>> oh! raging fires, deadly flames. a massive explosion rips through a california community. highways become infernos. >> this is one of the most dangerous areas of interstate 40. >> firefighters face death in the line of duty. >> close as i ever want to come to a near death experience. >> and a day of celebration descends into chaos. >> at one point, the fire works were going 40, 50 feet up in the air. >> it's not my time to go.

that's all i could think of. >> caught on camera, up in flames. >> hello, welcome to caught on camera. each year, fire kills more americans than all natural disasters combined. yet, we may not think about the things that surround us as threats. gas lines, tanker trucks and the electrical wiring in your car. when you lease expect it, a fire can happen. when it happens on a large scale, whole neighborhoods can go up in flames. a massive explosion turns a california town into a hell on earth. september 9th, 2010. it's just another quiet summer

evening in the san francisco suburb of san bruno. then, at 6:11 p.m., disaster strikes. this gas station surveillance camera records the edge of a massive explosion a quarter mile away that rips through the neighborhood. startled drivers abandon the pump and begin to drive away. a woman flees, clinging to her baby. residents grab their cameras and begin filming seconds after the blast. >> holy [ bleep ]! what the [ bleep ] is that? holy [ bleep ]! >> their videos capture the unthinkable, as terrifying 100-foot tower of flame right in their own backyard.

>> oh, my god! >> bill hears the blast from inside his apartment, and along with his neighbors, stepsvestin. >> the fire ball kept coming and coming and didn't seem to be any end to it. >> get back. >> i was just standing there in amazement. looked like something from a movie when i first saw it. >> charlie and ron are among the first firefighters to arrive. they have nearly 50 years of experience between them. this fire is unlike anything they've ever seen. >> i was kind of astounded by the range of the fire. the number of houses that were actually on fire, and three burning. the fire was unstoppable at one point. because it was leaping from house to house to house. >> it was a 360 degree fire, with a main fire ball in the middle.

at this point, we have people self evacuating the neighborhood. i'm getting snapshots of pretty much every individual running. 25 years in the fire service, i've never seen terror on people's faces like that. >> firefighters can't get near the flames due to the intense heat, which radiates the temperatures near 1200 degrees. >> i got out of the engine, and i looked down to a car parked next to my engine. the lens cap of the head lights and the paint was melting off the car. there was nothing you could do at that point. you couldn't get within a block of that area. >> at one point, the engine company said they saw that the asphalt was so hot, the intensity was so hot, it lit the oil and the asphalt on fire, and the streets were burning. >> firefighters have not

confirmed the cause of the explosion, but don't have to look far for the most likely explanation. the city lies adjacent to san francisco international airport. all eyes begin looking up for answers. >> my immediate thought was that it was a plane crash. that was the initial report, people were wondering. the only thing that they thought could have caused an explosion and fire of that magnitude would have been a jet liner crashing into a neighborhood. >> i was somewhat convinced this is a plane. i've never seen that much fire in my entire career in a condensed neighborhood like this. >> no planes are reported missing from any of the bay area's airports. firefighters realized this explosion didn't come from the sky above, but the ground below. >> it looked as if this was not a jet fuel flame. this is a clean burning source. about ten minutes into this, we said, there's no reports of any bodies, any debris, anything related to a plane crash.

this must not be a plane crash. this has got to be some sort of a gas leak. >> it is. an underground 30-inch wide transmission pipeline cracks and the gas ignites, turning san bruno into an inferno. >> remember that transmission line was blowing out at 350 psi, so it shot a blow torch almost horizontally into neighborhood houses that, until we shut the gas off, we couldn't stop the blow torch. >> 6:25 p.m., minutes into the explosion and the fire continues to spread out of control. captain charlie formulates a plan of attack but receives some alarming news. >> at that point, my tail man went to the hydrant and looked up and said, cap, i have no water. it dawned on me that the explosion or the event blew out all the water mains in the area. that whole grid pretty much.

