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MOMENTS AFTER A NEW YORK CITY office building maintenance worker told people not to evacuate the building, a huge explosion in a sidewalk elecrtical vault sent a fireball up several stories and scorched the front of the building, showering debris along the entire block.

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New York Times / de Rouge photo

Office workers started smelling a strong, burning plastic odor around 10 am Thursday morning, but nobody bothered calling 9-1-1 until more than 30 minutes later.  FDNY arrived on the scene at 10:45 and started looking for the source of the smell and the rapidly-building smoke.  They upgraded the alarm response and told the building officials to evacuate the premises.  The New York Times reports:

Upstairs, according to people who work in the building, fire alarms started going off around 11. But they described a public address system announcement that said there was no need to evacuate.

Some left anyway — among them Tami Woronoff, who works for Grit TV.  She said that a maintenance person on the sidewalk told her: “There’s no problem. Go back upstairs. You can take the elevator.”

She did, and minutes later, the explosion rocked the building.

Despite the recorded messages, everybody then fled the building. 

The Associated Press filed this video report:

Employees at a Radio Shack store on the ground floor told the New York Post that ConEd, the electric utility, was working in the vault on Monday.  City building inspectors searched through the building that afternoon and determined that there was no structural damage and it is safe for occupancy.  Investgators from the city and ConEd are seeking for the cause of the transformer to explode.  There have not been any reported injuries.

Read the full New York Times story HERE.

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Good thing the engine pulled forward a little farther.
New York Post / Austin Riggs

Posted by firegeezer on February 12, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Videos, explosion, fire

Explosion Rocks Connecticut City

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Updates posted.  Scroll down for the latest.

AN EXPLOSION AT A TRASH-TO-ENERGY GAS-FIRED POWER PLANT in Middletown, Connecticut, shook homes as far as 10 miles away Sunday morning.  The blast occurred shortly after 11:30 am Eastern and early, unconfirmed reports say that as many as 100 people could be injured and they are expecting several fatalities.

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WFSB-TV

WTIC-TV is reporting:

Medical rescue personnel said 100 were injured, four critically, and two were dead. “There are bodies everywhere,” a witness said. Another witness said many victims may be buried in rubble

An hour after the explosion and what is believed to be the Kleen Energy Systems plant on River Road, emergency rescue personnel were continuing to arrive by vehicle and helicopter. Helicopters were airlifting victims to area hospitals.

There were as many as 20 ambulances at the plant.

Neighbors of the plant said as many as 100 employees may have been working there when the explosion took place. Confirmed information about damage and injuries from authorities was difficult to obtain.

A witness said the explosion took place during a test of the plant’s power generating systems.

WTNH-TV filed this early video report at 12:30 pm:

It is still early into the incident, so we will be updating as more information comes in.  Check back for updates.

Rob Ladd at New London County Fire Photo has provided this location map by Bing

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Listen to live fire radio traffic HERE.

Update, 3 pm:
At 2:30 it was announced that all fires are out.
The Middetown fire marshal says that one wall of the structure was blown out.
At least two workers have died.

There is a probability that several more workers are buried under the blast debris of metal, concrete, and steel.  The Governor of Connecticut has approved the dispatch of the state USAR Team.

The workers were completing a “blow down” to clear natural gas from the lines when the explosion occurred.

WTNH-TV has this updated video report that runs for 10:26,

 

Update, 6 pm:
In a just-concluded press conference, Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliano announced that there are five known fatalities and at least 12 injured workers.  An active search is still underway for any other victims underneath the building parts that were blown apart.  The search is partly complicated by the difficulty in learning how many people were working at the site when the blast occurred.  There are manysub-contractors involved and the process of attaining valid rosters is time-consuming.

The power plant which is under construction, was 95% completed and scheduled to go online late this summer.

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AP photo

Posted by firegeezer on February 7, 2010 • Filed under: Mass Casualty Incident, explosion • Tagged: , ,

A New Way to Blow Up Your House

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TRISTA MEEHAN OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, HAD A backed-up sewer line and needed it to be unplugged.  After calling in the Roto-Rooter man and learning that he couldn’t fix it, she called one of the local plumbers, Lee “Ron the Sewer Rat” Moey.  The Pioneer Press relates what happened next:

“He was using a normal main-line sewer auger,” Ron Moey said. “We weren’t digging up the line or anything.”

