It started with a small fire in the hold of the French steamer, Grandcamp, which was docked in the port at Texas City. The captain, anxious to keep water from destroying the rest of his cargo, tried to isolate the fire by closing the hold where the fire broke out and applying pressurized steam. But the heat from the hold ignited the 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate already on board and the ship exploded, setting fire to a nearby ship, the High Flyer, which carried an additional load of ammonium nitrate and more than 1,000 tons of sulfur. The High Flyer exploded 16 hours later. The port was leveled and all but one member of the Texas City fire department were killed.
In addition to tighter regulations on the storing and transport of ammonium nitrate, the Texas City disaster led to a landmark lawsuit against the federal government.
