In Boston, on January 15, 1919, the explosion of a faulty, structurally weak molasses tank killed 11 people and injured 50 others. Two million gallons of molasses spilled into the streets, creating an 8-meter-high tsunami. Eleven municipal employees were killed in the city hall building immediately next to the tank. The explosion was reported to have occurred as a result of the compression of gases produced by the fermenting molasses.

The Montgomery Advertiser January 16, 1919