Industrial Fires & Explosions page 7

Gas blaze shuts London westbound rail link 
LONDON, June 19 
Travel chaos gripped the western outskirts of London on Thursday after an industrial fire forced the closure of the main east-west rail line from London’s Paddington Station. Firefighters managed to put out the blaze at an industrial unit near to railway tracks in Slough, but warned that hot gas cylinders which had been exploding would need 24 hours before they could be declared safe. ”There’s a lot of oxy-acetalene (welding) cylinders in the industrial unit and they’re going off like rockets,” said a spokeswoman for Slough police. ”All the streets for 200 metres around have been evacuated, and the roads are in chaos,” she added. Operator Network Rail said some services were still running along the main east-west line, with buses shuttling passengers past the closed section. 

Natural gas can migrate a distance from a leak
6/19/03 By: Dennis Graves, KY3 News
Natural gas doesn’t have to have a direct line to a building to cause an explosion there. 
SPRINGFIELD — Investigators say a vapor explosion destroyed a historic building at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds on Wednesday. A maintenance worker in the basement died in the blast. However, investigators say, calling it a vapor explosion does not mean there was a natural gas leak before the explosion. Investigators did find signs of a natural gas leak near the destroyed Frisco Building but, on Thursday, they were not ready to link it to the explosion. They can’t say whether the leak caused the explosion or whether the explosion caused the leak. If natural gas caused this explosion, the big question is where it came from. There was no natural gas service line to the building. The closest gas line was some 25 feet away. Investigators say it is possible that a gas leak in one place can cause an explosion several feet away. It’s called gas migration. From a leak, it travels out in all directions through the soil. If there’s nothing to stop it, it will rise to the surface and dissipate harmlessly into the air. But, if it comes up under a building, it can accumulate and explode. That’s what happened a few years ago in Bridgeport, Ala., in January 1999. A backhoe operator was working downtown and unknowingly hit a 3/4-inch gas line and disconnected it from the meter underground. Within a half hour, the gas migrated under a nearby building, where a gas-fired water heater ignited it. Three downtown buildings were destroyed, four people were killed and several others were injured. There have been similar cases across the country. Natural gas migration is just one of the possibilities being investigated at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. Gas service in the area was shut off immediately after the explosion and City Utility of Springfield crews began looking for a leak. They’ve also dug a series of barre holes and are using electronic sniffers to get an idea how big the underground plume is and if other buildings in the area might be affected. CU has also called in an expert to help with its investigation. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are also involved in the investigation. That agency is usually not called in on an investigation unless there’s reasonable suspicion that a pipeline caused the explosion.

Thursday, June 19th 
HOUSTON, TX (2003-06-19) 
One worker was injured today in an explosion and fire at the Sunoco chemicals plant on the Houston Ship Channel. Officials say the blaze was out by late morning. La Porte authorities say prevailing winds posed no danger to the community from smoke. Sunoco’s Dan Gilbert says the blast happened in the distillation area of the polypropylene plant. Gilbert says all employees are accounted for and an injured worker who suffered burns was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital. Sunoco bought the plant in 2001. Polypropylene is used to make a variety of products including dishwasher-safe food containers and indoor-outdoor carpeting. 

Two hurt in factory explosion
By J. Eric Eckard, Rocky Mount Telegram
Two men were critically injured early Wednesday morning in an explosion at a metals plant in Rocky Mount. Calvin Dancy, 22, of Whitakers and Edwin George, 52, of the 800 block of Clark Street are in critical condition at the UNC Burn Center in Chapel Hill, a hospital spokeswoman said Wednesday afternoon. The explosion occurred about 3 a.m. Wednesday at Fab-X Metals Inc. on North Wesleyan Boulevard. George and Edwin apparently were trying to cut open a metal barrel with a torch when a flash fire erupted, authorities said. “The torch made contact with flammable contents in the container,” said David English, division chief of operations for the Rocky Mount Fire Department. “It was a 55-gallon metal drum that was empty, but it had residual fluid in it.” The fluid was some sort of solvent or paint thinner, English added. Firefighters had the blaze under control in less than 15 minutes, and it caused minimal damage to the facility – about $1,000, English said. Initially, Dancy and George, whose addresses were unavailable at presstime, were taken to Nash General Hospital, where they were stabilized for the trip to Chapel Hill. Fab-X President Don Chocklett said Wednesday that the company is conducting an investigation into the matter, but it was too early to determine why the accident occurred. “There would have been no reason for them to be cutting any containers open that I know of,” Chocklett said. The two workers were employed at the plant through Randstad, a temporary employment agency. Company officials would not comment on Dancy and George, citing privacy issues. Fab-X is a privately owned metals plant that produces stainless steel, aluminum, mild steel and wood products. The company, with its 125,000-square-foot facility, caters to grocery stores, restaurants, convenience stores, schools and hospitals.

Louisiana man dead, four injured in Galveston Bay explosion 
The Associated Press 6/18/03 6:50 PM
SAN LEON, Texas (AP) — One worker was killed and four others were hospitalized early Wednesday following a late-night explosion at an offshore gas drilling rig in upper Galveston Bay. Houston-based Transocean Inc. said 21 workers were rescued from its gas-drilling barge after the blast was reported about 11 p.m. CDT Tuesday. One worker initially was reported missing, but his body was found around 7:45 a.m on the rig. He was later identified by the Coast Guard as Ronald Fontenot Sr. of Basile, in Evangeline Parish. Four other workers were taken to John Sealy Hospital in Galveston, the company said in a statement, and three had been released by late Wednesday morning. The remaining hospitalized worker’s injuries were not considered life-threatening. None of those victims’ names was immediately available. The cause of the explosion was under investigation and could take days or weeks to determine, Transocean officials said. The fire had been extinguished by Wednesday afternoon, the company said, and there were no visible signs of pollution into the bay. The blaze was on rig No. 62 about one mile from April Fool Point near San Leon, about 35 miles southeast of downtown Houston. The Texas City and Galveston police departments assisted in the rescue. 

Officials investigate flash fire at area refinery
ABC13 Eyewitness News (6/18/03 – SWEENY) — 
Officials are investigating a flash fire at an area refinery. No injuries have been reported in a flash fire at a Sweeny refinery. At approximately 2:35pm a flash fire occurred in an out of-service tank in the Sweeney Refinery Tank Farm. The tank was out of service and did not contain any product. At the onset of the fire, the plant’s alarm system was activated and personnel working in the area were alerted to the situation. The fire was immediately extinguished, but the initial incident resulted in a grass fire, which was also extinguished. There was no danger or impact to the surrounding community. No injuries were reported. The incident is under investigation. 

UPDATE Preliminary Findings Confirm Kinston Fire Was Explosion Of Plastic Powder
Kamal Wallace, Staff Writer 
KINSTON, N.C. — Investigators from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) claim a massive blast at the West Pharmaceutical Services plant in Kinston, which killed six workers and injured dozen others, was an explosion of fine plastic powder used in the manufacturing of rubber products. Investigators told the audience at the Kinston High School Performing Arts Center auditorium that a dust explosion occurred above an area where rubber strips were coated with moistened polyethylene powder. Officials say although the powder is made from a plastic similar to that in milk jugs, when dry, it is as fine as talcum and is capable of forming explosive mixtures in the air. “We held this meeting to brief the community on our findings to date and hear from members of the public who were affected,” said CSB Chairman Carolyn Merritt. “The Board is deeply concerned by this event and the subsequent plant explosion in Corbin, Kentucky, which claimed seven lives. The dangers of explosive dust are not well known, and helping industry to understand this insidious hazard certainly will be a priority.” CSB lead investigator Stephen Selk said the material contains enough energy to account for the level of destruction at the plant. He also noted the heavy damage had thus far prevented his team from determining the source of the ignition that triggered the dust explosion. “The polyethylene powder was used as a nonstick coating for rubber sheeting made at the plant,” Selk said. “During the production process, the plant’s ventilation system drew fine dust particles into the space above an unsealed, suspended ceiling, where the dust settled and built up.” CSB Investigator Angela Blair told the group that on Jan. 29 the five conditions necessary for a dust explosion were all met at the West plant: fuel, oxygen, dispersion, confinement, and ignition. Blair explained that by installing a suspended or false ceiling years earlier, the company had inadvertently created an area where dust could accumulate out of view, and also created a space where a dust explosion could occur and spread. Selk pointed out that weeks prior to the explosion, maintenance workers had seen layers of dust coating surfaces above the suspended ceiling. “Tragically, there was no recognition of the explosion hazard posed by this accumulated dust,” he said. The CSB so far has conducted 93 detailed interviews of witnesses to the West explosion, including plant workers and residents, and participated in or reviewed the results of 177 additional screening interviews conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). The ATF investigation found the blast was not the result of any criminal act.

Worker Hurt in Blast
SOUTHAMPTON TWP., NJ-June 17, 2003 — Medics are rushing to help at least one injured person at a New Jersey construction company after a tank exploded on the job this morning. It happened at the D’Amico Concrete Plant in Southampton Township, where officials say an air tank has exploded. The explosion has injured one person. A medical chopper is heading to the scene to fly the victim to a local hospital. There’s no word on the person’s condition, and no word yet on what caused the tank to explode. Stay tuned to Action News throughout the morning for more about breaking story as it becomes available.

