A Terrifying Disaster Hit Cleveland In 1944 And No One Saw It Coming
While the City of Cleveland offers much to love, it has not been without its dark days. While we pay homage to our predecessors that built the city, we must, too, acknowledge the tragedies that many of them faced. On one terrible Friday in October of 1944, disaster struck Cleveland at 2:40 p.m., shaking the city and its startled residents. The tragedy changed many lives, and photographers flocked to the scene to immortalize the moment. Today, these powerful images have the capability to take you back to that fateful October day, and you will be humbled to see the terrible disaster that Clevelanders once had to face.
On October 20, 1944, disaster struck near East 61st and East 62nd Streets.
The East Ohio Gas Company's Cleveland plant was located north of St. Clair Avenue. Witnesses reported a leak streaming out of a natural gas storage tank around 2:30, but within 10 minutes something must have sparked.
Flames reportedly stretched as high as 2,500 feet in the air.
The mass quantity of rubble around these twin storage tanks demonstrates the power of the explosion. The tank was capable of holding 90 million cubic feet of the flammable natural gas; needless to say, the damage from the explosion was incredible, and was made even worse by a second, smaller explosion that followed the first.
Everything within a half-mile of the site was destroyed.
With World War II raging, some initially assumed that the explosion was German sabotage. Dangerous liquid seeped into Cleveland's sewer system, creating a fireball that spread underground.
Clevelanders witnessed the explosion from miles away.
Several blocks were destroyed in the explosion and the following fires, an especially tragic occurrence given the era. Following the Great Depression, many had a mistrust of banks and chose to safekeep their money at their own residences. The flames thus devoured many Clevelanders' life savings. The gas company did, however, help rebuild the neighborhood and paid more than $3 million to neighborhood residents.
When the flames were finally extinguished, rescue teams were able to search for victims.
It took weeks to come up with a final victim count, as the explosion was calculated to be equal to 1/6 of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Many remains were damaged beyond recognition, and a great number of victims were buried in a mass grave.
Devastated and solemn, the community drew closer together as it laid its victims to rest.
Those numbers could have been much higher had the explosion occurred slightly later. Had school been out of session, more parents would be finishing their work day and more children would have been within the vicinity of the estimated 25 million horsepower explosion.
More than one square mile of Cleveland's east side was badly damaged, an area that spanned 20 blocks. Refugees camped out at Willson Jr. High School on East 55th.
For years, the anniversary of the event was a time of remembrance and solemn discussions. Fortunately, gas companies began implementing safer storage techniques to prevent future tragedies.
This disaster was one of the worst in Cleveland history, and its sorrowful impact has been immortalized in these images.
For more on Cleveland history, check out these vintage photos.
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Nikki is a lifelong Ohioan with a love for literature. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Akron and has enjoyed publishing her written work since 2007. She has a love of travel and does so frequently, though she believes that home is where the heart is - she continues to work in and around Cleveland as a digital content specialist to this day, working on everything from commercial scripts and social media posts to grassroots marketing initiatives.