>> airplanes and helicopters must hold the lines. they release water and flame retardant to stop the flames in their tracks. >> the helicopters started dropping in our neighborhood. being the time of day, we had a couple hours of daylight back, we were able to get air support. that was just tremendous amount of help initially, until we got our supply lines and hose lines hooked up to the engines to stop the fire. >> as i turned and looked over my shoulder, here was the calvary coming to help out. >> the air support now allowed firefighters to change their plan of attack. >> our concern wasn't so much the initial ground zero area where the source of the fire was coming from. at this point, it's stopping the progression of the fire. that was our tactic and strategy at that point. >> 7:30 p.m., more than an hour after the explosion, the surge

of natural gas continues to feed the fire. crews battle the blaze from ground and air, but are about to face a new problem. darkness. >> after it got dark, it's a lot harder to fight the fires because you're not seeing where the smoke is. >> the firefighters were up against an enormous challenge. dealing with the conditions, the light going away and not being able to get close enough to search for people who might have survived. >> 7:45 p.m., an hour and a half half the devastating explosion, the gas line feeding the fire ball is shut off. by midnight, all that remains is a neighborhood in ruin. >> we weren't worried about it spreading. we were worried about the things that we could save that were left. there wasn't a lot. you know, there was a lot of areas that was nothing but flat land in a chimney, or the front

steps. it became kind of a moon scape after a while. >> as i finally went back home, all, of course, the power is out so it's dark and eerie and quiet. all you see is the glowing embers from the fire. it was eerie through the night, and i don't think a lot of people slept that night. the explosion and fire take eight lives and destroy 38 homes. yet, many believe an even greater tragedy was averted. >> what amazed me in seeing the fire ball at the time and that huge explosion, you thought there would be more people who would have died. i think the only saving grace was that people were still on their way home and weren't in bed at the time when the explosion happened. >> the credit is also due to a dedicated group of firefighters who faced the danger head on. >> you just do what you're trained to do and what your experience tells you to do. i can proudly say that the first

initial engine company made a stance. we made a decision to stop the fire and not let it go any further. guys really put themselves in harm's way and held their ground and stopped it. >> that's our job, to make everything whole again. that's what we're trying to do. coming up, a firework stand erupts on the 4th of july. >> i see crazy things everyday. that's something i've never seen in my life. >> 18-wheelers out of control. >> fire and rescue personnel are on the scene. no traffic is moving on the interchange. >> an airplane explosion sends passengers screaming to the exit. >> more firefighters who put it all on the line. when "caught on camera, up in flames" continues. you need a permit... to be this awesome.

and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. (aaron) purrrfect. (vo) meee-ow, business pro. meee-ow. go national. go like a pro. dad,thank you mom for said this oftprotecting my future.you. thank you for being my hero and my dad. military families are uniquely thankful for many things, the legacy of usaa auto insurance could be one of them. if you're a current or former military member or their family, get an auto insurance quote and see why 92% of our members plan to stay for life. for most people, earning cash back ends here, at the purchase. but there's a new card in town. introducing the citi® double cash card. it lets you earn cash back when you buy and again as you pay.

that's cash back twice. it's cash back with a side of cash back. the citi double cash card. the only card that lets you earn cash back twice on every purchase with 1% when you buy and 1% as you pay . with two ways to earn, it makes a lot of other cards seem one-sided.

a routine car fire exposes

the steady nerves of an l.a. fireman. >> they were getting so close to the car. it was something dangerous for sure. >> august 19th, 2011. a parked car bursts into flames on a los angeles street, and firefighters quickly respond to the call. john sees it and films the scene below. >> i was on the balcony. i was shooting it to show how firefighters were extinguishing the fire. i thought it might be some interesting memory for me. >> thick black smoke and flames pour out of the car as a firefighter grabs a hose and approaches the burning vehicle. he begins to douse the flames and get the fire under control. but what appears to be a routine job takes a sudden and potentially deadly turn. the front of the car explodes mere inches away from the

fireman's head. but with nerves of steel, the firefighter doesn't even flinch and continue to put out the fire. >> that was shocking. i mean, many people would be like, just drop the hose and run away. >> department officials credit the fireman's protective breathing apparatus as the main reason why this event didn't become a tragedy. the firefighter continues, as if nothing ever happened. and in less than a minute gets the fire under control. it's believed the blaze started as an electrical fire with magnesium in the metal steering column possibly responsible for the sudden blast. but one thing is for certain, john will never forget the firefighter who didn't flinch. >> i mean, to see a car on fire,