But after he had worked for less than a half-hour, a sudden gush of water shot out of the sewer line, and Lee Moey heard a hissing noise from deep in the pipe. He smelled gas and watched as the basement’s windows blew out and tiny fires caught in the corners of the basement.

“Get out! Get out!” yelled Lee Moey, first-degree burns covering his face. The owner and only other occupant of the Highland Park home fled outside with him. Within an hour of the 10 a.m. blast, firefighters had evacuated more than a dozen nearby residences, warning that underground gas could put them in danger.

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Pioneer Press

This story began in 1991 when the gas utility Xcel Energy relocated the gas mains in several areas of the city.  In order to save time and expense, they used a “trenchless” system of laying pipe that involves a horizontal boring through the ground.  In some instances the machine drilled through the sewer lines and laid the new gas pipe crossways through the sewer.

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Minnesota Dept. of Public Safety

After several instances of plumbers unknowingly severing gas lines while working on sewers, in 2003 Xcel sent a bulletin to 23,000 plumbers and utility workers saying, “Utility lines may have been inadvertently installed through some sewer lines” and could pose a “risk to public safety.”  The Star-Tribune has more details about Xcel’s history of sewer problems HERE.

When the St. Paul FD arrived on the scene Monday, they found fire in part of the house and started an interior attack.  But as soon as they found that it was a gas-fed fire, they pulled out and began protecting the exposures.  KARE-TV continues the story:

“We weren’t going to save this house because of the way the fire was being fed by gas,” explained St. Paul Fire Marshall Steve Zaccard, “we weren’t going to be able to save it so we didn’t risk lives doing that  

When a basement gas line breaks, it can move through sewer lines and fill nearby homes that are on the system. Authorities say the immediate concern was that the natural gas would fill the sewer system and surrounding homes with gas. 

“Now the gas is in the sewer system, was out here in the street, we found gas readings in some of the neighboring homes,” said Zaccard, “so we had to evacuate the neighborhood, about 15 homes.”

KARE-TV posted this video report from the fireground:

Within an hour Xcel was able to shut down the local main and begin repairing the line, completing it before nightfall and restoring service to the homes.  The house where it started was a total loss and Ron the Sewer Rat needed hospital treatment for burns to his face.  Read the rest of the STORY HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on February 3, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Videos, explosion, fire • Tagged: , , , , ,

Homemade Rocket Sled – Fail

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A 62-YR.-OLD MICHIGAN MAN IS HOSPITALIZED this week after his makeshift rocket sled blew him up on Saturday.  The unidentified Oakland County man has a sledding party behind his house every year and each time he tries a different stunt.

This year he decided to play Rocket Man, dressing up with a motorcycle helmet, a garbage bag cape, and a backpack designed to propel him along on his plastic sled-board.  His backpack contained an automobile tailpipe that he had packed with a mixture of gunpowder, gasoline, and match heads with a wick sticking out of it.

As he got ready to shove off down the hill, he had somebody light the wick and then he started downhill.  Within a few seconds the device exploded, leaving him with 2nd-degree burns over his upper body and face, with some possible eye damage.

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Oakland County Sheriff photo

The sheriff’s spokesman added that the man had been drinking before the incident as well.  “Apparently, he has this sledding party every year, and he always does outrageous things at it, but he’s never blown himself up before,” the deputy said.

The Detroit Free Press has the STORY.

Posted by firegeezer on February 2, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, explosion • Tagged: , ,

Downtown Explosion in Belgium

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Updated:  scroll down.

A BUILDING IN THE CENTER OF LIEGE, BELGIUM, was ripped by an explosion at 1:45 am local time this morning (Wednesday).  The blast is believed to have been caused by natural gas, but when the FD arrived the interior of the building was demolished with several fires in different locations throughout the 5-story structure.

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Sud Presse (Belgium)

Fortunately for the FF’s, the building was untenable and all the fire attack had to be done from the outside.

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Sud Presse

Five hours later while the FF’s were still knocking down the fires from outside, the building suddenly collapsed to the ground.

This news video courtesy of Sky News shows the collapse:

There were about 20 people injured by the collapse with at least two hurt seriously.  Early reports say that two, and perhaps four, people are unaccounted for, but it was not said whether they are firefighters or civilians.