UPDATE No citations in explosion
By DUSTIN BLEIZEFFER Star-Tribune energy reporter Tuesday, June 17, 2003
GILLETTE — Wyoming Workers Safety officials said they will not issue any citations against Merit Energy Co. whose Sage Creek natural gas pipeline in Converse County ruptured on April 6, killing one of its employees and seriously injuring another. Merit Energy managers did not return a call for comment on Friday. Debra Lee Zeleny, 41, of Gillette was killed. Her co-worker, Marsha Iriberry of Wright, was seriously injured and has since been discharged from Campbell County Memorial Hospital. Both women had about two years’ experience maintaining Merit’s pipeline system in the southern Campbell County and northern Converse County area, according to Wyoming Workers Safety’s 21-page report. On the day of the accident, Zeleny and Iriberry were among a crew trying to free a stuck “pig” in the 12-inch diameter pipeline about 56 miles north of Glenrock. A “pig” is a sphere made of rubber-like material filled with a glycol solution. It is used to clean out condensation and other unwanted materials in pipelines. In order to free the pig, the crew increased the pressure behind the pig to above 700 pounds per square inch (psi). The pipeline is rated for a maximum pressure of 1,440 psi. Zeleny and Iriberry were instructed to open a valve in front of the stuck pig at the Powell valve site to allow the pressure to push it through. At 11:50 a.m., the women were by themselves at the valve and only “cracked” the valve open when the pipeline ruptured. In a phone interview Friday, Steve Foster of Wyoming Workers Safety said, “We could not come up with a conclusion as to why the pipeline ruptured.” Iriberry, the survivor of the accident, was unable to recall exactly what happened after she and Zeleny cracked open the valve, according to the report. She only remembered that the two were going to work the hand crank together to quickly open it and then quickly shut it. “Exactly what occurred at the instant they opened the valve is not known. However, it appears that the stuck pig began moving down the pipeline and impacted the ball of the 12-inch valve these two employees were attempting to open,” the report said. “The next several seconds were extremely catastrophic and occurred suddenly without warning.” The pipeline was buried approximately seven feet below the surface. The rupture, which occurred about 6 feet from the valve stem, first caused the ground to swell then hurled both women about 20 yards. Investigators found one pig about 20 yards from the point of rupture. Investigators also found two more pigs, one of them 184 yards away and 245 yards away. “The stored energy of a 12-mile long, 12-inch diameter pipeline full of compressed gas was suddenly released as the pipeline ruptured,” the report said. No fire or flash was associated with the rupture. The women had been in contact with other workers via a truck-mounted cell phone and were several miles from other members of the crew working on the pipeline at the time. Calls to the women were unanswered. Other members of the crew didn’t start arriving on the scene until about 30 minutes later, according to the report. Due to the remote location, emergency responders didn’t begin arriving until an hour after that. A Life Flight ambulance was unable to respond because of a snow storm. Wyoming Workers Safety, in its report, recommended that a written set of procedures should be used in freeing stuck pigs, something that most companies in the industry do not currently have. The agency also recommended better communications among pipeline maintenance crews with hand-held devices. The portion of the ruptured pipeline apparently is not under the jurisdictional authority of the federal Office of Pipeline Safety or under the state’s authority through the Department of Transportation and Public Service Commission. Under those jurisdictions, a new law requires people who perform maintenance and repair work do so within the guidelines of the Operator Qualification Program. It was not known whether Zeleny or Iriberry participated in the program. 

11 Russian miners killed in Siberian blast 
Tuesday, 17 June , 2003, 23:41 
Moscow: A gas explosion in a mine in Russia’s Siberian region of Kemerovo has killed 11 miners and trapped four others, regional officials said on Tuesday. A 50-strong team of rescuers worked through the night to try and rescue the miners, who were buried under 10 metres (33 feet) of rubble after the blast at the Ziminka mine on Monday afternoon, the Russian emergencies ministry told AFP. By mid-morning, the emergency crew had got to within 1.5 to two metres of the four trapped miners, three of whom were able to make radio contact. But they had to withdraw and use a different approach for fear of triggering another rock slide, leaving them six metres away from the trapped miners. The operation was complicated by the high concentration of methane gas in the mine. Russian television showed the regional governor Aman Tuleyev speaking by phone to the miners, assuring them that they would soon be rescued. The men replied they were doing their best to keep calm. Fresh air was being pumped into the mine and the workers managed to find a source of water, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported. In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin ordered his government to take all necessary action to help the victims of the mine accident. “I ask you to keep a close eye on the situation. We need to do all we can so that people are not left without assistance,” he told a cabinet meeting. Up to 21 miners were underground when the blast occurred and a roof construction at the 69-year-old mine caved in, according to the emergencies ministry. Three miners managed to escape on their own and another two were brought out and had to be hospitalised, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported. The rescue workers brought up the bodies of 11 miners during the night, a ministry spokeswoman said. Coal production at the Ziminka mine, in the town of Prokopyevsk, was suspended after the accident. Last year there were four accidents at mines in the same region, one of the main coal-producing areas in Russia, which killed seven people. Although privately owned, Russian mines depend on many state-owned customers for income and many of these are broke and refuse to pay their bills. As a result, investment has been inadequate so facilities cannot be replaced. But restructuring of the Russian coal industry, which involves the closure of the most unprofitable mines, has nonetheless resulted in improved safety, with the number of fatal accidents falling dramatically compared to the 1990s. The situation is far worse in neighbouring Ukraine, where state subsidies to the industry have been diminishing year by year. Many of the frequent mining disasters that occur in Ukraine are attributed to defective equipment. Last year nearly 200 miners died in Ukraine in accidents below ground, often due to gas explosions or the collapse of shafts.

UPDATE St. Bernard Parish refinery could remain closed through September 
The Associated Press 6/17/03 3:15 PM
MERAUX, La. (AP) — The Murphy Oil USA refinery, closed since a fire erupted at the plant on June 10, will remain closed through September, the company said Tuesday. El Dorado, Ark.-based Murphy Oil Corp. said the shutdown will not affect supplies to its Murphy Oil USA retail outlets. About a year will be required to repair all of the damage, and the plant will be out of production until the end of the third quarter, the company said. The plant already had been scheduled for a shutdown in August for routine maintenance work that is done every three to four years, company spokesman Carl Zornes said. The company is not anticipating any layoffs among its 250 full-time employees, said Murphy Oil spokeswoman Mindy West. Company officials have said they think mechanical failure was responsible for the fire. But the FBI and the St. Bernard Parish sheriff have been investigating a cryptic graffiti-like message found on a piece of equipment after the fire. It might be a prank written afterward or a warning of what would occur, officials said. No arrests have been made and the FBI has not commented about the message since last week. Murphy Oil said most of the damage would be covered by its insurance, but the company would take a $4.2 million pretax charge for deductibles and self-insurance. 

Fire breaks out at GM factory; no one injured; Firefighters beat blaze at Grand River Assembly
ROD SANFORD/Lansing State Journal
Plant fire: Lansing firefighters work Sunday to put out a small fire inside the GM Grand River Assembly complex. There were no injuries. half dozen firetrucks surrounded General Motors Corp.’s downtown Lansing Grand River Assembly plant Sunday after a fire broke out in an electrical room. No one was injured. Only a skeleton crew of maintenance staff was in the Townsend Street plant at the time of the 8 p.m. blaze, and workers were quickly evacuated, GM Fire Chief Chris Anderson said. It was unclear late Sunday how much damage the factory sustained. The factory’s 800-plus employees, who build the Cadillac CTS and SRX, will report to work today, GM said. The electrical room – roughly 3,200 square feet – converts energy to power the plant, Lansing fire Capt. John Dyer said. The room was clouded with smoke within minutes, making it difficult for firefighters to locate the third-story fire. “As soon as we got in the door there was zero visibility,” Dyer said. “It’s not the average fire. If we’re crawling through a living room we’re usually not afraid of getting hit by 13,200 volts.” The fire was in a compensator bank – about the size of a telephone booth – and quickly contained. Lansing Grand River Assembly is the newest of GM’s U.S. vehicle assembly plants. It began production in late 2001. 

Explosion & Fire At Chevron Refinery Injures Three
Three Chevron refinery employees were injured in an early morning explosion and fire Tuesday. Tuesday, June 03, 2003 — An explosion and small fire broke out at the Chevron refinery on Trowbridge just after 4:30 Tuesday morning. The fire occurred in the #6 Crude Unit when two furnaces exploded. The refinery’s emergency response team and 10 units from the El Paso Fire Department were called out. The fire was brought under control in a short time. Three Chevron employees were injured. a 48 year old man was burned and a 42 year old man was exposed by unknown debris. Both were taken to a local hospital. A third Chevron employee suffered a knee injury; he was treated at the scene. No firefighters were injured.

