30 years ago today...
 

...is when the "big bump" occurred at an RRX in Mississauga, Ontario, west of Toronto.

Freight cars, some containing highly flammable and explosive chemicals, were derailed, causing an intense conflagration in the mainly residential area.

The whole city, some 250,000 people were ordered to be evacuated. This was done in a relatively orderly fashion. The result of this successful evacuation became known as the "Miracle of Mississauga".

My future wife, Betty, living in the same Brampton apartment building as I, quartered her brother, sister-in-law and 3 sons in her 1 bedroom apartment from Sunday after the blast 'til Saturday the next week.

Our local Reserve unit was on parade for Remembrance Day ceremonies on the Sunday, none of us knowing what was happening to the south of us.

After the parade, when we became aware of the situation, our CO, an OPP Sgt, ordered us to mount up and head south to the OPP detachment in Mississauga, and await further orders. The trip down Hwy 10 into Mississauga was surreal. There were no cars moving, no people around, no buses, trucks, taxis...nothing! (It reminded me of the closing scene of the movie "On the Beach").

No further orders were received since we weren't officially called out as an Aid of the Civil Power, so we returned to Brampton, chagrined that we couldn't help in any way.

So, there's an anecdotal tale from someone who was there.

Re: Proof that old farts can remember things from time to time ...
 

Hi Jon;

I missed your original post, but I remember the Mississauga train derailment also. I was serving with 1 RCR at the time. We were informed upon arrival back at Wolseley Barracks from the Remembrance Day parade. By 1700hrs that evening the battalion vehicle packets were marshalled on the square, all living out battalion personnel were ordered in. Shortly after the vehicles were marshalled, it was decided that the battalion would deploy as per winter scale, which by 2300hrs that evening was completed with the battalion vehicle packets re-marshalled on the square ready to roll. We spent approx. the next five days confined to barracks awaiting the order to move ... which never came ... after stand-down and the return of stores, the kegs that had been awaiting the battalion upon arrival back in barracks from the Remembrance Day parade were tapped and the rest is history ... :D

Cheers