maybe you can see that, but to see a firefighter in an explosion next to him and doing nothing, i would never expect to see such a thing. you know? and imagine the dangers that they're just going through, you know? i really appreciate their courage. a team of firefighters faces one of its greatest fears, a flashover. >> that's the closest i ever want to come to near death experience. >> october 3rd, 2011. a blaze breaks out at a bistro in franklin, ohio. firefighter quincy pearson heads into the smoke-filled restaurant to fight what appears to be a kitchen fire. >> initially when we got inside, the smoke was very light at the moment. but i could see through it.

i could see a glow coming from the area of the kitchen and also the area of the bar. >> but conditions take a turn for the worse as firefighters move farther into the restaurant. the smoke changes color and becomes dark and heavy as it falls toward the floor. the temperature around the firefighters rapidly increases. pearson's expertise kick into high gear. he realizes the firefighters are in imminent danger. >> the smoke has started to catch on fire. that's when everything is starting to go bad real quick. it's starting to get really hot in the room. i'm watching these signs before me unfold and i'm starting to recognize that we're about to be caught in a flashover. >> flashovers are triggered when extreme heat causes all exposed flammable material to ignite at the same time. pearson says flashovers are a firefighter's worst nightmare and almost also a calling card for certain death. >> something very dangerous to the fire service. it deals with temperatures between 1,000 and 1500 degrees.

everything in that room, people, furniture, doesn't matter, is going to light. it's going to be on fire at once. >> pearson orders the firefighter to evacuate the building immediately. one makes it outside, but seconds later. >> go, go, go! >> oh, my god. >> tense moments pass. no one knows if anyone still inside is alive. but then pearson and another firefighter crawl out the front door grateful they've survived. >> then i finally realized i was at a curb and i was out of the building and i've never been more relieved in my life. because i recognized the danger of what we were just in. >> miraculously, no one is killed in the blast. the fire later ruled an arson consumes the entire restaurant and turn the 100-year-old building into ashes. the remains are a dark reminder of just how close the

firefighters came to a tragic end. >> and then to see that room we were just in light up the way it did was just -- i can't even describe. >> go, go, go, go. >> coming up -- a collapsing bridge transforms into a colossal fireball. >> the largest flames i've probably ever seen in my life. it was just mind boggling. >> disaster at a fireworks factory sends hundreds of people running for their lives. and a race car driver faces flames head-on. >> i was just thinking i'm probably going to die in this race car. when caught on camera continues. like how you thought you were covered for this. [boy] check it out,mom! [prof. burke]when you're really only covered for this. or how you figured you were covered for this. when you're actually paying for this. you might be surprised at what's hiding in your coverage. talk to farmers and get smarter about your insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪

[announcer] call 1-800-farmers and see how much you could save. ring ring! ...progresso! you soup people have my kids loving vegetables. well vegetables... shh! taste better in our savory broth. vegetables!? no...soup! oh! soup! loaded with vegetables. packed with taste. ["mony mony" by billy idole she cokicks in on car stereo]y". ♪don't stop now come on mony♪

♪come on yeah ♪i say yeah ♪yeah ♪yeah ♪yeah ♪yeah ♪yeah ♪yeah ♪'cause you make me feel like a pony♪ ♪so good ♪like your pony ♪so good ♪ride the pony the sentra, with bose audio and nissanconnect technology. spread your joy. nissan. innovation that excites. [singing] ♪mony mony really. it's not worth it. no worries. i got this. ♪ i got all the time in the world ♪ (vo) a 2.7 gigahertz turbo processor. kevlar fiber durability. turbo charge for up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes.

introducing droid turbo by motorola switch now and get $150 credit. two trucks collide and a fireball erupts deep in the heart of texas. >> i was thinking, oh, hell, it's on fire. you're not going to get out. >> every day trucks, tankers and other commercial vehicles crisscross the nation's highways. they are an important part of our economy transporting goods and material around the clock.