UPDATE Toll rises to four in Ranbaxy fire 
Mohali, June 12 (UNI) The death toll in last night’s devastating fire in the Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals factory here rose to four with the recovery of two bodies from Module One this morning and another succumbing to his burn injuries in a hospital. The bodies of supervisor Maninder Bawa and technician Ranjit Singh were recovered from the smouldering debris. Earlier, they were reported missing. Another about 20 employees of the factory, including three seriously injured, were undergoing treatment in different hospitals, police said. One Satish Kumar, who suffered hundred per cent burns, succumbed last night itself while another died in early hours. His identity was still to be established. According to Ropar District Police Chief G P S Bhullar, around 20 employees of the factory were injured in the fire preceeded by deafening blast that was heard several kilometers away from the factory, which makes bulk drugs. The blast shattered window panes of a number of buildings in the area. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh visited the accident site and directed the district administration to extend every possible help for relief and rescue operations. 

Fifteen seriously injured in fire at Ranbaxy plant 
Mohali, June 11 (UNI) 
At least 15 people were seriously injured when a plant of the Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals was englufed in flames after a blast in the industrial area here tonight. The plant was working and many workers were reportedly inside the premises. At least 25 fire tenders are fighting to control the high rising flames, which were visible from far. The deafning noise of the blast was heard several kilometres away in Chandigarh city waking up people from their sleep. Windowpanes and doors were rattled in the vicinity of the plant. Ropar police chief G P S Bhullar, who is at the spot supervising rescue operation, said fire tenders have been requisitioned from as far as Ludhiana, about 100 km from here. 

UPDATE Grand jury investigates Motiva blast
By JEFF MONTGOMERY Staff reporter 06/05/2003
Federal prosecutors have opened a criminal grand jury investigation into Motiva Enterprises, a Delaware City refinery that was the scene of a fatal explosion and 1.1 million-gallon sulfuric acid spill in 2001. Company spokesman Spiros Mantzavinos said late Wednesday the company was aware of the government’s inquiry but had no specifics. “We understand that the U.S. Department of Justice has convened a grand jury. We understand that employees have been subpoenaed to appear and as far as we know, those employees have complied,” Mantzavinos said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edmond Falgowski would not comment. Environmental Protection Agency spokesman David Sternberg said he could neither confirm nor deny the report. Delaware and the EPA in July filed a civil pollution lawsuit against Motiva, seeking penalties that could total more than $50 million. Federal and state officials accused the company of gross negligence in the July 17, 2001, acid tank explosion that killed a Bucks County, Pa., man and spilled gasoline-laced sulfuric acid. EPA officials at the time described the accident as “an extraordinary event that calls for extraordinary action.” Delaware is weighing criminal charges in connection with the death of the Pennsylvania man, boilermaker Jeff Davis of Fairless Hills. Several private lawsuits also are pending. Lori Sitler, spokeswoman for Attorney General M. Jane Brady, said the state criminal matter “is still actively under review.” Several investigations linked the 2001 accident to neglected corrosion and safety problems in a tank of acid that held higher-than-usual amounts of explosive hydrocarbons. On the day of the blast, managers sent a five-man crew to cut away and replace steel catwalks atop the six-tank acid storage complex. The workers were unaware of threats from leaking explosive vapors and failed fire-prevention systems, federal officials said. Dozens of spills and problems have occurred at the refinery since the suit was filed, including an estimated 25,000-gallon acid spill last month. That spill prompted an EPA order for an immediate cleanup and safety reforms. 

Heating unit causes fire at Nova Chemicals plant in Pasadena
Staff and wire reports
PASADENA — A heating unit caused a fire at the Nova Chemicals plant in Pasadena tonight, police said. The fire was fueled by the chemical benzene, and a large plume of smoke is being blown to the north. There were no known injuries or deaths. Nova Chemicals spokesman Bobby Patton told The Associated Press that the company was in the process of taking a head count tonight. “We think everybody is accounted for,” he said. During a news conference held near the plant, Patton told reporters that there was a fire, but no explosion. “All employees are accounted for, and there are zero injuries,” Patton said. He said a staff of 13-14 people were at the plant when the fire broke out. A shelter was set up in South Pasadena as a precautionary measure, though no chemicals were released into the atmosphere. Residents were being told to stay in their homes, Patton said. No one was evacuated. The plant produces the chemical raw materials that are used to make foam cups, plastic forks and plates. 

Fire At Frito Lay Causes Evacuation
A batch of burning chips forced the evacuation of the Frito Lay plant in South Lubbock just before nine o’clock Wednesday morning. The chips had just been pulled from a vat of hot oil, when the heat within – ignited the chips. The Lubbock Fire Department used Frito Lay’s internal extinguishing equipment to put the fire out. No one was injured. 

No injuries at Stamford plant fire 
(06/11/03) 
STAMFORD – A fire at a chemical mixing plant in Stamford Wednesday had nearly two-dozen fire and hazardous materials officials to responding to EJ Gayzer on Liberty Place just after noon. Investigators say it started while an employee was cleaning out a basin containing highly flammable chemical solvents. Fire officials were able to contain the fire immediately; no one was injured. 

Fire blackens skies over port
By Ryan Anderson June 11, 2003 
COOLING HOTSPOTS. Water is used to cool hot spots on an oil fire at the Haltermann plant at Jacinto Port on Saturday. A heat transfer fluid oil fire erupted Saturday afternoon in a heater at the Haltermann facility on Jacinto Port Boulevard and Sheldon Road filling the afternoon sky with a huge plume of black smoke that could be seen for miles. “We got the call around 2:30 p.m. and when we got here the smoke was shooting hundreds of feet into the air,” said Port of Houston police officer J. Avalos. Firefighters from Highlands, Channelview, Galena Park, Sheldon, Cloverleaf and Pasadena joined firefighters from over 15 departments in responding to the blaze after a call for assistance was sent out over the Channel Industries Mutual Aid (CIMA) network. The fire appeared to be under control around 4 p.m. as the smoke turned from black to gray however the fire flared up again before finally being extinguished around 6 p.m. There were no injuries reported during the fire and a voluntary evacuation was in effect for Haltermann personnel and workers at neighboring facilities. “We had planned on staying put but then the wind shifted and the smoke started blowing our way,” said Roy Waugh, who works next to the Haltermann facility. “They pretty much had the fire contained from the get go, but the smoke was another story.” Although a shelter in place had been ordered for anyone within a mile of the plant, according to Haltermann officials, there was not anything toxic in the smoke from the synthetic oil blaze. “Smoke generated by the fire contained normal combustion products such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide,” said Gary Spaid, Environmental Health and Safety Leader. “We asked for the shelter in place order in case the fire spread to other parts of the facility.” The shelter in place notice was lifted at 6 p.m. Haltermann Incorporated is a subsidiary of Dow Chemical. The company produces hydrocarbon based solvents that are used by chemical, automotive, cosmetic, graphic arts, phramaceutical and automotive industries. The cause of the fire is under investigation. 

Fire Halts Glass Plant Operations
Posted: June 11, 2003 at 9:53 a.m. 
HAYWARD (AP) — A Hayward glass plant was forced to halt operations after its third fire in the past three months. Fire crews were called to the Owens-Illinois plant yesterday afternoon. A second alarm brought a total of 30 firefighters to the scene. Investigators say the blaze began in a vat used to melt glass. The flames spread to the point where they were threatening the plant. Firefighters flooded the molten glass with water and brought the fire under control after about an hour. There’s no immediate word on the cost of repairing the damage. Previous fires hit the plant on March 10th and again on May 25th. Fire officials say there have been seven fires at the plant since 1996.

Fire breaks out at Old Buncombe Road plant
By E. Richard Walton STAFF WRITER
A fire of an undetermined origin struck the Gateway Manufacturing plant on Old Buncombe Road Tuesday, but Duncan Chapel firefighters say no one was hurt. The blaze struck the plant’s “painting booth” at 5950 Old Buncombe Road at 5:24 p.m. Duncan Chapel Fire Chief Stephen Terry said. With help from firefighters from Travelers Rest and Berea, the fire was contained in about 30 minutes, he said. “We’re just in the process of starting our investigation,” he said “We’re not sure what set it off. I’m just glad nobody got hurt.” Terry said about 15 or 20 workers were in the plant, which makes a variety of equipment and parts. There was no dollar estimate of the damage.

Injury in fireworks factory fire
10jun03
A MAN received burns to 70 per cent of his body when a fire broke out today in a Sydney fireworks factory. The 50-year-old man was taken to Liverpool Hospital, along with a second man who was being treated for shock, NSW Fire Brigades spokesman Inspector Ian Krimmer said. He said the blaze broke out in the factory in St Andrews Road, Leppington, around 9am AEST but was extinguished before the firefighters arrived. Workcover had been called in to investigate, Insp Krimmer said. 

