The behaviour in an engulfing fire of tank wagons loaded with petrol or crude oil has been simulated with the ENGULF II code. The base case was a 30-min pool fire with a black body temperature of 850 degrees C. In a sensitivity analysis, the black body temperature was reduced to 800 degrees C or the flames were assumed to engulf half the tank surface. The tank wagon was assumed to be overturned or the seal of the loading hatch was assumed to blow out. The survival of a Finnish petrol tank wagon was found to be sensitive to minor changes in tank or fire parameters and thus difficult to predict in accident situations. A Russian crude oil tank wagon would become shell full of liquid early into a fire and probably survive a 30-min pool fire. The different behaviour of simulated tank wagons loaded with petrol and crude oil is supported by accident data. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.