40 years since largest peacetime evacuation
Known as the Mississauga Miracle, more than 200,000 residents were safely evacuated following a historic train derailment
On November 10, 1979, a few minutes before midnight, the undercarriage of a 106-car CP Rail freight train overheated. The rail cars jumped the track, causing several propane tank cars to catch fire, and several others to explode. The explosions fireball reached a height of 1,500 m, spreading chlorine into the air. While there were multiple injuries, there surprisingly were no fatalities.
Neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood in Mississauga was evacuated. Some of the displaced residents were placed in Brampton, as the city helped its neighbours with the emergency response. Some evacuees were sent to locations like Sheridan College and Brampton Centennial Secondary School. J. A. Turner Secondary Schools gyms held up to 250 evacuees, according to the student newspaper. Some families even offered their spare rooms to evacuees.
The inferno was extinguished at 2:30 a.m., November 13, over 50 hours after it started.
Peel Police from across the Region worked around the clock, to help manage the evacuation.
50 people, who were either part of the emergency efforts or an evacuee, were recently interviewed by Heritage Mississauga historian Matthew Wilkinson. Their memories are part of a 1 hour documentary.
A Mississauga Miracle exhibit chronicling the explosion is available at 2 venues:
- Bradley Museum, 1620 Orr Road, Missisauga, until November 15
- The Grange, 1921 Dundas Street West, Mississauga, until November 17
Many records of the derailment, created and collected by the City of Mississauga, are available for public access at the Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives.
The archives program at PAMA maintains records for the Regional Municipality of Peel, City of Mississauga, City of Brampton, and Town of Caledon.