Accidental fire destroys old Crystal Ice building
Carlos Miller The Arizona Republic Jun. 7, 2003 12:00 AM
A fire destroyed the landmark Crystal Ice building in central Phoenix on Friday, sending embers into the air that ignited a second blaze at a building three blocks away. It took firefighters nearly four hours to contain both fires. The Crystal Ice building in the 2000 block of West McDowell Road was purchased by a tire recycling company in January and was undergoing renovations when the fire started at about 2 p.m. It is believed that a welder’s sparks ignited insulation between the walls, Phoenix Assistant Chief Bob Khan said. The second fire started at about 5 p.m. in the 1700 block of West McDowell Road when a commercial truck erupted in front of a business that manufactured baled stuffing for mattresses. That blaze spread to cotton bales and damaged the building. Jim Mason, owner of Crumb Rubber Manufacturers, the California tire recycling company that was renovating the ice building, said he plans to rebuild. 

Firefighters tackle Belfast car plant blaze 
online.ie 10 Jun 2003 
Firefighters were tackling a major blaze following an explosion at a car components factory on the outskirts of Belfast today. Police said the incident at the Montupet plant at Dunmurry appeared to be accidental. There were no reports of any casualties. A police spokeswoman said: “The fire service remain at the scene and are determining the cause of the accident. “Police have now left the scene.” The explosion occurred in the factory area used to manufacturer cylinder heads. All staff in the plant were immediately evacuated as emergency crews were called in. One worker said: “A big extractor machine on the side of the wall just blew out. “We don’t know how it happened but it’s a miracle that no-one was injured.” 

Two workers burned in chemical plant accident 
BY DAVID JESSE Holland Sentinel writer 
A small explosion at Zeeland Chemicals, Inc. on Sunday afternoon sent two workers to the hospital with burns. The two workers, whose names aren’t being released, suffered burns on their arms and faces, company officials said. One worker had first-degree burns and the other had second-degree burns, Zeeland Fire Department officials said. Both are listed as fair condition at Blodgett Hospital’s burn unit, according to Supervisor Carl Green. The explosion occurred around 2 p.m. in Building 5 of the sprawling plant, located at 215 N. Centennial Street in Zeeland. There was no danger to nearby houses, Zeeland Fire Chief Bill Gruppen said. The chemical – isopropylamine – was in a liquid form and was flammable. The cause of the fire and explosion is still under investigation by both the fire department and the company. After the explosion, other workers got the two burn victims into showers and called the fire department, Telgenhof said. “When we arrived on scene, we saw no smoke but had a visible fire,” Gruppen said. “There was a low flame along the floor. We put it out with foam and water.” Company officials weren’t sure what effect this would have on the plant, which has 36 full-time employees. “Right now our concern is for the individuals hurt,” Telgenhof said. The company was founded in 1935 as Chemical Specialties, Inc. to provide the bulk active sedative carbromal. It was sold to two other companies before being bought by Cambrex. It had a high of about 130 employees in 1997. Zeeland Chemical experienced plant fires on two occasions in 1997. On April 9, workers running a chemical reaction with aluminum and sodium metal caused a small explosion in a reactor room after a cooling agitator shut down. The fire was contained by the time Zeeland firefighters arrived and no one was hurt. On Dec. 17, a fire unrelated to chemical production broke out on the roof of the plant’s main building. That fire was contained within a half-hour by 40 firefighters from Zeeland city and township and Holland Township fire departments. No one was injured and no evacuation was necessary. 

UPDATE NTSB releases further details of explosion damage to Norway
The investigation of a deadly blast on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship has progressed slowly because of asbestos and other contamination, but inspectors are getting a clearer picture of the “extensive” damage to the boiler that exploded, the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday. A 20-foot long cylindrical drum, called a header, that held water in the SS Norway’s boiler as it was heated into high-pressure steam was found to have “significant material failure.” But a clear idea of what caused the May 25 explosion could still be a year away, NTSB chief investigator Capt. Bob Ford said. “We’re still looking at everything. We’re not making any conclusions. This is just one item,” he said at a news conference. The FBI has investigated the ship, but “saw nothing to indicate sabotage.” Seven crew members died from injuries suffered during the explosion, including five who were fatally scalded. None of the more than 2,100 passengers was hurt. Inspectors can only spend about an hour in the boiler room due to poor ventilation, damage to walkways and contamination, Ford said. People going into the boiler room have to wear respirators and other protective equipment because of asbestos insulation covering steam pipes, he added. The NTSB previously said the blast tore through a steel casing meant to protect workers from the heat inside the boiler. It hurled debris and a blast of steam as far three decks away on the 41-year-old ship, which was docked at the Port of Miami at the time. Investigators are trying to determine how much force the casing is built to withstand, Ford said. It was also unclear whether the header or casing was damaged first, he added. But both were damaged on the starboard, or right, side toward the rear of the boiler. Investigators have also interviewed almost 200 crew members. The ship’s engineers said nothing was out of the ordinary in the boiler room or operating console before the explosion. The NTSB should finish its information gathering in the next few days, Ford said. Norwegian Cruise Line said Monday it will have to completely rebuild the boiler involved in the accident, one of four on the ship, as well as repair walkways and other equipment before the ship sails again. “It is becoming clearer, with each additional day of inspections, that the repair work is likely to take months rather than weeks,” the company said in a statement. The company said that it doesn’t expect the Norway to sail until Oct. 5. Of the 18 crew members injured in the blast, four were still in the hospital Monday, including one in critical condition. Several crew members have sued the cruise line. 

Refinery Explosions near New Orleans
June 10, 2003 Reported by KPLC Staff
The fire is out at one of two St. Bernard Parish oil refineries, where flames lit the early morning sky. Sheriff Jack Stephens says crews contained the blaze at the ExxonMobil refinery in Chalmette fairly quickly. That was good news, he says, since another fire erupted about an hour later at the Murphy Oil Refinery in nearby Meraux. Firefighters have contained the fire to one small area of the refinery and crews expect it to be extinguished before too long. One firefighter suffered a minor facial injury when he was struck by a hose shortly after the first fire started just before 1:00 a.m. Stephens says no significant injuries were reported and plant personnel at both facilities have been accounted for. Stephens says both eruptions appear to be accidental and there’s no indication that either event was terrorist-related. Murphy plant manager Greg Neve says there’s nothing to lead investigators into believing there was anything suspicious about the blaze. Stephens said earlier that the fire apparently happened in a system that breaks down crude oil into heavy fuel. A preliminary report indicates a vapor escaped from a valve and pump and when they moved to correct it, something flashed and ignited. A mechanical breakdown apparently occurred at the ExxonMobil facility as well. Both incidents, however, remain under investigation. The facilities are about a mile and a half apart along St. Bernard Highway. Two trailer parks that house about 100 people near the front gate of the Murphy facility were evacuated as a precaution. An emergency shelter is open at a nearby middle school. 

Four dead in factory blast
From correspondents in Moscow 05jun03
TWO oxygen canisters have exploded at a metal foundry in Russia, killing four workers and seriously injuring two others. The tanks exploded when they were being loaded at the factory in Kamensk-Uralsk, a city in the Ural Mountains region of Sverdlovsk. Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov initially said two workers were killed, but his office said fragments of two more bodies were found later in the day. The force of the blast shattered windows outside the factory grounds, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. The cause of the accident was still being investigated, it said. 

Explosion & Fire At Chevron Refinery Injures Three 
Three Chevron refinery employees were injured in an early morning explosion and fire Tuesday. Tuesday, June 03, 2003 — An explosion and small fire broke out at the Chevron refinery on Trowbridge just after 4:30 Tuesday morning. The fire occurred in the #6 Crude Unit when two furnaces exploded. The refinery’s emergency response team and 10 units from the El Paso Fire Department were called out. The fire was brought under control in a short time. Three Chevron employees were injured. a 48 year old man was burned and a 42 year old man was exposed by unknown debris. Both were taken to a local hospital. A third Chevron employee suffered a knee injury; he was treated at the scene. No firefighters were injured. 

Lightning blamed for oil refinery fire 
Wednesday, 4 June 2003 
Investigators are beginning attempts to determine the cause of a major fire at BP’s Brisbane oil refinery. Authorities extinguished the blaze in a storage tank as it threatened other areas of the Pinkenba refinery. An emergency situation was declared when the fire began between the roof and a side wall of a 60 million litre crude oil tank before midnight. Police say BPs investigators think it is most likely a lightning strike started the fire during last night’s storm. A team of about 30 firefighters worked fast to stop the fire spreading, getting it under control not long after midnight. They were assisted by crews from BP and the Brisbane airport. The fire was allowed to burn as emergency services cooled down the area and it was extinguished early this morning. 

Tuapse refinery blast injures 8 (Part 2)
ROSTOV-ON-DON. June 3 (Interfax-South) – The explosion at the Tuapse oil refinery, which occurred around 11:50 a.m. on Tuesday, injured eight people, Russian Emergency Situations Ministry official Oleg Grekov told Interfax. The victims have been hospitalized in Tuapse and will be transferred to a hospital in Krasnodar shortly, he said. The explosion occurred when workers entered a reservoir to clean its interior of gasoline. “The accident was most likely caused by a spark, which was produced by static electricity generated by the MAZ vehicle used in the work,” Interfax was told. The fire was contained by 1:00 p.m., the Tuapse emergency situations department told Interfax.

