On January 11 , 1917 , a fire started in Building 30 of the Canadian Car and Foundry Company at Kingsland in Bergen County , New Jersey . In 4 hours , probably 500,000 pieces of 76 mm ( 3 " ) - high explosive shells were discharged . The entire plant was destroyed . It was said to have been a spectacle more magnificent than the nearby 1916 explosion at Black Tom . From office buildings and tall apartments , people in New York City watched with amazement
Black Tom
Black Tom explosion
Kingsland explosion