This is like a Michael Bay wet dream. How much fucking acetylene were they storing? And where the hell did it come from, underground? Canisters?

Acetylene is explosive in concentrations as low as 3%.

They were refilling canisters with a device that did not meet OSHA standards. Ignoring safety concerns is kind of a running thing with companies in that neighborhood, but it's not usually as awesome to watch. Enjoy an annotated slideshow:
http://cbs11tv.com/slideshows/Dallas.acetylene.fuel.20.229126. html?rid=1

Ten minutes of eerie, soundless explosions can only get five stars.

According to a CNN website report, they were storing about 100,000 cubic feet of acetylene. The whole thing started with a truck that had about a dozen cylinders on it's bed, all being filled at once. If you look closely, near the beginning you can see a dark mass with rockets blasting upwards. That's the truck that started it.

Also, keep an eye out for the small hose trying to put it out, that stops once a large explosion fills the area. Surprisingly, this didn't kill anyone.

10 minutes, holy shit!

Ten minutes is nothing- At one point, the local news called up someone who owned a similar depot, and asked him about when they could expect the fire/explosion to end. He told them "Tomorrow."

The important part is that they asked him this at roughly 10 AM.

I wonder what music that syncs up to

I love the people just driving to work past the giant exploding acetylene depot

KOYAAAAAAAAANISQATSI

KOYAAAAAAAAANISQATSI

The tanks shooting off like rockets to explode offscreen are terrifying. WHY didn't they shut down the highway???

I'd also love some 'after' shots... there's gotta be a glass-filled crater there now.

the hell with Fireworks on July 4. just blow up a bunch of chemical tanks set to music for like 30 minutes...much much better