PHOTO BYGLENN WELLING COLLECTION 1936-1942/HEINZ HISTORY CENTER

On Thursday, Dec. 17, 1936, an explosion in the Strip District caused bananas to rain down over the area.

During this week in Pittsburgh history, Pittsburgh Banana Company employee Peter Kavanek was just going about his normal routine. When he turned on an electric fan, however, an explosion happened. Kavanek was buried in debris and bananas up to his neck until firemen found him. He was slightly injured.

One speculation about how the incident happened is that it was the result of business practice controlled ripening. According to Archives and Manuscripts, the company had a ripening room — the bananas were kept at the perfect ripening temperature with gas heaters. Ripening bananas also produces ethylene gas, which is flammable. When the electrical fan was turned on, it could have triggered the gas in the room, causing the explosion.

A Pittsburgh Press article published later that day reported there was also a suspected gas leak in the area.

According to 90.5 WESA, the explosion ripped out an entire wing of the banana building company. The blast rolled across the street, blowing out 54 windows in St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, and was so forceful that the fire department didn’t wait for a call to start for the scene.

By Monday, however, St. Stan’s students were back at school, their windows replaced by cement blocks. Even though the church has been renovated, the tower’s bonnets were never recreated.