but if something goes wrong, these big rigs can turn into big disasters. april 8, 2010. a traffic cam captures randy pierce and his 18-wheeler full of frozen chicken entering a busy highway in lewisville, texas. he's just about to merge when suddenly a dump truck cuts into his lane. >> i thought, well, he's going to see me in a minute. so i started moving to the right. well, he never did see me because he kept coming across. >> the two trucks crash into each other. and the dump truck explodes. randy loses control of his rig and heads straight for the highway's concrete divider. >> and it shoved my tearing tire

back into my flame. so that took me back across to the left across the highway. >> the 18-wheeler cuts across four lanes of traffic and breaks through the dividing wall, narrowly avoiding a 40-foot drop to the ground below. randy is left with seconds to make a decision as his cab burst into flames. >> that's when i thought, well, i got to get out of here. to the left, my driver's door was on fire. right door, i didn't see any fire, so i just kicked the door open and jumped. >> nearly engulfed by fire, randy escapes just in time and watches in horror as his truck burns. the fire consumes his entire rig and the cab later slips through the concrete barrier dangling over the edge. but incredibly, neither randy nor the dump truck driver suffer any injuries in the crash.

it's only after it's all over that randy realizes how close he came to losing his life. >> when i saw the video, it kind of brought things back into perspective. and realized how lucky i was. in all actuality i should have gone over that bridge or burned up in the truck. >> the weight of 40,000 pounds of frozen chicken is most likely what stopped the truck from going over the edge. randy pierce survives his brush with death, but not every driver is quite so lucky. a tanker truck explosion brings a bridge of concrete and steel crashing to the ground. >> this looks like a terrible collapse of this roadway. as you can see, the fire is still burning. >> july 24th, 1998. it's friday afternoon and interstate 40 is jammed with travelers racing to get an early start on the summer weekend.

but many drivers don't realize these snake-like curves near connolly springs, north carolina, can be difficult to navigate. even deadly. fire and rescue crews race to the scene of a tanker truck that has spun out of control and slammed into a bridge. as they get closer and closer, a thick billowing cloud of black smoke looms ominously on the horizon. >> we've had a lot of wrecks, single vehicle including tractor trailers and small passenger vex. this is one of the most dangerous areas of interstate 40 in north carolina. >> traffic comes to a standstill. some motorists even resort to driving the wrong way in the emergency lane in order to exit the freeway from an on ramp. when firefighters and first responders arrive, they're face-to-face with a 50-foot-high fireball that has engulfed the

bridge. >> basically the whole underside of interstate 40, the bridge and things was covered up with flames. in my 30-year career i've had now, i've never seen anything of that magnitude of flames. >> large flame could be seen from miles away. flame length 68 feet. and a large area around the bridge. extreme heat. totally unsafe area. and volatile. >> some kind of chemical is burning down there, and you can smell it up here in the helicopter. fire and rescue personnel are on the scene. no traffic is moving on the interchange. we have no information at this time about injuries or fatalities. >> 8800 gallons of burning gasoline are pounding into the underside of the bridge. firefighter make the decision to wait this one out. >> we knew at that point that

there was nothing that we could salvage. no way to do any type of rescue and thing. so basically it was just let the fire burn out and contain to it that area of the wreckage. >> but it's not that simple. the bridge is supported by a steel structure encased in reinforcing layers of concrete. and as the fire radiates intense heat, the concrete begins to break down and melt. >> it was splattering kind of like a grease fire. actually concrete breaking loose and liquefying at a boiling point which is also dangerous in that area. >> then you just had the steel beams exposed. the unexposed steel beams on the bottom side of the bridge were actually taking the majority, taking the brunt of the heat. >> and firefighters are aware that the steel beams holding up the bridge can't take this kind of punishment for long. >> knowing that gasoline burns at about 817 degrees and the steel support would resist up to

1,000 degrees we did expect it to collapse at some point in time. >> but the question remains, what exactly will happen when the bridge comes down? >> the gasoline tanker is very unstable, because we didn't know how it was going to react. >> firefighters continue to pour water on the inferno in a vain attempt to get the flames under control. but after 40 minutes of relentless heat, the bridge can't support itself any longer. the steel beams come crashing down on the burning tanker and the remaining gasoline underneath. within seconds a fireball sends flames hundreds of feet into the air. >> well, it was unbelievable to see the bridge collapse. probably the largest flames i've ever seen in my life. it was just mind boggling for my career to be in that tough situation. >> the sheriff's department is recommending a detour on to highway 70 as an alternate route.

