While I was out walking today in sunny 52 degree weather, I was thinking about BLEVEs, aka Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosions. What brought that up? Several things, actually.
This week, we were watching a TV program, 911 Lonestar, in which, as a result of a train wreck, a BLEVE was front and center. By the way, that word is pronounced blev-ee, with the accent on the first syllable.
In the course of the story, first responders were trying to cool the tank when they ran out of water, so eventually it blew up. In the story, the firefighters were blown out of the area where they of course landed softly and safely in a puddle of muddy water.
As soon as the episode started, I knew a BLEVE would occur at some point in the plot. How did I know that? I’m a writer.
During the publicity run up to the publication of Den of Iniquity, I did a number of on-line interviews. One of the questions I was asked had to do with how much research I do for each book and what was the most difficult bit of research that I remembered?
The truth is, when I’m writing, I’m doing research every single day, trying to fact check what I think is true as opposed to what is true. In other words, research and writing go hand in hand, sort of like love and marriage, to quote a VERY golden oldie.
But it turns out, that TV episode reminded me of some research I did very early on in my career. I’m not sure which book I was dealing with when I decided to use a BLEVE. I was still living in downtown Seattle at the time, so it was prior to 1985.
There was no Wikipedia back then, so I called the non-emergency number for the Seattle Fire Department and explained my situation. They invited me to come down to their headquarters and watch a couple of videos.
At the time, another relatively new Seattle-area author who happened to be a firefighter was writing books about … well … a fictional Seattle firefighter. As a consequence, visiting the fire department seemed like venturing into enemy territory, but I went there anyway. Turns out it was an eyeopening experience.
The first video, filmed in black and white, was of a train derailment in somewhere in Georgia in 1959. It was evidently summertime. The train had run off a trestle, and barefoot kids, wearing shorts and riding bicycles, were standing on a nearby hillside watching the first responders deal with the fire when the tanker exploded. The resulting fireball killed 23 people, many of them unsuspecting onlookers After that, the consensus of opinion in the first-responder world was to let tanker fires burn themselves out.
However, that important memo never quite made it to Kingman, Arizona. In July of 1973, a blazing tanker fire in Kingman took out 13 firefighters all of whom had been fighting the blaze.
When the first view of that fire came on the screen, I recognized the name on one of the businesses showing in the background and said aloud, “Kingman, Arizona.”
At that point, one of my hosts turned to me and said, “You really do know BLEVEs, don’t you.”
I don’t believe I ever used that plot line in any of the books I was writing back in the eighties, but I did mention a fictional character who was a survivor of the Kingman incident and who was still dealing with PTSD in one of the much later Ali Reynolds books. In real life, that explosion took a terrible toll on a whole generation of twenty-somethings in a small community.
My research in that case may have ended up on the cutting room floor, but it’s certainly my most memorable, and seeing that storyline on TV this week is what put it in my head today when I was out walking. It’s also why I’m sharing it with you this morning.
In other words, there’s a lot more to being a writer than meets the eye, and sometimes, what I don’t put into a book is even more important than what I do.
Never heard of that before. Thank you for the information.
That’s what I needed to hear this morning as I’m making what seems like endless list of things I need to get organized as I begin a new book and try to finish another one. Thank you
Hey, that’s the book I’m re-reading right now–Hand of Evil, in which Kip Hogan survives when his friends are killed in that fire. Right now he’s still in ICU after young thugs have beaten him almost to death, so I’m still waiting to see whether he makes it, as I can’t remember from when I read it before….So, that fire was obviously a real event that took place, and not just something made up for the sake of the plot. How devastating for those 13 firefighters to have been killed fighting the blaze!
That’s the next book on my Ali series, I just need to go get it from the library!!
You always have such interesting blogs. Thanks.
I think your brain must be full of things that you might use sooner or later. I hope your memory doesn’t fail as you get older. I know mine is.
I have a question. In which Beau book does Maxwell Cole die? I believe it was from natural causes and Beau didn’t do him in altho he would have liked to many times.
I usually make notes of things like this in the back of the books, but didn’t this time. Thanks for your help.
