface of the river. From the side it seemed that both the earth and the water were burning.
Save the city!
The tank farm was built in pre-revolutionary times. Tight to adjoined the urban area Shchepnovka, built up with one-story wooden houses. The first house broke out, followed by the second. Jumping from building to building, the flame moved to the side the central part of the city.
200 soldiers were sent to help firefighters Kuibyshev garrison. Firemen set up on steamboats and ferries cars, and drove them to the pier of the burning tank farm. At 19:50 a second fiery outburst occurred, then another 2.
Only by night the rampage of the elements subsided. Finally fire It was eliminated at 10:10 on July 5.
Under the heading “secret”
To investigate the causes of the disaster and the assessment actions of fire services, city and party leaders in Kuibyshev arrived government commission. Huge the number of violations that did not allow to put out the fire in a timely manner. The materials of the commission’s work were closed.
A photo from open sources
Based on the results of the commission’s work, certain organizational findings regarding the management of Glavneftesbyt, party and city elite of Kuybyshev. In 1948, the perpetrators punished without current sentiment.
A photo from open sources
At the same time, the commission evaluated the actions of fire brigades and firefighting manuals as “excellent”. Only thanks to their competent actions, the fire was limited to 4 containers from 33’s. It is terrible to imagine what would happen if everyone caught fire. Kuibyshev would have to be built from scratch, as destroyed by the war Stalingrad.
A list of 57 surnames – persons submitted to combat awards. Against 13 names there was a posthumous mark.
We honor and remember
A photo from open sources
Every year on July 4, people come to the Samara city cemetery in the form of a fire service, to honor the memory of their colleagues, killed in 1948 and buried here in a mass grave. Arrived bare their heads, arrived fire engines tearing apart silence by the sirens. Samara remembers the heroes who saved their lives town.
Life Fires
