Disaster Area

It was just a little house fire. It should have gone out in no time. In a safer building, it would have. But within an hour and a half of the first call to 999 that night, Grenfell Tower was fully ablaze. Videos: Grenfell: The Fire of London Grenfell: The Worst Tower Block Fire in London History Grenfell Tower tragedy in 3D 12 Firefighters have Terminal Cancer Since 2017 Rescue First Reports of Grenfell Tower fire New video timeline shows how the Grenfell Tower fire unfolded What Happened With The Cladding At Grenfell Tower? Articles and books: Show Me The Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen, by Peter Apps Grenfell Tower inferno a 'disaster waiting to happen' as concerns are raised for safety of other buildings Concerns raised about Grenfell Tower 'for years' Fire alarm at Grenfell Tower was never meant for residents Grenfell: Cladding firm suggested use of cheaper panels Grenfell Tower refurbishment used cheaper cladding and tenants accused builders of shoddy workmanship Residents warned of 'catastrophic'

It was just a little house fire. It should have gone out in no time. In a safer building, it would have. But within an hour and a half of the first call to 999 that night, Grenfell Tower was fully ablaze. Videos: Grenfell: The Fire of London Grenfell: The Worst Tower Block Fire in London History Grenfell Tower tragedy in 3D 12 Firefighters have Terminal Cancer Since 2017 Rescue First Reports of Grenfell Tower fire New video timeline shows how the Grenfell Tower fire unfolded What Happened With The Cladding At Grenfell Tower? Articles and books: Show Me The Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen, by Peter Apps Grenfell Tower inferno a 'disaster waiting to happen' as concerns are raised for safety of other buildings Concerns raised about Grenfell Tower 'for years' Fire alarm at Grenfell Tower was never meant for residents Grenfell: Cladding firm suggested use of cheaper panels Grenfell Tower refurbishment used cheaper cladding and tenants accused builders of shoddy workmanship Residents warned of 'catastrophic'

It was just a little house fire. It should have gone out in no time. In a safer building, it would have. But within an hour and a half of the first call to 999 that night, Grenfell Tower was fully ablaze. Videos: Grenfell: The Fire of London Grenfell: The Worst Tower Block Fire in London History Grenfell Tower tragedy in 3D 12 Firefighters have Terminal Cancer Since 2017 Rescue First Reports of Grenfell Tower fire New video timeline shows how the Grenfell Tower fire unfolded What Happened With The Cladding At Grenfell Tower? Articles and books: Show Me The Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen, by Peter Apps Grenfell Tower inferno a 'disaster waiting to happen' as concerns are raised for safety of other buildings Concerns raised about Grenfell Tower 'for years' Fire alarm at Grenfell Tower was never meant for residents Grenfell: Cladding firm suggested use of cheaper panels Grenfell Tower refurbishment used cheaper cladding and tenants accused builders of shoddy workmanship Residents warned of 'catastrophic'

Have you ever been stranded in your car in the middle of a snowstorm? Now imagine there are 350 other people in the car with you, and you're all stuck in that storm in the middle of an Alaskan canal for nearly two days. People come to rescue you but can't get any closer. And with every passing hour, your car groans and threatens to sink. That was what happened to the SS Princess Sophia in 1918. Videos: Disasters of the Century: The Princess Sophia Sinking The Sea Hunters: The Princess Sophia tragedy Articles and books: Stranded: Alaska’s Worst Maritime Disaster Nearly Happened Twice, by Aaron Saunders Report on the wreck of the Princess Sophia Forgotten Voyage Remembering the Princess Sophia: The Titanic of the Pacific West Coast National Park Service: The Princess Sophia The Wreck of HMCS Galiano October 1918