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Reuters

Paris Match has the early STORY.
Sud Presse has a 172-image photo gallery HERE.

Update, 5 pm:
A 13-yr.-old girl has been found alive in the rubble as the rescuers continue their extensive search of the building.  The total number injured and hospitalized now stands at 23.  Later in the evening the body of one dead was located and removed.

Update, 10 pm:
More bodies have been retrieved.  See Firegeezer Update posting with more information and additional videos HERE.

Posted by fireball on January 27, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Rescues, Videos, explosion, fire • Tagged: , ,

House Explosion “Felt for Miles”

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A VACANT HOUSE IN CLEVELAND, OHIO, BLEW UP MONDAY afternoon with an explosive force that was felt for miles around.  The blast that was likely caused by a natural gas leak filling the house, also destroyed the two houses on each side of it and has left 15 other homes quarantined.  Fifty-five houses and several businesses within a 6-block radius suffered some form of damages, mostly broken windows.

Plain Dealer / Thomas Ondrey

The gas company had been called to the neighborhood twice since this past Thursday to check on gas odor in the area around the house, but they could find no trace or source for the smell.  An investigation is underway now and there is the possibility that the leak was caused by scrap-metal thieves trying to remove the gas pipes inside the building.

WJW-TV Ch. 8 has this video report from the scene:

Four people who were nearby when the explosion occurred were injured and taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.  Demolition crews are on the scene today removing at least two neighboring houses that were damaged beyond saving.

Another 15 homes are uninhabitable until structural repairs are made to them.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has MORE HERE.

Plain Dealer / Thomas Ondrey

Posted by firegeezer on January 26, 2010 • Filed under: Firefighting Operations, Fires, Videos, explosion, fire • Tagged: ,

16 Dead In Hospital Blast, Collapse

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AN EXPLOSION IN THE CARDIAC CARE UNIT at a hospital in Lugansk, Ukraine, on Monday heavily damaged the building and left at least 16 people dead.

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Reuters

It is unclear exactly what happened, but reports from Ukraine are using terms like “oxygen cannisters exploded.”  It suggests that something sparked in a hyperbaric atmosphere, but whatever occurred, it blew out the side wall and caused two floors of the 6-story building to collapse down onto the (third) floor.

AFP

AFP

Authorities say that there were 261 patients and 350 hospital workers in the building known as City Hospital No. 7 at the time of the explosion.  After searching through the destruction for two days, the rescue workers have given up any further attempts at saving anybody and have withdrawn after saving four lives.  There are no expectations that there are any more victims or bodies in the rubble.

The police have detained the head of the health and safety department of the hospital on suspicion of violating of safety regulations that resulted in fatalities, the press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office reported.

Collated from various European news sources.

Posted by firegeezer on January 20, 2010 • Filed under: Rescues, explosion • Tagged: , , , ,

City Center Blast Injures 12 in UK

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A MID-DAY EXPLOSION SUNDAY IN SHREWSBURY, ENGLAND, completely demolished an apartment building in the center of the city, leaving at least 12 people injured, some seriously.

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BBC News

Miraculously, there were no deaths when what is believed to have been a natural gas explosion blew one woman out through a 2nd-story window and buried five other people under the rubble who were outside in a car.  Another woman and a man are also in “critical but stable” condition in the hospital and four others are being treated in a burn unit.

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BBC News

Supt Martin Whitelegg, from West Mercia Police, said: “There is no evidence that this was a criminal incident, we are not treating it as a crime at this current time.  It is being treated as a probable gas leak… it is believed the explosion was caused by an escape of gas in the vicinity, either in the street or in the building.”

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BBC News

A police spokesman said on-site investigations would continue for “several days, if not a week”.  A Shropshire Fire and Rescue spokesman confirmed there had been ”quite a significant gas leak” but added that it was possible for this to have been caused by the explosion.

The UK Press Association filed this early video report:

Sources used:  BBC News, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian.

Posted by firegeezer on January 5, 2010 • Filed under: Mass Casualty Incident, explosion

Home Explosion Severely Injures Teen

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A DELMAR, NEW YORK, NEIGHBORHOOD WAS ROCKED by an explosion shortly before noon on Friday coming from a modest house in the Albany-area community.  The woman who lives there with her teenage son called 9-1-1 to report the blast just as fire was starting up.  First on the scene were two police officers who were met with heavy smoke coming from the house and just then two more explosions occurred.