>> a few minutes after the collapse, the remaining gasoline burns off and the flames begin to diminish. once the blaze is under control, firefighters can assess the damage in terms of material and lives. >> there was only one fatality which was the driver of the gas tanker that lost his life. i thought there would be worse. that time of day on the interstate, 12:30 on a friday afternoon, july, vacation to the mountains, i figured there would be three or four cars underneath it. >> the interstate remains closed for nearly four days as cleanup crews deal with the rubble and runoff gasoline. ultimately, the bridge is rebuilt. and summer traffic resumes. as does the danger found in the twists and turns of this infamous four-mile stretch of highway. coming up -- a chemical plant is destroyed. >> we headed toward what looked like a little hiroshima cloud.

>> confusion and chaos on an airport runway. and a fourth of july a mother and son will never forget. when caught on camera up in flames continues. th their favor. but here's the thing: about half of men over 40 have some degree of erectile dysfunction. well, viagra helps guys with ed get and keep an erection. and remember, you only take it when you need it. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. ask your doctor about viagra.

♪ ♪

i'm richard lui. more than 20 people have been injured in a strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake that shook japan. officials are saying 10 homes were toppled in a ski resort town, which was the site of the 1998 winter olympics. police in cleveland are searching for suspects in a shooting that left a pregnant woman and three others dead. a 10-year-old was injured in the shooting was expected to survive. back to caught on camera. welcome back to "caught on camera." i'm contessa brewer. for many the fourth of july is a day of fun in the sun and backyard barbecues capped off by colorful fireworks in the night

sky, but behind that dazzles display lay powerful and dangerous explosive. when firework go wrong, the results can be terrifying. july 4th, 207, port richey, florida. a roadside fireworks stand erupts in flames when one of the explosives is set off inside the tent. cameraman brian farrow captures the may hem as it unfolds. >> the scene was pretty much chaos at first. the sheriff's office was trying to stop the traffic because the fireworks were shooting across the roadway and they didn't want anybody else to get hit. i got concerned for my safety. so i went and i parked a little bit further away from where the explosions were going off. and it looked just like a fireworks display you see at a mall. >> andrea berkman is shopping

for sparklers with her 5-year-old son when she notices a man who appear to be drunk holding a beer bottle in the back of the tent. suddenly she hear the crackle and hiss of a lit fuse. >> we had heard some of the -- [ hiss ] and then kaboom. had it gone through the roof, it would have been wonderful, but it didn't go through the roof. it bounced back down off the top of the roof and it was a domino effect from there. >> the lit firework sets off a chain reaction. in an instant, a rainbow of explosions fills the tent and the night sky. andrea berkman and her son are caught in the crossfire. >> and you know, my son, he turns around to see where mommy is. and i looked at him. he goes, mama, mama. i said run, run as fast as you can. >> andrea and her son escape

before the tent lights up, but the unintended fireworks display is just beginning. >> at one point the fireworks were going 40, 50 feet up in the air. then as the explosion started to get bigger, it started to rip the tent apart. >> firefighters arrive and use water cannons to put out the blaze, extinguishing the last batch of exploding fireworks. after 20 minutes, all that's left of the galaxy fireworks stand is a mangled frame. >> i went back to the scene, and when i arrived, there was some smoke lingering and there was fire cartridges still on the tables like everything was for sale, that had gone off and it was just all burnt cartridges sitting there.