Ah, flying in the 1950s. Fancy clothes, good food, smoking in the airplane, and the chance to see sights you’d never get to see otherwise. Two planes flying over the Grand Canyon on a summer day in 1956 should have passed by perfectly fine, and probably would have on any other day. But tragedy would strike over one of the most beautiful places on Earth, changing the aviation industry in one horrifying moment. Videos: Fatal Collision Over the Grand Canyon | America's Worst Disaster | United 718 and TWA 2 Air Collision Over The Grand Canyon | Mayday | On The Move Historic Archaeology: The 1956 Grand Canyon Aviation Accident by Ben Carver (playlist) Articles and books: Historic Plane Wreck Site Protected The Site of a 1950s Plane Crash Just Became a National Landmark But the Park Service won't tell you how to get there. CAB accident report

On April 6th, 2018, the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team from Saskatchewan, Canada, were on their way to a playoff game in Nipawin. They weren't expecting the semi-tractor trailer headed westbound on Highway 335 - right into their path. Videos: Humboldt: The New Season How the Humboldt bus crash happened Special coverage of the tragedy in Humboldt, Saskatchewan W5: Jaskirat Sidhu, the 'Humboldt Driver,' speaks about the tragedy Articles and books: Agreed Statement of Facts - Humboldt Broncos Bus Crash Humboldt bus crash cause unknown as new details on truck and bus driving companies emerge Kingston man speaks to Humboldt crash intersection, where he lost his family 20 years ago Humboldt Broncos crash: What the RCMP forensics team found Humboldt presented E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence Coroner apologizes after mistaking Humboldt Broncos victim; Xavier LaBelle is alive Sports Illustrated: The Valley of Darkness 'One of the darkest days in the history of Saskatchewan' as 15 die in b

The start of the summer season in Paris in the 1890s could arguably be the Bazar de la Charité, sort of a rummage sale for the wealthy to benefit the poor. The height of Parisian’s female society passed through its doors each year, and May 4th, 1897, was no different. But the presence of the bazaar’s biggest novelty - a cinematograph showing films by the Lumière brothers - also led to a gruesome tragedy. Videos: Visit to the site of the charity fire on Rue Jean Goujon Documentaire sur l'histoire de l'incendie du bazar de la charité Article and books: A D V E N T U R E S in C Y B E R S O U N D: Charles Pathe The Tragic 1897 Charity Bazaar Fire of Paris Remembering a Belle Époque inferno in Paris COWARDICE OF PARIS MEN Exhibited in Brutal Form During the Burning of the Charity Bazaar The Bazar de la Charité Disaster: part one, part two, part three, and part four. The Bazar de la Charite website A History of Women Who Burned to Death in Flammable Dresses Heroes and Legends of Fin-de-Siécle

On April 15th, 2013, runners in Boston were approaching the finish line of the city's esteemed marathon at ten minutes to three in the afternoon when a large explosion tore through the crowd. Thirteen seconds later, a second one went off down the street. The manhunt for the men who committed the attack would last several days and take over the entire metropolitan area. Videos: The Days That Shaped America: Boston Bombing Nova - Manhunt Boston Bombers Boston Marathon Documentary - Amazing History & Injustices Discovery+: What Really Happened, the Boston Marathon bombing, parts one and two Articles and books: Criminal complaint against the surviving Boston bomber MIT News: "He loved us, and we loved him." Boston Bomb Victim in Photo Helped Identify Suspects Cambridge Man Indicted for Making False Statements in the Boston Marathon Bombing Terrorism Investigation Here's what various parts of the Boston Marathon bombing memorial represent Boston Strong: A City’s Triumph Over Tragedy, by

On April 15th, 2013, runners in Boston were approaching the finish line of the city's esteemed marathon at ten minutes to three in the afternoon when a large explosion tore through the crowd. Thirteen seconds later, a second one went off down the street. The manhunt for the men who committed the attack would last several days and take over the entire metropolitan area. Videos: The Days That Shaped America: Boston Bombing Nova - Manhunt Boston Bombers Boston Marathon Documentary - Amazing History & Injustices Discovery+: What Really Happened, the Boston Marathon bombing, parts one and two Articles and books: Criminal complaint against the surviving Boston bomber MIT News: "He loved us, and we loved him." Boston Bomb Victim in Photo Helped Identify Suspects Cambridge Man Indicted for Making False Statements in the Boston Marathon Bombing Terrorism Investigation Here's what various parts of the Boston Marathon bombing memorial represent Boston Strong: A City’s Triumph Over Tragedy, by Cas