Fire Breaks Out At Omaha Rendering Plant; Fire Left Strong Smell Surrounding Plant 
June 3, 2003 
OMAHA, Neb. — Omaha firefighters put out a three-alarm fire at a rendering plant Tuesday afternoon. Neighbors in the area tell KETV NewsWatch 7 they have to deal with the odor left behind. Dark smoke filled the building and spread throughout the surrounding neighborhood around 33rd and F streets. Fire officials said they had to call close to 50 Omaha firefighters in to help with the fire. “When the firefighters arrived on scene they encountered heavy smoke and it quickly turned into a three-alarm fire basically the size of the building and the heavy smoke got them to think the fire inside was possibly spreading rapidly,” Capt. Jim Pilanski said. Investigators believe an electrical malfunction caused the fire and they’re ruling it accidental. Firefighters said all of the workers at the plant escaped without injuries. There’s no word yet on how much damage does done to the plant.

Fire Causes Plastics Plant Evacuation
A fire at a plastics factory in Mount Juliet forces the evacuation of the overnight shift, and sends three firefighters to the hospital. It happened on Industrial Drive. A fire broke out on one of the lines at Penske Plastics. The company makes Euraphane for boat building and luggage. Officials say the fire was not toxic and the fire was quickly contained. No one inside the building was injured but, three firefighters were taken to a local hospital for smoke inhalation. They are all fine this morning. 

Fire at Bosch plant in Stevensville, Michigan
06/03/2003 09:28 am
Two employees at a Bosch plant in Stevensville, Michigan fought a fire with extinguishers until firefighters arrived. It happened at the corner of Red Arrow Highway and Maiden Lane. The Bosch plant makes brake calibers. Employees say the fire started at a 20-ton furnace. Some hydraulic fluid caught fire and the fire spread to the roof. Most employees left the building but two employees stayed behind to fight the fire with extinguishers. Firefighters arrived and were able to put out the fire. Thad Chartrand of the Lincoln Township Police says, “There was a lot of smoke. The problem was the firemen couldn’t get in right away because there was so much metal at the bottom and it was so hot. They couldn’t get to it and they wanted to make sure it was safe to get to it. So once they got rid of some of the smoke and some of the metal cooled down from the outside, they were able to get to it.” Employees are not allowed to speak to the media. Firefighters say the building is made mostly of steel which worked with them. No one was injured.

Valero reports more troubles at Benicia refinery
Valero Energy Corp. has run into more problems at its refinery in Benicia, Calif., where the company has been working to replace a gas turbine in the hydrocracker facility. A pump seal failure early Saturday morning in the fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) resulted in a localized fire that damaged some instrumentation cables. Valero spokeswoman Mary Rose Brown says the FCCU unit will be down for an estimated 10 days for instrumentation repairs. Production of gasoline that meets California Air Resources Board or CARB standards will be down approximately 55,000 barrels per day during the duration. CARB production at the facility had already been down 40,000 barrels per day while the company has been working to replace the gas turbine in the hydrocracker. Those repairs are said to be nearly complete. “Benicia’s normal CARB production is about 120,000 barrels per day,” notes Brown. “So, in total, with both the FCCU and Hydrocracker down, we’re down about 85,000 to 90,000 barrels per day of gasoline production ntil the end of the week. “Once the hydrocracker start-up is complete at the end of the week, CARB output will be reduced by about 55,000 barrels per day through June 9 or 10,” Brown says. The localized fire, the second one reported in one of Valero’s California refineries in as many weeks, was extinguished by Valero personnel and there were no reports of injuries. The Benicia refinery, located 25 miles northeast of San Francisco in Northern California, has the capacity to process 180,000 barrels of crude oil per day. San Antonio-based Valero is a Fortune 500 company with more than 21,000 employees and annual revenues of nearly $30 billion. The company currently owns and operates 12 refineries in the United States and Canada with a combined throughput capacity of approximately 2 million barrels per day. 

Part of oil refinery catches fire 
The Nation (Nairobi) NEWS June 2, 2003 Posted to the web June 2, 2003 Nairobi 
A section of Mombasa’s Kenya Petroleum Refineries was yesterday closed following a fire. Managing director Chris House said it was shut down to allow investigations to establish the cause of the blaze. He said only one employee was injured but it had not been established if the injuries were as a result of the fire. “The information I have is that he suffered a fractured elbow and was taken to hospital,” he said. Mr House said an explosion was followed by a fire suspected to have been caused by kerosene leakage in one of the tanks at Complex One. Complex One is a core part of the refinery as it is one of the two sections where crude oil is refined before it is graded to different oil products. Following the fire, Complex Two was opened and will continue with operations, Mr House explained. The refinery boss allayed fears of a fuel shortage, saying Complex Two had the capacity to meet the demands of their clients. He said the damaged complex and the one in operation had a production capacity of 3,800 tonnes each a day. The extent of the damage could not be immediately established. “We have launched investigations and our suppliers have been alerted and will be updated on whether there will be any hitches in production,” Mr House said. Fire fighting teams from the Mombasa Municipal Council, Kenya Navy, Moi International Airport and the Kenya Ports Authority were at hand to fight the blaze and they put it out after an hour. Witnesses said there was an explosion followed by a huge flame. A Mikindani resident, Ms Janet Kanaka, said: “I was woken up by a loud bang. When I rushed out, I saw huge billows of smoke at the refinery.” She added that the blast scared many residents. This is the second time in less than three years that a fire has erupted at the refinery. On August 5, 2000, a similar explosion sent panic through the populous Mombasa West. It was believed that the fire was caused by a gas leak. However, firemen quickly put out the fire. Report by Onesmus Kilonzo, Patrick Mayoyo and Lucy Kilalo 

$600,000 in damage from fire at Gardner factory
The fire that destroyed a plastics factory Sunday in Gardner caused about $600,000 of damage. Investigators were sifting through the charred remains of the factory at 651 E. Main St. today, and did not expect to know what caused the fire for several days. No one was hurt, but the burning plastic and chemicals forced residents to evacuated 10 nearby houses. The fire was reported about 8:30 a.m., about 30 minutes after the midnight shift left the factory. No one was working inside when the fire was reported. Firefighters from nine departments spent more than eight hours extinguishing the blaze.

UPDATE Machine might have sparked Hudson fire 
By Michelle Muellenberg / News Staff Writer Thursday, May 29, 2003
HUDSON — The cause of a two-alarm fire Tuesday night which damaged a section of the Hudson Lock company remains uncertain. Fire Chief Fred Dusseault said the fire may have involved a machine used in the melting process. “We haven’t completed the investigation 100 percent yet. We know the nature of the fire is accidental. We are still working on the investigation but (the cause) seems to involve one of the die cast machines,” he said. Firefighters arrived at the 81 Apsley St. business at about 10:45 p.m. and immediately called for backup. More than 30 Hudson and Marlborough firefighters battled for 45 minutes to control the fire. Cleaning crews were at the site all night, Dusseault said. Hudson Lock, which has been in business since 1963, manufactures industrial and commercial locks and lock hardware. The building is nearly a block long. The fire was contained in a smaller building in a smaller building called the die-casting plant. Although there is no exact number on the amount of damage to the building, Dusseault said it is several hundreds of thousands of dollars. The company’s insurance company was sizing up the damage yesterday, he said. “There is damage to the structure, machines, cost of cleaning up and business lost,” Dusseault said. “There is a lot of infrastructure that received damage that needs to be assessed and repaired or restored.” Eight workers who were in the building at the time of the fire received minor injuries such as bruising, the chief said. The state fire marshal’s office hopes to complete its investigation by tomorrow, according to spokesman Jennifer Mieth. Officials will spend the next few days interviewing employees. 

Fire breaks out at factory
Thursday, May 29, 2003 By Linda Lee King/Staff Writer 
A small paper fire broke out at Leatherback Industries at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and was quickly brought under control by employees, Hollister fire officials said. No injuries were reported. When the Hollister Fire Department arrived on the scene, several Leatherback employees were on the roof with water hoses and were containing the blaze, HFD Capt. Leo Alverez said. “They had a good knock down when we got there,” Alverez said. “They had it under control and it was not traveling.” Leatherback is located at the corner of Meridian and McCray streets. Fire officials said they could only speculate on the cause of the fire and will continue to investigate the origin. “I don’t know what happened,” said Dave Kirkham, director of marketing and general manager of Leatherback Industries. “It could have been spontaneous combustion caused by excessive heat, maybe because there was some paper on hot metal on a hot black roof, or someone could have flicked a cigarette over the fence. We may never know what happened.” Alverez doubted the blaze was caused by a cigarette, but confirmed that the fire started on the roof. “We have not pinned it down and we don’t want to take any guesses,” he said. Most of the damage was to PVC pipes that melted from the heat, Kirkham said. “We lost maybe two to three hours of production with the cost of the damage around $100,” he said. After the fire was extinguished, the fire department spent about 90 minutes peeling back the roof construction searching for any smoldering debris. “If we do not do a good, we could have a fire tonight,” Alverez said. Alverez said the HFD has responded to past fires at Leatherback that were caused by radiating heat from the plant’s machinery. The location of the fire was in an area where employees were not working, Kirkham said, adding employees and the HFD reacted quickly to extinguish the blaze. 