>> it turned out that the man who appeared drunk was responsible for the blaze. tony glen roger is convicted of first degree arson and sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison. $70,000 worth of fireworks go up in smoke. >> the job that i have as a freelance photographer, i see crazy things every day. but that's something i've never seen in my life. >> andrea berkman suffers only minor injuries, but stray fireworks burn parts of the head and feet of her son. the galaxy fireworks stand is a case study in small fireworks going out of control. but what happens when the fireworks are much bigger? it's a disaster of epic proportions. and one the town in denmark

faces at a fireworks factory in the heart of the city. november 3rd, 2004. it starts in the afternoon when a box of rockets is accidentally dropped and ignites. [ sirens ] the explosions spread to nearby containers and a chain reaction of destruction begins. the afternoon turn to darkness as firefighters attempt to get the situation under control. but it appears there's no end to the pyrotechnics and flames that light up the sky. initial reports indicate the factory may contain 2,000 tons of fireworks. the situation becomes more dire because the factory is surrounded by residential neighborhoods.

distressed residents are ordered to flee their homes and businesses. almost 2,000 people are removed from a half mile area around the plant as the eruptions continue only hundreds of feet away. the explosions start to grow more intense as larger caches of fireworks ignite. then suddenly a massive boom sends a billowing cloud of smoke and flame hundreds of feet into the air. the shock wave is so violent that it knocks back this cameraman. and so powerful that it registers as a magnitude two earthquake. the accident is one of the

biggest disaster in modern danish history. one firefighter is killed and 350 homes and businesses are destroyed. some estimates put the total damage at more than $130 million. coming up -- fire blackens the skies of a small texas town. >> the first thing that pops in my mind is somebody's house is on fire. then you realize, that's not a house. that's something a lot bigger. when caught on camera, up in flames, continues. thank you for being my hero and my dad. military families are uniquely thankful for many things, the legacy of usaa auto insurance could be one of them. if you're a current or former military member or their family,

get an auto insurance quote and see why 92% of our members plan to stay for life. (receptionist) gunderman group is growing. getting in a groove. growth is gratifying. goal is to grow. gotta get greater growth. i just talked to ups. they got expert advise, special discounts, new technologies. like smart pick ups. they'll only show up when you print a label and it's automatic. we save time and money. time? money? time and money. awesome. awesome! awesome! awesome! awesome! (all) awesome! i love logistics. introducing... a pm pain reliever that dares to work all the way until... the am. new aleve pm the only one to combine a safe sleep aid plus the 12 hour strength of aleve. which means it's time for the volkswagen sign-then-drive event. for practically just your signature,

you could drive home for the holidays in a german-engineered volkswagen. like the sporty, advanced new jetta... and the 2015 motor trend car of the year all-new golf. if you're wishing for a new volkswagen this season... just about all you need is a finely tuned... pen. hurry in and get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first month's payment on select new volkswagen models. ♪hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem♪ ♪to say, throw care away. ♪from everywhere, filling the air♪ chex party mix. easy fifteen-minute homemade recipes you just pop in a microwave. like chocolate caramel drizzles. happier holidays. chex party mix.

a chemical fire turns day into night. and sends a community searching for cover. >> quite frankly, it looked like we had hell on earth down there. >> october 4th, 2011. a fire breaks out 30 miles south of dallas at the magnablend chemical plant in waxahachie, texas. the blaze ignites thousands of gallons of liquid chemicals and within minutes transforms acres of buildings into a sea of flames. >> once it got to the products, typically the mineral oil and the hydrocarbon based products petroleum products, that's going to light off and continue until there's no more fire load. >> fireballs explode while a thick black blanket of smoke spews hundreds of feet in the air. the morning sky grow so dark local resident chris dillinger believes a storm is brewing on the horizon. >> at first i thought, man, is that a rain cloud? i thought the skies were clear.

i take a second look. that's not a rain cloud at all. it's absolutely huge. that's crazy. this is insane. absolutely enormous clouds. the first thing that pops in your mind is somebody's house is on fire. then you realize, oh, that's not a house. that's something a lot bigger. look at that, dude. >> i doesn't even look real. >> no, it don't look real. >> like we're sitting here looking at some crazy -- >> local firefighters attempt to get the blaze under control, but their numbers are no match for an inferno of this magnitude. >> they do not have a full-time haz-mat team like we have here in dallas. so when we received the mutual aid call, we headed toward what looked like little hiroshima cloud that was in the south here. when we arrive, the flames were literally visible -- of course, texas is flat here.