Apparently learning from the uninjured lady that her son was inside in the basement, the officers went inside where they found the boy and pulled him out of the house.  The 15-yr.-old was suffering from severe burns over his body and had lost a hand in the blast.

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Times-Union / Tom Heffernan photo

When the fire units arrived on the scene, they decided on caution, not knowing what was causing the explosions, and stayed outside concentrating on protecting the exposures.  Smaller explosions continued for a while as the house burned down.  WRGB-TV reports:

The two town police officers who rescued the boy, along with two paramedics, were treated for “possible exposure to an unknown chemical,” police said. HAZMAT crews were reportedly decontaminating every emergency responder.

A paramedic told Heffernan that the basement was “filled with several chemicals,” while another emergency responder said that rocket fuel may have been among them. Agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives were investigating whether the chemicals were being used in the production of an explosive device.

The Albany Times-Union has MORE.

WXXA-TV Ch. 23 has this video report with good fire footage:

Posted by firegeezer on December 20, 2009 • Filed under: Fires, HazMat, Videos, explosion • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Dangerous Dipping Does In Gum-Chewer

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Vladimir Lokhonos

Vladimir Lokhonos

IN KYIV, UKRAINE, A UNIVERSITY CHEMISTRY STUDENT met an unfortunate end on Thursday when he neglected to  watch where he was dipping his chewing gum.  Vladimir Likhonos, 25, was at home studying in his room with a small dish of citric acid sitting on his desk.  It was his usual practice to dip his chewing gum in it to prolong the taste as he chewed.

But on this day he also had a small quantity of a similar-looking white powder that resembled the citric acid, but which was an as-yet unidentified explosive powder.

The first indication that something was wrong was when his parents heard a “pop” coming from the young man’s room.  When his father went to see what it was, he found Vladimir slumped in his chair with his jaw blown off his face and his entire head a bloody mess.  Apparently he had accidentally dipped his gum into the wrong powder and the combination of the explosive, his saliva and the grinding from chewing it detonated the powder.

The police are treating it as an accident, but are investigating into why he manufactured the explosive in the first place.

Russia Today has the STORY HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on December 14, 2009 • Filed under: EMS Topics, explosion • Tagged: , , , ,

Munitions Collector’s Home Goes Ka-Boom

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PHOENIX, ARIZONA, FIREFIGHTERS WERE CALLED to a house fire shortly before 10 pm Saturday night after neighbors reported hearing an explosion at the home.  When they arrived, they found some smoke showing, a fire just beginning to break through and the homeowner standing out front with burns over the upper part of his body. 

As they started into the house, a series of small explosions started up and the FF’s withdrew back outside.  After putting out the fire that destroyed much of the home, they called in the police bomb squad to investigate and make the area secure.  It turned out that the victim is a military armament collector who also reloads his own ammuntion for his firearms.  They also found many inert hand grenades and rocket grenades.

This video report from KSAZ-V Ch. 10 shows what happened:

The victim is hospitalized with burns to his arms, face and the top of his head.  The man’s wife said her husband was in the “reloading room” at the time of the fire, but he was not reloading ammunition.  The police found nothing illegal in the house, but the neighbors are still jittery.

Posted by firegeezer on December 14, 2009 • Filed under: Fires, Videos, explosion • Tagged: , , , ,

Chemical Ka-Boom in Texas

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Update, 11 am Central:  Early video added,  scroll down.
Update #2 posted, Noon Central.  scroll down.

A HOUSE-SHAKING EXPLOSION AT A HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS, CHEMICAL PLANT occurred about 90 minutes ago, just before 9 am Central time.

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KPRC-TV

The blast took place at an American Acryl plant in Seabrook (Houston area).  A shelter-in-place order has been issued for the city of Seabrook.

Update #1: 
Early video report from KRIV-TV:

Update #2, Noon Central time:
The fire is now reported to be out and the site secured.  All plant employees have been accounted for, but two were transported to the hospital with breathing difficulties.

All shelter-in-place orders have been lifted except for the city of El Lago.

The plant, which has been in operation since 2002, is primarily used to produce acrylic acid, a basic ingredient in a wide array of products including paint, hand lotion, adhesives and diapers. It is highly flammable and can cause skin, eye and lung irritation.  There are approx. 50 employees at the facility.