UPDATE Chemical factory fire pollutes watercourse 
Published: 29 May 2003
The Environment Agency has been involved in a major clean-up operation in the East Riding of Yorkshire after a fire at the Bartoline Works Ltd chemical factory at Beverley on 23 May 2003. It took several hours for the firefighters to get the blaze under control. At its height, a plume of black smoke could be seen 20 miles away. Investigations have been launched into how the fire started. The Environment Agency has been tackling the pollution problems that have occurred as a result of the fire. Polluted water escaped from the site into Beverley and Barmston Drain, which feeds into the River Hull. Teams of Environment Agency staff have been working to contain the polluted stretch of water, which has the potential to cause serious environmental damage to the rest of the watercourse. Investigations into the environmental impacts are continuing, but it is likely that the pollution will have a serious effect on a reasonably well-populated stretch of the drain. The Environment Agency is unable to say how many fish have been killed until the pollution has been reduced. The polluted drain runs through areas of public pasture land, so the Agency has put fencing in place to stop 200 cows and horses drinking the contaminated water. The pollution has been largely contained within a one-mile stretch of the drain by creating earth bunds that are being used to contain the contaminated water. The flow within the drain is said to be relatively slow and so the bunds put in place are expected to prevent the polluted water from getting into the River Hull. The water is to be analysed in order to plan for removing the pollutants from the watercourse. 

UPDATE Sixth cruise ship worker dies from blast
MIAMI, Florida (AP) –A crew member injured over the weekend in a boiler room explosion aboard a cruise ship died Wednesday, bringing the death toll to six. The name of the latest victim was not released by the ship’s owner, Norwegian Cruise Line. Twelve other crew members remained in the hospital, three in critical condition. More than 15 crew members were injured when a boiler exploded Sunday aboard the docked ship, sending debris and a blast of steam through parts of the 41-year-old Norway. All the dead and injured were crew members; none of the more than 2,100 passengers was hurt. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the explosion. Miami-Dade police said it appeared to be an accident. One injured crew member already has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against the company. The lawyer for the Filipino man alleged the ship was too old to operate safely and used antiquated and dangerous steam propulsion. Norwegian Cruise Line called the lawsuit “opportunistic” and “baseless.” 

Small fire at ConocoPhillips NJ refinery – source
Reuters, 05.27.03, 5:26 PM ET
NEW YORK, May 27 (Reuters) – ConocoPhillips’ (nyse: COP – news – people) 263,000 barrel per day (bpd) Bayway, New Jersey, refinery had a small fire Tuesday afternoon that would likely have a minor impact on the plant’s processing capacity, a source at the company said. “There was a fire, but it doesn’t appear to be big,” said the source. “It will probably impact output, but not to a significant degree.” It was not clear what unit was affected. ConocoPhillips officials were not immediately available for comment. 

Small fire causes little damage at manufacturing facility
By JERRY BLAIR-Telegram Staff Writer
FRANKFORT – The Frankfort Fire Department was called to a small fire at the Hale Manufacturing facility in the Route 5S North Business Park early Tuesday morning. Frankfort Fire Chief Charles Conigliaro said the blaze was contained to a bin used for sawdust collection and kept under control by the facility’s fire suppression system. The first alarm went out at approximately 6:50 a.m. and the department sent a full response – about 25 firefighters – to the site. Conigliaro said fire officials are still investigating the cause of the blaze, which caused no significant damage to the structure. The fire occurred in a 20 x 10 x 15-foot hopper used to collect dust before it is sent to the plant’s boiler as an augmentation for fuel, he said. This is the second time the Frankfort Fire Department was called to the Hale Manufacturing facility for such a situation. According to Conigliaro, making sure the fire was completely out was a “labor intensive process,” because of the deep-seated manner in which sawdust burns. H noted the valuable assistance of Hale maintenance employees to that job. Flames and smoke were reported, but Conigliaro noted that the fire was fairly small and contained by safety equipment. “It held the fire from spreading any further,” Conigliaro said. “We had a substantial amount of heat and fire in that bin.” Hale Manufacturing recently moved its operations to the Frankfort industrial park; its office space was set up earlier this year and production equipment is still being installed. National Sales Manager and Public Relations Official Russell Blanchard said Tuesday’s fire was pretty normal, involving about a garbage can’s worth of material. Blanchard explained that sometimes static can create a spark off equipment that is not properly grounded. He said fire suppression systems usually keeps the sawdust moist, but noted that moving into a large, state-of-the-art industrial complex requires some time to work everything out. “Normally it’s not enough to set off the sprinkler system,” Blanchard said. 

Hudson two-alarm fire damages lock company 
By Michelle Muellenberg / News Staff Writer Wednesday, May 28, 2003
HUDSON — A two-alarm fire last night damaged a section of a longtime local business, and officials are sizing up a cause, according to Fire Chief Fred Dusseault. Firefighters arrived at Hudson Lock, 81 Apsley St., at about 10:45 p.m. and immediately called for backup. “Because of the volume of the fire and the location, the first company on scene requested a second alarm,” Dusseault said. “Marlborough fire responded with an engine and ladder.” Firefighters had the blaze under control within 45 minutes, the chief said. Crews remained on hand through the night to watch for rekindling. Three workers, who were in the building at the time, got out, Dusseault said. He did not know if any had been injured. Hudson Lock, which has been in business since 1963, manufactures industrial and commercial locks and lock hardware. The building is nearly a block long. The fire was contained in a smaller building called the die-casting plant. That is where ingredients are melted to prepare for the casting, Dusseault said. The origin and cause of the fire are unknown. The State Fire Marshal’s office was called in last night to help with the investigation, which Dusseault said should be completed sometime today. Utility companies were also called in to eliminate natural gas and electrical hazards. Neighbors and other onlookers watched as more than 30 firefighters from both communities battled the fire. “I saw strobe lights going off on the fourth floor and I wondered what the hell was going on,” said John Hurley who lives three buildings away at 78 Apsley St. “I saw four or five cruisers go up the street and then the fire trucks came.” Although Hurley did not see flames,he saw smoke and smelled something funny. “When I came out of my condo I smelled something although I didn’t know what it was,” he said. Neighbor Tim Kaelin, 3 Carter St., initially thought the restaurant next door to Hudson Lock was on fire again. The restaurant, which is now P.J.’s, burned to the ground in 1999. Kaelin said he first knew something was wrong when the water in his home started to turn brown. “I knew they were using the water hydrants and there were probably flames,” he said. Living so close, Kaelin said he was concerned about the fire spreading. 

Man burned when tanker truck explodes
By Robert Sheldon and Linda Caldwell Staff Writers Wednesday, May 28, 2003
JANE, Mo. — Gasoline from a hose connected to a 6,000-gallon storage tank behind the Jane Store in Jane, Mo., exploded about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, sending the driver of the tanker truck to an area hospital by helicopter ambulance. Firefighters from Bella Vista were summoned to the scene by McDonald County firefighters, and aided in pouring water on the tanks to prevent another explosion. The driver, Danny Eversole of Springdale, was taken to St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Mo., by helicopter with severe burns to his face, head, arms and upper body. The cab of the truck, belonging to Mitchell Oil Co. of Fayetteville, was completely destroyed, and part of the truck ruptured from the explosion. One of the bulk tanks also ruptured. According to Mitchell’s service foreman, Bob Rogers, about 600 gallons of gasoline remained in the truck. The tank was at the rear of the Jane Store, where owner Joyce Marrs was tending to business as usual. “I seen the gas flowing — I mean flowing through the air — and then it ignited and it blew him and he took off running toward us to get us out of there,” Marrs said. This was the first time the driver had made a delivery to Jane, Marrs said. The man was in shock after the explosion and had badly burned arms and hands. He couldn’t take his gloves off because he didn’t know how badly his hands were burned, she said. David Shinn, who lives near the store, reported that he was at the store a short time before the explosion and saw the gas spilling onto the ground. When he asked Eversole about it, Shinn said he was told, “I can handle it.” “I left, and went about 100 yards when the truck exploded,” Shinn said. Firefighters remained at the scene after the injured truck driver was taken for treatment. Neither the 6,000-gallon tank nor a smaller adjoining 2,500-gallon tank exploded, but firefighters continued to pour water on the tanks to cool them down and reduce the danger of explosion. The fire from the exploding gasoline was so intense it melted the front end of a pickup parked near the store. Kenneth Haynes, a volunteer McDonald County firefighter, was blown 30 feet through the air and suffered a minor injury to his hand when a wheel on the fuel truck exploded. Haynes didn’t require transportation for medical care, however. The Bella Vista Fire Department sent three pumpers — two from the Town Center Station and the other from the Highlands Station — and an ambulance to the scene. All but one pumper had returned to the station by about 1 p.m. Staff writer David Kever contributed to this story.