we don't have the mountains and trees that some of the prettier areas of the world have. but we had a thermal column that was a good two, 250 into the air. the smoke was a jet black sometimes gray, which indicates some type of hydrocarbon or petroleum products. >> the danger grows exponentially as the fire spreads outside the main compound. rivers of burning liquid chemicals consume everything in their paths. the flames come within feet of railroad cars filled with explosive fuel and more chemicals. if they explode, the dire situation could get even worse. but the flames aren't the only thing the firefighters are worry ed about. no one knows if the massive plume of smoke are releasing deadly toxins into the community. and it's the job of ted padgett

and the dallas hazardous materials team to determine the threat. >> our first interest when we arrived was to determine what we could based on ground level runoff and even the airborne particulates. we had three or four tests that we did initially. we checked the smoke. our testing on site indicated we had ammonium products, we had ketones, aldehydes. what you would typically see in any large industrial batching plant. >> while the team checks for toxins, local officials decide they can't afford to take any chances. hundreds of students from a school only a quarter mile away are taken by bus to safe locations. some residents are also ordered to leave, but chris dillinger must make the decision on his own. >> i didn't think about, you know, poisonous gases or anything until we came back and then turned on the tv because, you know, we didn't know it was an industrial fire. once we knew what it was, we

started thinking maybe we should leave. eventually we didn't leave because we knew the smoke was blowing away from you. it did make me a little bit nervous. >> after enduring six hours of punishing heat and flames, firefighters almost completely contain the blaze. and the haz-mat team releases it results. the air quality is not a threat to the community. >> our personnel were there for approximately five, almost six hours before we cleared it. we determined there was nothing above the threshold limit. there were nuisance odor but nothing above what would be considered a hazard. >> all the employee escape without any injuries, but the magnablend plant is in ruins. the devastation so complete, the story is covered on the national news. >> in texas, a huge chemical fire is still burning tonight about 30 miles south of dallas. >> a massive ground cleanup

begin immediately after the accident. workers rush to contain contaminated water and other chemical to prevent them from running off into sewers. >> so we turned it over to the private been entity that brought out their back trucks and soil remediation equipment. they'll be there for a good private entities who brought out their back trucks and soil remediation equipment. they'll be there for a good while trying to make this back into an inert, safe area and once again to conduct operations. >> weeks after the fire, the town returns to its daily routine, but this horrific industrial accident won't be easily forgotten. >> now it's just a bunch of charred remains, and it smells quite bad. i think it's going to take quite a while for them to clean this up. and it's just an absolute disaster there. i feel a bit bad for the people that lived closer than we do because it reeks. coming up -- a day at the races brings one

driver to the edge of death. >> if we didn't react with enough time, it was going to turn into a fatality. sked people a simple question: in retirement, will you outlive your money? uhhh. no, that can't happen. that's the thing, you don't know how long it has to last. everyone has retirement questions. so ameriprise created the exclusive.. confident retirement approach. now you and your ameripise advisor can get the real answers you need. well, knowing gives you confidence. start building your confident retirement today.

you get used to food odors you think it smells fine, but your guests think it smells like this... ( sound effects ) febreze air effects works instantly to eliminate odors you've gone noseblind to. it smells so much better! so you and your guests can breathe happy. how can i help you? oh, you're real? you know i'm real! at discover, we're always here to talk. good, 'cause i don't have time for machines. some companies just don't appreciate the power of conversation! you know, i like you! i like you too! at discover, we treat you like you'd treat you. get the it card and talk to a real person. ["mony mony" by billy idole she cokicks in on car stereo]y". ♪don't stop now come on mony♪ ♪come on yeah ♪i say yeah ♪yeah ♪yeah ♪yeah ♪yeah ♪yeah ♪yeah ♪'cause you make me feel like a pony♪ ♪so good ♪like your pony ♪so good ♪ride the pony

the sentra, with bose audio and nissanconnect technology. spread your joy. having a perfectly nice day, when out of nowhere a pick-up truck slams into your brand new car. one second it wasn't there and the next second... boom! you've had your first accident. now you have to make your first claim. so you talk to your insurance company and... boom! you're blindsided for a second time. they won't give you enough money to replace your brand new car. don't those people know you're already shaken up? liberty mutual's new car replacement will pay for the entire value of your car plus depreciation. call and for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. switch to liberty mutual insurance and you could save up to $423 dollars. call liberty mutual for a free quote today at see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance.