Posted by firegeezer on December 9, 2009 • Filed under: HazMat, Videos, explosion • Tagged: , ,

School Shattered by Explosion in Virginia

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AN EXPLOSION RIPPED OPEN A WALL IN A Newport News, Virginia, school early Sunday, injuring eight contract workers at the site and leading to a ninth injury in a related traffic accident.  The blast took out a 50-ft. section of wall and moved another wall “off its foundation.”

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Daily Press / Snider

The work crew was performing roofing work over the holiday weekend when the blast occurred directly under where they were standing shortly before 7 am.  The roofers were using propane to melt tar to spread on the roof, but it is too early to determine if that had any bearing on the blast cause.  The Newport News Daily Press reports this morning:

When medics arrived, they found eight men with varying degrees of injuries suffered during the explosion. A fire crew that was first on the scene immediately began treating the (injured), said Battalion Chief Steve Pincus with the Newport News Fire Department. At 7:16 a.m., a second alarm was called “because of the explosion, and for mass casualties,” Pincus said.

“There was a small amount of fire in the roof area when they first arrived, but their most important task is life safety, so a second alarm was called and subsequent apparatus and firefighters began attacking the fire.”

Initially, four of the victims were transported to Riverside Regional Medical Center, three to Sentara Hampton CarePlex and one to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital for burns and other injuries, said Lou Thurston, a Newport News police spokesman. All were taken by ground ambulance and all but one were placed on advanced life support. Two of the victims originally taken to Riverside were later flown by helicopter to Sentara Norfolk General and two were flown to the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Thurston said.

Read the full report in the Daily Press HERE.

WAVY-TV has a video report from the scene:

An ambulance that was responding on the 2nd-alarm was involved in an accident when a 75-yr.-old man drove his car into the path of the ambulance and was injured from the crash.  Police say that the ambulance, that was responding with lights and siren, had the green light at the controlled intersection. 

The ambulance struck the driver’s side door and the man had to be extricated.  He is in fair condition at the hospital.  The two medics were evaluated at the ER and were back on duty by 10 am.

Posted by firegeezer on November 30, 2009 • Filed under: Mass Casualty Incident, Videos, explosion

Spectacular Home Explosion on Cape Cod

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AN APPARENT GAS LEAK IN A SANDWICH, MASSACHUSETTS, home early on Thanksgiving Day led to a massive explosion and fire that burned the lone occupant and destroyed the house.

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Sandwich FD photo

The victim’s sister told reporters that her brother had been complaining about the smell of natural gas ever since a new water heater was installed on Wednesday.  The victim, Joseph Kuzava suffered 2nd-degree burns over his upper torso and was flown to a burn unit in Boston where he is on a respirator.  He is expected to live, however.

NECN has the video report:

CapeWideNews has the story and more photos HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on November 26, 2009 • Filed under: Fires, Videos, explosion • Tagged: , , , ,

Death Toll Soars in Chinese Mine Disaster

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THE NUMBER OF FATALITIES IN THE CHINESE mine explosion Saturday morning has risen to 104 with 4 miners still missing.  The gas explosion in the colliery was reported in Firegeezer HERE on Saturday and even by China’s standards was an especially devastating accident.  Six people remain in the hospital with severe burns.

State-run CCTV has this video report:

ABC News Australia reports:

With the families of dead miners demanding answers, Chinese officials have slammed the safety provisions at the Xinxing mine.  The head of the State Administration of Work Safety, Luo Lin, said the initial explosion was caused by poor ventilation which saw dangerous gas spread quickly.

He also said mine management was responsible for failing to evacuate workers quickly enough.

Xinhua News Agency reports that  management did not abide by regulations that say that miners must be evacuated when gas density exceeding two per cent is detected. In this case, the density in the pit had risen to 10 per cent.  “The mine has too many mining platforms in operation and has sent too many workers down the pit to increase output,” the government media quoted Zhao Tiechui, deputy head of the work safety agency, as saying.

The cause of the accident has been zeroed to poor ventilation in the mine besides poor mine management and inadequate precautions for the safety for workers. The accident happened due to a gas leak in one of the shafts, officials said. The gas poured into the main tunnel and triggered an explosion that shook 28 of the 30 mining platforms in operation because there was not enough ventilation to release the leaked gas.