The family dinner party was in full swing, despite the host needing to be carried out in a drunken stupor only twenty minutes earlier. But this is no ordinary family. This is the royal palace of Nepal, and the host - Crown Prince Dipendra - is about to return, angry and armed. Videos: Zero Hour : The Nepalese Royal Massacre Why Nepal's Prince Organised A Royal Massacre | Asia's Monarchies | Real Royalty Articles and books: Love and Death in Kathmandu: A Strange Tale of Royal Murder, by Amy Willisee and Mark Whittaker Death, Love and Conspiracy: The Nepalese Royal Massacre of 2001 A Witness To Massacre In Nepal Tells Gory Details Prince blamed for Nepal massacre

The Mexico City suburb of San Juan Ixhuatepec was the home of poor immigrants, working-class families, dozens of large businesses, and a Pemex oil and gas company site - at least, until November 19th, 1984. Videos: Ciudadano Infraganti Explosiones de San Juanico 1984 Articles and books: San Juan Ixhuatepec remembers one of world's worst industrial disasters Three decades on, survivors of worst Pemex blast still want answers Mexican Blast Stirs Anger, Criticism Center for Chemical Process Safety: Thirty Years Ago - An LPG Tragedy State and community during the aftermath of Mexico City's November 19, 1984 Gas Explosion Mexico Furor Over Gas Blast Is Quickly Over Recordando la catástrofe de San Juanico They convert land where the San Juanico explosion occurred into a recreational park

For five days in July of 1995, the city of Chicago baked underneath record temperatures, and behind closed doors people suffered for days - the poor, the elderly, the disabled. By the time the heat wave was over, over 750 people were dead. Sources can be found at http://disasterareapodcast.wordpress.com/.  

Surely this can't be the 200th episode!   It is the 200th episode, and don't call me Shirley.   Videos: "Airplane!" "Airplane II: The Sequel" Articles and books: Internet Movie Plane Database - Airplane! Bulls vs. Lakers Box Score: March 7th, 1980 Airplane! script Airplane II script

There is always bound to be a first - the first person to climb Mount Everest, the first person to run a four-minute mile, the first woman to become president. But there are terrible firsts, and in this episode we discuss the first major tragedy of the American space race. Videos: Apollo 1 Audio - January 27th, 1967 Articles and books: The Astronaut Wives Club, by Lily Koppel Apollo 13, by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger Deke, by Deke Slayton and Michael Cassutt Chasing the Moon, by Robert Stone and Alan Andres A Man on the Moon, by Andrew Chaikin Apollo 1: The Tragedy That Put Us On the Moon, by Ryan S. Walters Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations, by Charles D. Benson and William Faherty Chariots for Apollo: The NASA History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft to 1969, by Courtney Brooks, James Grimwood, and Loyd Swenson Apollo 1 report Apollo 1: The Fire Space Safety Magazine: The Apollo 1 Fire ‘We have a fire in the cockpit!’ The Apollo 1 disaster 50 years later America

A man armed with semi-automatic weapons and a livestreaming camera walks into a place full of people he hates and commits a mass murder. It shouldn't be something we see more than once. But now we have.

In which Jennifer describes her visits to disaster sites in New York City last week, including the 9/11 Memorial, the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, and the 1920 Wall Street bombing.

We all hope that in a moment of great need, we would do the right thing. When the airspace over the United States closed on September 11th, the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, did just that.

In fifteen minutes one Friday in April of 1967, one tornado slashed through the Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn, leaving dozens dead in its wake. But it wasn't the only tornado to strike the area that afternoon.

It was just supposed to be a typical office training session masked as a Christmas party - the speeches, the boring videos, the slideshows that probably could have been an email. But at 11 AM, everything changed when a person dressed all on black entered the conference room and began shooting. Then it got worse - they weren't alone.

First, the train ran off the rails. Then, fire rained from the sky. Hell, it seemed, had come to San Bernardino.