yay, game night, so much fun. a russian plane explodes minutes before takeoff. january 1, 2011, siberia. an airplane is taxiing for takeoff when suddenly its engine ignites on the runway. fire and thick black smoke fill the back of the cabin and quickly envelope the fuselage. panic ensues as passengers open the aircraft doors to escape, but within seconds the interior of the plane is on fire. passengers on the ground cry out to others escaping on the emergency slides. many don't know whether their

loved ones are still inside. firefighters pour water on the burning airplane but fail to get the blaze under control. the plane continue to burn for ten minutes until a massive explosion erupts in the midsection and the plane is left to burn itself out. russian officials believe an engine malfunction is the cause of the fire. three people are killed, but the death toll could have been much higher had this tragedy occurred after the airplane had left the ground. a terrible explosion could mean the end of a career for a young race car driver. july 30, 2009. it's saturday, and in iowa that means sprint car racing at knoxville raceway. they may look like toys, but don't be fooled. the average sprint car can reach

speeds of up to 140 miles per hour. it's a family tradition that mike houseman has carried on for more than eight years. >> sprint cars are probably the most powerful dirt car there is. my dad raced for like 25 years, mainly here in knoxville. my brother races now. my cousin raced. my grandpa raced. so it's a big kind of family deal with us. >> but on this night the family dynasty almost comes to a tragic end. >> i remember the start of the race, starting up front. i remember running a few laps under green, then battling with another car side by side. he kept getting closer and closer to me. >> the two drivers jockey back and forth for the lead until mike suddenly realizes something is wrong. >> then one lap i didn't see him. i just felt a hard impact, and the next thing i knew i was in the air.

>> oh, trouble! >> while i was in the air, i could feel my tank had ruptured. i started feeling the fuel dump on me. >> mike's sprint car lands right side up and immediately bursts into flames, but he's trapped in his seat soaking in gasoline as the fire quickly surrounds him. >> so i started breathing in pretty heavy amounts of fire. after a while my belts melted so i couldn't get them off. so i was just thinking, i'm probably going to die in this race car. >> raceway firefighters austin kingry and shane spaulding witness the crash directly in front of them. but they must watch helplessly as the flames envelope the car. >> we had to pause there and wait for the rest of the field to go by. it seemed like forever that we had to stand there. >> watching this wreck made your heart drop into your chest because you know that both those drivers were in danger. >> and you could see the car shaking and hear mike screaming in the car. so i knew if we didn't react with enough time and get there fast enough that it was going to turn into a fatality. >> the track clears as shane and

austin race across to reach mike. but no one is sure if he's still alive. >> i was behind austin when we were running up to the car. i saw him start spraying his extinguisher first so i started spraying. when he got about two or three foot from the car he dropped his extinguisher to go in and help mike because mike obviously hadn't gotten out yet. >> i initially sprayed my extinguisher to knock down the flames so i could get myself in there. as my partner ran around to the back side to push fire away from me and reached in, and he still had his chest belts on. we had to undo his chest belts. we had to get rid of the steering wheel. >> next thing i know, some guy's reaching in and grabbing me and dragging me out. i remember my throat just hurting really bad like i had drank a bunch of lighter fluid or something. my throat was just on fire. >> mike is taken to the hospital with first and second degree burn on his face and legs.

but the scars aren't just physical. mike replay the video of the accident in an attempt to understand what went wrong. >> i just kept rewatching it, rewatching it and rewatching it, just to try to break down what happened, what i could have done different. i mean, you're always going to second-guess yourself when something like this happens. >> mike makes a full recovery and, despite his brush with death, is back in the driver's seat only one month after the crash. his return to racing also includes a special thanks to the firefighters who put themselves on the line to save his life. >> then i just told them that, you know, my daughter still has a father because of them and i wanted them to know that. >> there will always be dangers when it comes to fire and explosions, but not every incident ends in tragedy. especially when we have firefighters willing to face the flames head-on. i'm contessa brewer. that's all for this edition of "caught on camera."

the most memorable. >> one shot, pow right across the chops. >> most dramatic. >> someone just drops. >> most explosive stories ever seen through a lens. >> you can aua