Massive pileup in my state (40+ cars)

[BlazE]

Last night we got some snow/ice on the ground, and this morning this video surfaced on the internet of a 40+ car pileup that occurred last night. I think the articles said two people died. This is a reminder for those of you who drive, be extra careful in the snow.

I nearly shit my pants when the tanker truck flew off the side of the bridge.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2016/12/17/at-least-40-cars-one-tanker-involved-in-i-95-crash/

[Chatter]

Yeah, winter can cause some big trouble, especially in traffic. Stay as safe as you can, good luck not dying.

[BlazE]

Yeah, winter can cause some big trouble, especially in traffic. Stay as safe as you can, good luck not dying.

I avoid driving in it at all costs. I've been in a snow related accident and ever since then I don't even try. Unfortunately people in my state are terrible drivers.

[ShutMeUp!]

I nearly shit my pants when the tanker truck flew off the side of the bridge.

I'd shit my pants twice, tbh, just seeing the video i was kinda shocked of what happened, the hit at almost the end obviously didn't help it.

Sweet jesus.. Good luck with the drivers.. ._.

[Soaring Wings]

[Chad Morgan]

What the heck blew up  ?  I thought that was a Hollywood fallacy (wait, it is, or literally all of them would have blown up.)

[BlazE]

What the heck blew up  ?  I thought that was a Hollywood fallacy (wait, it is, or literally all of them would have blown up.)

It was a tanker truck hauling fuel that flew off the side of the bridge. It exploded on impact.

[sk8ace]

Yea that video is nuts. Overpass + blind bend before it? + ice = bad things

[Chad Morgan]

It was a tanker truck hauling fuel that flew off the side of the bridge. It exploded on impact.

Yet again, I thought that was a fallacy.

[BlazE]

It was a tanker truck hauling fuel that flew off the side of the bridge. It exploded on impact.

Yet again, I thought that was a fallacy.

You thought the explosive properties of fuel was a fallacy? 

[Chad Morgan]

Flammable substances are not explosive unless vaporized and mixed with air at the proper ratio.  So yes.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EveryCarIsAPinto
"This trope comes from the well accepted fact that vehicles are generally full of flammable substances like gasoline. It, of course, ignores the fact that these flammable substances are not explosive unless vaporized and mixed with air at the proper ratio. At worst your "exploding" car would actually be a small fire. Needless to say, Rule of Cool is in full effect here. In fact, some people have demonstrated, if you toss a lit cigarette into a bucket of gasoline, you don't even get a fire: the liquid extinguishes the cigarette before it can set anything ablaze."

[BlazE]

Flammable substances are not explosive unless vaporized and mixed with air at the proper ratio.  So yes.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EveryCarIsAPinto
"This trope comes from the well accepted fact that vehicles are generally full of flammable substances like gasoline. It, of course, ignores the fact that these flammable substances are not explosive unless vaporized and mixed with air at the proper ratio. At worst your "exploding" car would actually be a small fire. Needless to say, Rule of Cool is in full effect here. In fact, some people have demonstrated, if you toss a lit cigarette into a bucket of gasoline, you don't even get a fire: the liquid extinguishes the cigarette before it can set anything ablaze."

I'll respond to an article with an article. This doesn't specifically explain tanker truck explosions, but it makes the point.

http://jalopnik.com/why-cars-explode-into-fireballs-and-why-they-usually-do-560552028

[Chad Morgan]

Yeah, gas doesn't explode without the right ratio of vapor and air, but maybe it burned.

[sk8ace]

Flammable substances are not explosive unless vaporized and mixed with air at the proper ratio.  So yes.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EveryCarIsAPinto
"This trope comes from the well accepted fact that vehicles are generally full of flammable substances like gasoline. It, of course, ignores the fact that these flammable substances are not explosive unless vaporized and mixed with air at the proper ratio. At worst your "exploding" car would actually be a small fire. Needless to say, Rule of Cool is in full effect here. In fact, some people have demonstrated, if you toss a lit cigarette into a bucket of gasoline, you don't even get a fire: the liquid extinguishes the cigarette before it can set anything ablaze."

I mean, I lit cig is not a flame. Throw a lit match in and it will start to burn. Gas gives off it's own vapor without needing any sort of forced vaporizing. Cars use injectors to vaporize the gas to be more efficient.
You can also have poor mixture and still get an explosion, though it won't be as powerful as with a proper mixture. Small explosions cause more fuel dispersal, which cause more mini explosions until the total minimum explosive mixture is attained and all the fuel is spent at once.

The cause of the explosion was a chain reaction of sorts. Hot engine/exhaust/sparkplugs + massive puncture + fuel dispersal because of impact = fire and then explosion.

[BlazE]

Flammable substances are not explosive unless vaporized and mixed with air at the proper ratio.  So yes.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EveryCarIsAPinto
"This trope comes from the well accepted fact that vehicles are generally full of flammable substances like gasoline. It, of course, ignores the fact that these flammable substances are not explosive unless vaporized and mixed with air at the proper ratio. At worst your "exploding" car would actually be a small fire. Needless to say, Rule of Cool is in full effect here. In fact, some people have demonstrated, if you toss a lit cigarette into a bucket of gasoline, you don't even get a fire: the liquid extinguishes the cigarette before it can set anything ablaze."

I mean, I lit cig is not a flame. Throw a lit match in and it will start to burn. Gas gives off it's own vapor without needing any sort of forced vaporizing. Cars use injectors to vaporize the gas to be more efficient.
You can also have poor mixture and still get an explosion, though it won't be as powerful as with a proper mixture. Small explosions cause more fuel dispersal, which cause more mini explosions until the total minimum explosive mixture is attained and all the fuel is spent at once.

The cause of the explosion was a chain reaction of sorts. Hot engine/exhaust/sparkplugs + massive puncture + fuel dispersal because of impact = fire and then explosion.

I literally typed a huge paragraph mentioning the engine, compression in the tank upon impact, gas/liquid fuel escaping any point in can, and burning, but then backspaced it and pasted an article lol

Any number of things could have caused the explosion, but yes the firey explosion you see is simply the large amount of fuel being burned.