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Rescuers travel 1/4-mile underground
in search of victims.

Posted by firegeezer on November 23, 2009 • Filed under: Rescues, Videos, explosion • Tagged: , , , ,

China Mine Blast Kills 46

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Update #2, Monday:  See updated video and report on Firegeezer HERE.

Update, Sunday night:  The death toll is now 87 with 21 missing.

CHINA’S MONTHLY COAL MINE DISASTER RIPPED THROUGH A STATE-OWNED mine in the northern province of Heilongjiang, along the Russian border.  The blast, which is intially believed to be a gas explosion, was triggered around 2:30 am while approx. 528 workers were in the mine 1/4-mile underground. 

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So far, there have been 46 known dead and about 40 hospitalized.  While about 415 miners were able to escape from the tunnels, there are still more than 60 people missing.

The always-busy mine rescue agencies have sent 156 rescuers to the site to begin searching for the missing miners.

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Xinhua photo

The mine has a current annual output of 12 million tons of coal.

The Xinhua state news agency has an early REPORT.

Posted by firegeezer on November 21, 2009 • Filed under: Mass Casualty Incident, explosion • Tagged: , , , , ,

Two FF’s Killed in Blast at Russian Military Base

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ulyan a RIA novosti

RIA Novosti

AN EXPLOSION AND SUBSEQUENT FIRE AT A MILITARY DEPOT in Ulyanovsk, Russia, Friday has caused significant damage while killing two military firefighters and injuring at least 20 others.  At first there were thought to be more than 30 missing, but they were found later sequestered in a bomb shelter and escorted to safety.  The facility is a Russian Navy arsenal where weapons and ammunition are stored.  Officials say that there are “thousand of carloads” of ammunition kept in the depot.

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NTV

The Russian Defense Ministry said the initial explosion took place around 4 pm local time (8 am Eastern time) “apparently during the disposal of ammunition.  The explosion in one of its workshops led to a fire which spread onto adjacent buildings of the military units,” the statement said. “The surrounding area is cordoned off. Fifteen fire brigades … are trying to localize the fire.”   The fire response was later upgraded to 20 companies.

CNN has this raw video from VESTI-TV:

Local hospitals were flooded with civilians suffering from cuts by broken glass caused by the long succession of explosions that at one point were occurring every 30 seconds.  Two trucks loaded with gunpowder also exploded.  Provincial governor Sergei Morozov said 3,000 people were evacuated from the area.

Russia Today has this excellent English-language video report that goes into more detail of the fire and the causes:

The two firefighters that perished were part of a team that was working to keep the fire from spreading within the compound.

This report will be updated if and when any further information is released.

Posted by firegeezer on November 14, 2009 • Filed under: Fires, In the Line of Duty, Major Incidents, Videos, explosion • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Schoolgirl Burned in Science Lab Explosion

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 A 10-YR.-OLD GIRL WAS AIRLIFTED to a burn hospital in England on Wednesday afternoon following an explosion caused by a chemical mixture.  The girl was attending an after-school science lab when the event occurred, leaving her with “significant” burns to her hand, arm and face.  While the injuries are extensive, they are not considered life threatening.

The paramedics responded at 4:30 pm and treated the girl with oxygen and used a special gel on her burns while awaiting  the air ambulance.

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Swanage Middle School

The explosion took place in the Swanage Middle School in Dorset, a county in the southwest part of England.  The Dorset Fire and Rescue Dept. needed an hour to clear the classroom of any hazards.  An early report indicated that aluminum powder was involved in the accident, but it was not corroborated.

The Bournemouth Daily Echo has the STORY.
BBC News has MORE.
Dorset Fire and Rescue WEBSITE.

Posted by firegeezer on November 12, 2009 • Filed under: EMS Topics, ambulances, explosion • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Asheville Apartment Explodes, Burns

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Citizen-Times photo

AN APARTMENT IN AN ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, PUBLIC housing complex had an explosive-type event just before noon Monday that started a major fire in the building.  Nobody was home at the time of the blast, but a man working in the vacant apt. next door was slightly injured as he was escaping from the building that contains six dwelling units.

The fire got into the attic area and spread along the roof structure presenting a challenge to the Asheville FRD.  The Citizen-Times has a brief raw video taken during the early stage of the fire HERE.