Explosion on cruise ship kills 2, injures 20
By RICHARD BRAND
A boiler room explosion aboard the SS Norway, docked in the port of Miami-Dade, killed four and injured at least 20 crew members and startled tourists returning from a one-week Caribbean vacation. The blast does not appear to be an act of terrorism, just ”an unfortunate accident,” according to a senior Miami-Dade police officer. However, additional police were moved to the port as a precaution. Nearly 50 Fire-Rescue units from Miami-Dade County, city of Miami, and Miami Beach responded to the explosion in the boiler room, which occured around 6:50 a.m. Rescuers set up a makeshift triage center in the driveway by the cruise terminal. There, color coded tags were placed on some of the injured to mark the severity of their burns. The injured were carried out in stretchers, some of them severly burned and wrapped in sterile, protective sheets. Passenger Kathleen Ditty, 26, said the explosion shook her room and shut down the boat’s power and lights. ”We didn’t know what it was, and then the lights went out in the hallway,” she said. ”There was on the loudspeaker an announcement for a stretcher crew to head to the boiler room, boiler number 23,” she said. Ditty said that she and other passengers were asked to report to their muster stations, where they waited for about and hour an a half before being taken off the ship. Passengers were confined to an air conditioned terminal near the ship. Rescue workers said they believe all the injured had been removed from the ship. “ Pretty much everybody is accounted for,“ said Eugene Germanin Jr., spokesman for Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue. ”We believe that it’s a possible steam leak from the boiler room that caused the explosions,” said Anastasia Burnes, spokeswoman for the U.S. Coast Guard. “Right now everything is under control.” In recent years, fire safety on the Norway, operated by Norwegian Cruise Lines has come come into question. Two years ago, also on Memorial Day weekend, the luxury liners Caribbean cruises was canceled after the U.S. Coast Guard found a litany o safety violation onboard. During an unannounced May 2001 inspection they discovered more than 100 fire safety violations, including poorly repaired leaks on the fire-sprinkler line. Welders worked frantically to make repairs, the fixes took days to be completed. Passengers were given free drinks and left to choose between a refund and rescheduling.

Fire Damages Refinery Tank
May. 23, 2003
Fire crews responded tonight to a large -refinery fire in North Salt Lake. The fire was contained to one -tank, which was holding about four feet of ashphalt. Fire crews used a -steam line to put the fire out because water makes the asphalt expand, which could have caused even more damage. No one was -injured, and damage is estimated anywhere from 50 to 150 thousand dollars. The cause is still unknown. 

Explosions Rock Tyler County
Story By Wade Cameron 
A pillar of black smoke filled the sky just East of Woodville Saturday afternoon after a natural gas storage facility burst into flames. Fire officials say the fire errupted around 5pm while a tanker truck was filling it’s load. Officials say fumes leaked by a storage tank at the facility were ignited by a spark from the truck. The fire spread to all 13 storage tanks at the site causing at least three of them to rupture. At least two dozen fire crews from all across East Texas worked to contain the blaze but could not extinguish it because of a lack of water. Workers from the Texas Forest Service were among those fighting the fire and were able to protect the surround forest from becoming part of the blaze. A Woodville fire crew sat on a fire watch throughout Sunday waiting for the fire to burn itself out. None of the facility workers nor the residents in the surrounding area were harmed in the blaze however, one person assisting in fighting the blaze was taken to a Jasper hospital with minor injuries. Emergency workers evacuated any buildings within a one mile radius of the facility as a precaution. 

Ajman foam factory gutted 
Ajman | By Abdullah Arbab | 25/05/2003 
A foam factory was gutted in a major fire in the industrial area in Ajman yesterday. Three other factories and a warehouse were also damaged in the blaze. Civil Defence authorities battled the blaze, which began at around 1pm, for over three hours before putting it out. No injuries were reported. Lt. Colonel Matar Rashid Al Suwaidi, acting director general of Ajman Civil Defence, said: “We quickly reached the location and immediately evacuated people from the factory as well as the surrounding areas. The fire was massive. “A warehouse where chemicals were stored exploded during the fire. The wind fanned the fire to the neighbouring shops, making fire-fighting operations difficult.” The cause of the fire is not yet ascertained, Al Suwaidi said and added investigations are on. Material loss is expected to be enormous, he said. Strong winds caused the fire to spread to three neighbouring units trading in furniture, wood and ceramics, and a wood storage warehouse. However, Civil Defence authorities prevented the fire from reaching other units in the area, including a chemicals company. A water shortage also hampered firefighting operation, prompting Civil Defence authorities to seek more water supplies from Ajman Municipality, and call for assistance from neighbouring emirates. Civil Defence authorities in Dubai, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain joined the operations. “When the fire spread to neighbouring shops, we ran out of water. We had to ask for more water from the municipality and assistance from the neighbouring emirates,” he said. 

Toxic explosions as blaze razes storehouse
May 23 2003 at 11:13PM By Lenore Oliver 
Thick black smoke billowed from a factory in Sacks Circle, Bellville on Friday as a raging fire destroyed a chemical store and made several drums of toxic substances explode. At about 3pm fire engines and emergency and rescue teams rushed to the area, roads were cordoned off and people were evacuated from the buildings of Rennies Distribution Services. Bellville acting fire chief Sippy Cairncross said they were unsure what type of chemicals were kept in the store and firefighters were taking extra care in putting out the flames. He said disaster management teams had been sent to nearby areas in case some of the residents suffered respiratory problems because of the fumes. At least 10 firefighters were taken to N1 City Hospital for treatment of skin irritation after exposure to chemicals. By late on Friday night firefighters said they had contained the fire.

12 dead in mine disaster
22may03
TWELVE people are dead and another 12 are missing after a gas explosion at a coal mine in south-west China, local officials said today. “We have found 12 corpses so far and 12 remain missing,” Lin Zhongfu, an official at the Yongxing mine in the Huaping district of Yunnan province, told AFP. Three workers had been rescued of the 27 people in the mine at the time, the China News Service said. The accident, which happened at 3pm yesterday, was the latest in a series of coalmine disasters that have claimed more than 100 lives in the past week. Chinese mines, many illegally operated, have an appalling safety record with thousands of deaths reported every year in explosions, floods and cave-ins. Official figures show nearly 1600 miners died in Chinese mines in the first two months of the year. 

Rowan plant fire re-ignites
5/22/2003 11:11 AM By: news14.com
SALISBURY, N.C. — Fire crews wrapped up work at a morning fire at the Kosa manufacturing plant on Statesville Boulevard in Rowan County Thursday. Nineteen firefighters were called to fight the blaze that began just after 3 a.m. They were able to quickly get the fire under control, but it re-ignited. A security guard at the plant said the fire started in a machine inside the building but said that kind of fire is common. 

Blast at chemical plant in China, 6 dead 
Beijing, May 22 – At least six people were killed and 15 others injured in an explosion at a chemical plant in north China’s Hebei province. The accident occurred when a reaction tower exploded yesterday killing one and leaving five people buried under the debris, while triggering a blaze in a nearby warehouse, reports said today. It took 22 fire engines nearly two hours to put out the blaze in the plant in the north-eastern suburb of Shijiazhuang, capital of the province. At least 20 people were hospitalised and five succumbed to their injuries at the hospital. Police said preliminary investigations indicated the explosion was an accident. 

UPDATE OSHA Investigates Grain Bin Fire
Tuesday’s explosion scare at SunPrairie Grain in east Minot got the attention of a federal agency. Wednesday afternoon, Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials paid a visit to the business where overheated grain in a concrete bin forced the evacuation of dozens of people nearby, because of the possibility of an explosion. SunPrairie Grain general manager Brad Haugeberg says the industry is heavily scrutinized because accidents are not that uncommon — but he’s comfortable that everyone involved took the necessary steps to put safety first. Haugeberg says this is the first time in 20 years osha has launched an investigation into operations at the elevator. 

Boiler explosion kills 1, injures 4
By Moses Michael-Phiri – 22-05-2003 Search 
One man died while four others sustained injuries in an industrial accident where a boiler exploded at Mindale estate at Bvumbwe in Thyolo district on Tuesday morning. Police spokesman George Chikowi identified the deceased as Ian Namoche, 48, from Mapwesera village, T/A Chimaliro in Thyolo who was working as a manager at the estate. The late Namoche was pronounced dead on arrival at Malamulo Mission Hospital [in Makwasa],” he said on Thursday, adding that the accident happened at around 11 AM on May 20, 2003. chikowi said after the explosion, the hot water splashed on to the brick work which in the process fell on the victims. Of the four injured persons, Maxwell Maida, 32, from Sitepe Village, T/A Chimaliro in Thyolo, who works as a plumber and assistant plumber Sakondwera Lipenga, 19, from Chimwayi village, T/A Kwataine in Ntcheu district have been discharged and are currently receiving treatment as outpatients. The police said Alfred Malombe, 51, from Nankutu village, T/A Nkalo in Chiradzulu who worked as a supervisor is admitted to Makwasa Mission Hospital while boiler man Peter Gonani, 31, from Nang’ombe village, T/A Chimaliro in Thyolo is in “serious condition” and has been referred to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre. 