I had to look at my booklist to figure it out, but I guessed right the first time. The book in question is Long Time Gone.
Thank you very much. I’ll be checking that out today.
Just finished Den of Iniquity. I’m impressed with the way you wrote about the feelings and emotions of victims’ families – and even the feelings and emotions of perpetrators’ families. I’ve had experience with both and I think you hit the mark very well. Thanks.
So who was the Seattle firefighter writer? My only Seattle knowledge comes from visiting the World’s Fair and your Beaumont books 😉
Earl W. Emerson. I visited Seattle for the first time for the World’s Fair. My family was standing in line to have lunch in the Space Needle when one of my brothers had a severe allergy attack and they had to leave. I ended up having lunch with three retired teachers from Ohio.
I remember Kip and the whole story line of how he helped Bob recover from his snowboarding accident.
When I was growing up in Antioch, California, we had a terrible explosion in Port Chicago, California.
When I read your book it brought it all back.
It is amazing when real-life events “come to life” in your books – sometimes without you even knowing it.
Looking forward to getting my hands on your next books.
Have a good weekend.
I love that you share things like this with us. It does open my eyes to what you put into your writing. One of the things that I do enjoy with your writing is how your readers can get immersed in the story and the characters’ lives too. Just as if they are real people’s real lives. Thank you again…
Thank you for encouraging the research, and saying it’s ok not to put what you’ve found on the page. I find it difficult dealing with just keeping some information in my head and figuring how to add it to my work.
Nancy, I make notes and put them in a real paper folder. Be sure to write on only one side of the paper. Information can get lost if you write on both sides.
Nancy, I also use junk mail letters to write on the backs of. I hate to waste paper.
WOW, so if you drop out of school, write books (or try) and research and get a great education! I am referring to anyone, not JA of course!!! So very interesting to see how involved it all is!!
My husband’s law enforcement career began in Kingman, which is how he met Allen Hansen. Allen was an Arizona Highway Patrolman and a volunteer firefighter. He was one of the firefighters who perished in that horrific fire. It’s a day I will never forget. RIP Allen.
My first husband, Jerry Janc, grew up in Kingman. That’s why I recognized the name on the building in the video. Yes, RIP, Allen.
“In other words, there’s a lot more to being a writer than meets the eye, and sometimes, what I don’t put into a book is even more important than what I do.”
How true, Judy, how true…
There is certainly a lot that goes into being a writer, especially fiction. Something I don’t think I could ever do.
Thank you–I do enjoy your books.
I live in Ohio and in February of 2023 a train delrailed in East Palestine. The fire department along with other determined they should blow up the tanker carrying toxic liquid after several days of it on fire. The damage to the property and creeks is unknown at this time. There is a lawsuit that has been filed and a settlement issued for those affected. I don’t know if we’ll ever know the true damage that was done to that town and the people living there, even though they were evacuated at the time.
When I was early in my law enforcement communications career (think late ’70s), we had to watch that training video! It was really interesting to me. I’m glad to say that in my 34 year career, I never had to work one of those!
Hi Judith,
Thanks for reminding me of Earl Emerson. I used to read his books. I looked him up and he has some of his Thomas Black mysteries that haven’t read. I’ll put him on my list of books to catch up on.
Hope you’re having a good day.
Janis
What was that authors name. I had a similar relationship with a girl that was a
roommate and good friend. I learned a lot about fire fighting. I enjoyed his writing. Similar to yours – easy to read and difficult to put down.
Thanks for sharing.
I saw it and was present when a B-52 blew up. I made it to a building before the steel shutters closed and was stuck with the glass from the control tower still etched in my brain. I had had expert training and experience with anhydrous ammonia, and enother hazards. i got frostbite my first day wing-walking something to the flight line. Later it was an emergency landing which ended up having contaminated paint on born. Radiation. Nice. We were a determined sort and learned to have eyes in the back of our heads. heads on a swivel. I was never so alive. however, others who did more ordinary maintenace did not know all the possible exits, did not know certain maintenace tasks cannot be combined. Every industry has something. in the past, it was not knwn as well about psticides, oil spills, even now the hurricanes have made history with new issues.