1965 — Aug 9, Titan II ICBM silo fire leading to workmen suffocation, ~Searcy, AR — 53

— 53 Camden News, AR. “Bodies of 53 Civilian Workers Taken From Silo.” 8-10-1965, p. 1.
— 53 National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996.
— 53 NFPA. “The Major Fires of 1965.” Fire Journal, Vol. 60, No. 3, May 1966, p. 52.
— 53 The Military Standard. “Titan II Accident Search AR, August 9 1965.”

Narrative Information

NFPA: “The second largest loss of life [fire, 1965] occurred on August 9 when a cutting torch accidentally severed a hydraulic line in a missile silo near Searcy, Arkansas. The fire quickly consumed the available oxygen and went out, but not before thick black smoke had filled the silo. A few men jammed a narrow passageway in their panic to scramble up an exit ladder and blocked escape for others. The smoke obscured the emergency lights that came on when the main power source failed, and men were unable to find their way to other exits. The loss of power also shut down the emergency ventilating equipment. Why the power went off was not reported. Oxygen depletion and smoke poisoning caused 53 fatalities. Although only two men escaped from the silo, the actual fire damage was slight.” (NFPA. “The Major Fires of 1965.” Fire Journal, Vol. 60, No. 3, May 1966, p. 52.)

Newspapers

August 10: “Searcy, Ark. (AP) – The death count from an explosion and fire in a Titan II missile launching site rose to 53 today with the discovery of six more bodies on lower levels of the underground silo. ‘It is very possible this is the final count,’ said Capt. Douglas Wood, Air Force public information officer at the site. Searchers planned to pump several feet of water out of the bottom of the concrete tube holding the missile before giving up the search.

“The exact number of civilian workmen in the missile complex at the time of the blast and fire Monday was uncertain through the long night of probing – first hopefully, for survivors, and then for the bodies of the dead.

“Two workmen scrambled out when the fire erupted and escaped without serious injury.

“The Air Force said all the victims apparently asphyxiated when the blast and fire sealed off their means of escape and filled the complex with smoke….

“Rescue teams wearing asbestos suits and gas masks, and using special gear to breathe in the smoke-clogged silo, worked through the night bringing the bodies to the surface….

“At the start of the search for bodies and survivors, the rescue workers brought in huge air hoses out the smoke. Later they used gas masks and special breathing apparatus when they lowered themselves into the silo. The special breathing gear allowed only 30 minutes work at a time. That, plus the slow maneuvering in the narrow space between the missile and the silo walls, delayed the rescue operation.

“For three hours during the search the Air Force barred all but official personnel from the area because of poisonous fume rising through the ground. The Air Force explained that the fumes resulted from a safety measure taken with the liquid fuel in the missile. The fumes, while toxic when rising through the ground, dissipate quickly and offered no danger after three hours, the Air Force said.” (Camden News, AR. “Bodies of 53 Civilian Workers Taken From Silo.” 8-10-1965, p. 1.)

August 10: “Search, Ark., (AP) – A young man and an old man languished in hospital beds here
today, thankful that they escaped from a fiery Titan II missile launch tube and sobered by the fact that fellow workmen didn’t….

“Lay [Gary Wayne Lay of Clinton, 18], a summer laborer on the project, suffered burns on his head, arms and legs in fleeing through the fire to a ladder on which he climbed to safety.

“Hubert A. Saunders…of Conway, a paint foreman, said the fire flashed below him. He was on the first of nine descending levels. Lay was on the second. ‘The fire flashed into the gun barrel (launch tube),’ Saunders said. ‘I was in there. The bird (missile) was in there. I moved. I got out of there. This old Irishman can move when he has to. And I had to.’ Saunders was hospitalized because of smoke inhalation.

“Both men said they could hear the cries of others in the silo. ‘I heard men crying and screaming,’ Lay said. ‘Somebody was yelling ‘Help me! God, help me!’ When the fire came the power went off, the lights went out. I couldn’t see him. I tried to climb down, but they were all jammed up so I went up the ladder.’

“Saunders said he heard cries of ‘help me, help me’ but could see nothing but fire and billowing smoke in the close, dark launch tube. ‘It was horrible,’ Lay said…” (Camden News, AR. “Two Injured Workers Recover in Hospital.” 8-10-1965, p. 1.)

August 10: “By the Associated Press. A Conway funeral home today identified 10 of the 53 men who were killed in the fire and explosion Monday at the Titan II missile complex near Searcy. The McNutt Funeral Home identified the 10 as:

Kendell Belote of Enola,
Presley Sanson of Vilonia,
Junior Mobbs of Greenbrier,
R. H. Linn of Damascus,
Charles H. Shaw of Quitman,
Thomas L. Hoggar of North Little Rock and four Conway men—
John F. Evans,
T. Conway,
Archie L. Hamilton and
Cecil F. Taylor.” (Camden News, AR. “10 Silo Victims Identified Today.” 8-10-1965, 1.)

August 11: Another victim named: James T. Wallace, 43, of Columbus, Miss. (Camden News, AR. “Silo Missile Victims Related to Camden People.” 8-11-1965, p. 1.)

August 11: “Washington (AP) – The Air Force has ordered modification and overhaul work on Titan 2 missile sites suspended until investigation of Monday’s fatal accident at the Search, Ark., silo is completed. Work on 21 of the 54 silos has been completed, a spokesman said today.” (Camden News, AR. “Air Force Orders Missile Changes.” 8-11-1965, p. 1.)

August 12: “Washington (AP) — Relatives of the 53 civilian workers killed in a missile silo fire near Searcy, Ark., Monday have had Air Force Family Service Program emergency aid offered them, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. A spokesman said no money would be provided because the men were not Air Force personnel. The program does provide aid in the form of transportation and, if needed, food and clothing. The spokesman said officials at Searcy are handling the details of the assistance.” (El Dorado Times, AR. “Families of Blast Victims Given Help.” 8-12-1965, p. 11.)

Blanchard: A fairly detailed and lengthy account of this event can be found at: The Military Standard. “Titan II Accident Search AR, August 9 1965.”

Sources

Camden News, AR (AP). “10 Silo Victims Identified Today.” 8-10-1965, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=199731372&sterm=searcy+fire

Camden News, AR. “Air Force Orders Missile Changes.” 8-11-1965, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=199731375&sterm=searcy+fire

Camden News, AR (AP). “Bodies of 53 Civilian Workers Taken From Silo.” 8-10-1965, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=199731372&sterm=searcy+fire

Camden News, AR. “Silo Missile Victims Related to Camden People.” 8-11-1965, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=199731375&sterm=searcy+fire

Camden News, AR. “Two Injured Workers Recover in Hospital.” 8-10-1965, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=199731372&sterm=searcy+fire

El Dorado Times, AR. “Families of Blast Victims Given Help.” 8-12-1965, p. 11. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=199746975&sterm=searcy+fire

National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996, 2010. Accessed at: http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1352&itemID=30955&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/Key%20dates%20in%20fire%20history&cookie%5Ftest=1

National Fire Protection Association. “The Major Fires of 1965.” Fire Journal, Vol. 60, No. 3, May 1966, pp. 52-54.

The Military Standard. “Titan II Accident Search AR, August 9 1965.” Accessed 12-20-2014 at: http://www.techbastard.com/missile/titan2/accident_373-4.php