Arson investigators do not expect to know cause of the fire until later today (Tuesday) at the earliest.  At the time of the fire, the woman who lives in the apartment was in the county courthouse seeking a restraining order against her former boyfriend. An arrest warrant has been issued for him.

Early estimates place the damages at $375,000.

Read the full story in the Citizen-Times HERE.  They also have several photo galleries linked from that page.

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Citizen-Times

Posted by firegeezer on November 10, 2009 • Filed under: Fires, explosion • Tagged: , , ,

Battery Recycling Plant Ablaze

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FIRE BROKE OUT IN A BATTERY RECYLCING FACILITY Saturday afternoon in the Kootenays region of British Columbia.  The fire started around 4 pm Pacific time in the Toxoco Waste Management Facility in Fruitvale.  The plant is still burning on Sunday morning, but the fire, which spread to an adjoining building, has been contained.

The RCMP said stored lithium batteries exploded after a fire started in a small underground building at the Toxco plant, and the flames quickly spread next door to bundles of plastic and cardboard at Alpine Recycling.  They say that there were no people on the property at the time of the fire.  Witnessess say there were several explosions around 5 pm followed by a lot of flames and orange smoke.

Toxco advised the public that sulphur dioxide gas that had been given off during the fire did not pose any risk to the public, as it dissipated into the atmosphere.

The plant recycles materials from lithium batteries and recovers zinc and other metals from alkaline batteries.

Canadian Press has the STORY.

Posted by firegeezer on November 8, 2009 • Filed under: HazMat, explosion, fire • Tagged: , , , , ,

Hydrogen Explosion Rocks St. Joe

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A LIQUID HYDROGEN STORAGE TANK BLEW UP EARLY FRIDAY MORNING at a soybean processing plant in St. Joseph, Missouri.  The tank was one of six located outside the factory building.

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There is no explanation yet for what caused the tank to blow, but there was a product delivery earlier that night.  However, it is not believed to have contributed to the accident.  When the tank exploded around 3:15 am, there were about 20 employees inside and 10 – 15 people outside, some of them truck drivers waiting to pick up loads.

The blast was felt throughout the entire city, waking people from their sleep.  But there have been no reported injuries from it.  Plant officials are saying that the absence of injuries is probably due to the location of the tanks.  Another saving grace was that the tank blew its top, venting the force upward instead of outward.  The debris field extended 80 ft. in one direction and 140 ft. in another.

The explosion started several fires in the tank area, but they were handled without incident by the FD.  However, the had to remain on the scene for several hours keeping re-ignitions from taking place.

WDAF-TV has a video report from the scene:
 

Posted by firegeezer on November 6, 2009 • Filed under: HazMat, Videos, explosion • Tagged: , , , , ,

OSHA Levies Record Fine for Refinery Fire in 2005

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THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (OSHA) has just levied penalties against the BP oil giant in the amount of $87,430,000 for its failure to take corrective actions following a deadly explosion at their Texas City, Texas, refinery in March, 2005.  The destructive blast killed 15 people and injured 170 others.  Investigation found that the explosion was caused by a series of safety violations on the site and BP entered into an agreement with OSHA to correct the deficiencies.  However, they failed to do so.

bp a AP

The industrial safety website ISHN.com reports:

“When BP signed the OSHA settlement from the March 2005 explosion, it agreed to take comprehensive action to protect employees. Instead of living up to that commitment, BP has allowed hundreds of potential hazards to continue unabated,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “Fifteen people lost their lives as a result of the 2005 tragedy, and 170 others were injured. An $87 million fine won’t restore those lives, but we can’t let this happen again. Workplace safety is more than a slogan. It’s the law. The U.S. Department of Labor will not tolerate the preventable exposure of workers to hazardous conditions.”

For noncompliance with the terms of the settlement agreement, the BP Texas City Refinery has been issued 270 “notifications of failure to abate” with fines totaling $56.7 million. Each notification represents a penalty of $7,000 times 30 days, the period that the conditions have remained unabated. OSHA also identified 439 new willful violations for failures to follow industry-accepted controls on the pressure relief safety systems and other process safety management violations with penalties totaling $30.7 million.

“BP was given four years to correct the safety issues identified pursuant to the settlement agreement, yet OSHA has found hundreds of violations of the agreement and hundreds of new violations. BP still has a great deal of work to do to assure the safety and health of the employees who work at this refinery,” said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab.

BP’s Texas City refinery is the third-largest in the U. S. with a capacity of 475,000 bbl. of crude per day.

This is the largest fine in OSHA’s history.  The 2nd-largest penalty, $21 million, was also levied against BP.

Thanks to mofiretrain1.

Posted by firegeezer on November 6, 2009 • Filed under: News, explosion, safety • Tagged: , , ,

Explosion Levels German Rowhouses

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AN EXPLOSION RIPPED THROUGH A GROUP OF ROWHOUSES in Hattersheim am Main near Wiesbaden, Germany, Thursday evening.

Hattersheim a DPA

DPA photo

The blast destroyed the center building of the  apartment-style row and left six dwellings completely destroyed.  There was a resultant fire that was contained to the blast site.  Nobody was killed, but there were at least 15 injured, two of them critically.

hattersheim b DPA

Weisbaden112 / Ehresmann

There is every indication that it was a gas explosion on the ground floor, but it has not yet been confirmed as a certainty.

About 300 fire and rescue personnel responded to the scene and they thoroughly searched the rubble of the three stories on the ground before deciding that there were  no victims buried in the debris.

hattersheim d wiesbaden112

Weisbaden112 / Ehresmann

The Wiesbadener Kurier has the STORY.

Posted by firegeezer on October 30, 2009 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, explosion • Tagged: , , ,

Kitchen Ka-Boom Sets House Afire

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burrillville a WPRI

WPRI-TV image

A BURRILLVILLE, RHODE ISLAND, MAN IS HOSPITALIZED this morning following and explosion and fire in the kitchen of his duplex home. 

Neighbors in the usually-quiet area said they heard two large “booms” and when they looked outside they saw smoke pouring from the windows of both apartments in the building.

WPRI-TV Ch. 12 reports on this video:

The video report repeats the earlier police declaration that bomb-making materials were found inside the home.  But neighbors who know the occupant are saying that he was a model rocket hobbyist and was often working with his rocket motors and models.  One person told the Providence Journal:

“A model rocket blew up in his face,” she said, citing the explanation she got from the victim as he was helped out of the house. “He said it blew up on the kitchen table.”

Laroque and other neighbors said the injured man, who they identified as Ronald Paquin, has an interest in toy rockets and is often working with them.

The victim is in Rhode Island Hospital and reportedly being treated for 2nd- and 3rd-degree burns to his arms and hands.  Witnesses also said that his face was covered with soot and he couldn’t see when he was taken away by ambulance.  The fire was contained to the downstairs kitchen and was quickly extinguished by the Nasonville FD.

Posted by firegeezer on October 25, 2009 • Filed under: Fires, HazMat, explosion • Tagged: , , , ,

Costly Ka-Booms in Puerto Rico

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Update #2, Video added, scroll down

AN EXPLOSION AT A GULF OIL FACILITY near San Juan, Puerto Rico early this morning has set at least 11 gasoline storage tanks on fire.  The initial explosion happened shortly after midnight and the blast led to another, eventually igniting others in the complex of 30 storage tanks.

Puerto Rico Explosion

AP / Leighton photo

The situation is still out of control as hundreds of P.R. Firefighters converge on the scene.  The FBI is already beginning an investigation into the cause.  The Associated Press is reporting:

A police helicopter that flew over the area confirmed that 11 of more than 30 tanks had exploded, (Police Chief) Figueroa Sancha said. Firefighters were planning to chill [sic] the remaining tanks in an effort to keep them from exploding. Dozens of fuel trucks were also being moved from the area.

“This is about containment,” firefighter Brenda Rodriguez said.

The fuel company told authorities that all of its employees who were at the plant are safe, Rodriguez said.

The FD is anticipating that the fires could burn for several days yet.  Firegeezer will be updating as more information comes in.

Update, 8:45 am:
The facility is an oil refinery and tank farm.  It is owned and operated by the Carribbean Petroleum Corp. that markets the Gulf brand in Puerto Rico.  The refinery can process 48,000 barrels of crude a day.

Posted by firegeezer on October 23, 2009 • Filed under: Fires, Videos, explosion • Tagged: , , , ,