11 Chinese workers injured in fire in Cambodia 
At least 11 Chinese garment workers were slightly injured in a fire occurring late Wednesday in a four-story garment factory, about 10 km from the city center, according to a Taiwanese hospital here on Thursday. More than 10 fire trucks helped battle the blaze and almost all of the capital’s ambulances and medical vehicles took part in the rescue. The Taiwanese-operated factory, Grandtex International Co, Ltd, located along narrow roads and clustered buildings, hindering the fire trucks and firefighters to put out the fire and offer effective rescues. The four-story building completely collapsed, according to witnesses. When the fire broke out around 7 p.m. local time, some workers were still on an overtime shift began at 4 p.m. Fortunately, most of the workers were outside the building when it fell. But witnesses said some Cambodians may be seriously wounded because they were seen to be pulled from the collapsed building. Local authorities are investigating the incident. Some suspected that the huge fire was caused by the short circuit.

UPDATE Rescuers find 10 bodies at China mine blast site
SHANGHAI, May 21 (Reuters) – Rescuers found the bodies of 10 miners killed in a gas explosion at a coal mine in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi, the official Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday. It said another 25 miners were missing in China’s fourth major mine accident this month. The owner of the private and unlicensed mine has been arrested, it added. The agency said that 33 trapped workers at another mine in the same province have been rescued after the mine flooded. Nearly 100 people have been killed in China’s mining industry, the world’s largest, so far this month. State media said about 7,000 people were killed in mining accidents last year. 

UPDATE Static electricity sparked blast; Grain derivative ignited in silo 
By Kevin Eigelbach Post staff reporter
Static electricity caused the explosion that ripped through a storage tower at the Perfetti Van Melle candy company in Erlanger early Tuesday morning. That’s what investigators with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Kentucky fire marshal’s office and the Point Pleasant Fire Department concluded Tuesday afternoon. “We had a perfect atmosphere (for ignition) with that product and the way it enters into the silo,” said Point Pleasant Fire Chief Mike Giordano. The charge built up in spite of many safeguards in place to reduce static electricity, he said. Investigators ruled out every other possible source of ignition, he said. “It was just one of those one-in-a-hundred chances,” said Perfetti Van Melle Vice President for Manufacturing Bill Stepan. The explosion happened inside a silo where a grain derivative similar to cornstarch is stored. It’s used in the manufacturing process for the plant’s product, Airheads fruit candies. In dust form, the derivative becomes volatile and can explode, much as explosions sometimes happen in grain silos on farms or at grain elevators. The explosion did a lot of damage to the silo and storage area, Giordano said, but apparently not to the manufacturing and office areas. The company was still trying Tuesday to put a dollar figure on the damage, Stepan said. Candy wrapper Leonard Bickers, who was inside the storage area during the explosion, was the only person injured. He was taken to St. Luke Hospital West, where he was expected to be kept overnight for observation. It will take a week or two to resume production, Stepan said, but he expected that the plant’s 150 employees would go back to work today, doing cleanup and other projects. The plant makes 3 million packages of Airheads every day, using about 20 tons of sugar.

Fire Erupts At Ethan Allen; Workers Sent Home Tuesday
BY LARA HUETH and ROBIN SMITH, Staff Writers
ORLEANS, VT – Firefighters from across the county converged on the Ethan Allen furniture plant in Orleans Tuesday morning when a dust collection unit outside the plant exploded. The sprinkler system and fire crews from local communities and from within the plant had the fire under control quickly, said plant manager Larry “Butch” Thompson Jr. Still, the situation might have been much worse, said Orleans Fire Chief EJ Rowell. The fire broke out right next to the lacquer plant. Lacquer, which is used to give furniture a glossy, protective finish, is highly flammable. Sprinklers kicked on as an employee pulled the alarm and 400 workers evacuated, Thompson said. Heat and pressure built up inside the unit until the doors blew open at 8:30 a.m. as they are designed to do under heat and stress, said Thompson and Steve Montague, facility manager. The dust collection unit is relatively new. Thompson said it was installed in 2002. Rowell said it was still unclear where or how the fire started. The flames shooting from the dust collection silo spread to the upper floor of the building. Firefighters cut holes through the steel roof, then fought the flames with water from inside the building and from above with ladder trucks. The crew then tore out the second floor walls where the fire had spread into the building. Rowell said the whole operation was basically finished within three hours. Thompson credited his own crews and the firefighters for a prompt response. Almost 100 firefighters from Orleans, Glover, Derby Line, Newport City, Westmore and Irasburg responded, as well as several rescue squad crews. Newport brought its ladder truck. Two employees were taken to North Country Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, but Thompson said they had been walking around outside the plant for a while before deciding to seek treatment. Thompson said he believed the treatment was more of a precaution. The evacuated employees gathered at designated locations outside the plant, checking in with supervisors according to fire protocol. They were sent home at 10 a.m. while firefighters from at least five different communities helped with the mop-up. Some plant workers, however, were forced to stay at the plant as their car keys were inside the building. Others needed their wallets or medicine, and waited as firefighters with flashlights entered the dark building to retrieve those items. Erin Robbins, who lives in an apartment behind the plant, said she woke up to the whistles going off. She said the blast shook her building and that she saw flames and black smoke. Donald Jones, a furniture stainer, said he heard a “boom” and the alarms and then everyone ran outside of the building. Worker Ellen Guyer said she didn’t see the flames, only a big ball of black smoke. “We haven’t had anything like this for a long, long time,” Guyer said. Thompson said the plant lost almost a whole day of work, with employees only working an hour and a half before the fire began. He wasn’t sure what that meant in terms of lost revenue. Immediately after the incident, it was unclear whether Ethan Allen would remain closed another day; however, the facility is open for business this morning. 

Employee injured in candy factory explosion
The Perfetti Van Melle plant in Erlanger has been shut down for the day following an early-morning explosion that injured one employee. According to reports, the male worker was in the plant silo room, where candy ingredients are stored, when the explosion occurred. Plant officials said the silo contained maltodextrin, a highly combustible grain-like substance that likely caused the explosion. The worker was injured at about 3:15 a.m. and was listed in stable condition at St. Luke West hospital early this morning, according to reports. Perfetti Van Melle, located on Turfway Road, manufactures the Airheads brand of candy. 

Three injured in pub blast 
May 20, 2003 11:36
A Norfolk pub was blown apart and three people were injured by a gas explosion this morning. The London Tavern at Coltishall High Street was destroyed by the large blast at 10.15am. The pub was closed at the time of the blast and there was no one inside. All three injured were Transco workers investigating a leak following reports of gas smells earlier in the morning. They were taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. One man had chest injuries which were not life-threatening, and the two others had minor injuries. At least five fire crews were called – two from Norwich, and others from Sprowston, Wroxham and a North Walsham team equipped with a thermal imaging camera. Several people said it was a “miracle” that no one had been killed or severely injured. Wood, bricks and glass from the pub was scattered up to 30 yards from the seat of the blast. And thanks to a missing wall, the pub bar and toilets could be seen from outside. Several neighbouring shops, including the Londis store, and the nearby Shell garage were closed. A large area around the High Street and Church Street junction was cordoned off. Publican Stephen Fuller, who was out of the county on business, said he would normally have been in the pub at the time. “I’m gutted,” he said. There were several reports of a smell of gas about two hours before the explosion. A Transco spokesman said last night that an investigation was under way in co-operation with the Health and Safety Executive. Local butcher Robin Hewitt described the explosion was like a bomb going off. “We went outside to have a look and there was a small cloud of smoke – but no pub. It just wasn’t there anymore.” Assistant divisional officer David Frost, of Norfolk fire service, said the incident was the worst of its type he had ever seen. And fire spokesman Graham Joy said the men caught up in the blast had had a “miraculous escape”. “And it was lucky that no one was driving or cycling or walking past the pub when it went up,” he added. A police spokesman confirmed that there had been reports of a smell of gas at the front of the building before the explosion. Matthew Ware, spokesman for the East Anglian Ambulance Trust, said two ambulances and five other response vehicles went to the accident. Workers from Transco eventually sealed the leak around lunchtime. 

Furnace blast in Rourkela steel plant
NDTV Correspondent Tuesday, May 20, 2003 (Bhubaneshwar)
Three people were seriously burnt in a blast in a furnace at the Rourkela steel plant in Orissa. The injured include two executives, who have reportedly sustained serious burns. After the blast, workers went on a strike demanding better safety standards. The steel plant, over 500 kms from Bhubaneshwar, is one of the top steel plants of the country. 

Valero reports brief fire at Wilmington refinery
Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO) reported a “small, brief fire” in an alkylation unit heater early Sunday, May 18, at the company’s refinery in Wilmington, Calif. Valero spokeswoman Mary Rose Brown says the fire was quickly extinguished and there were no injuries or release of hazardous materials. “The fire was quickly contained and extinguished by Valero’s emergency response team prior to the arrival of a unit from the Los Angeles fire department,” she says. “Fence line air monitoring, which was conducted around the plant’s perimeter, did not reveal any detectable emissions.” Brown says the cause of the fire is under investigation. An estimate for required repair time or lost production levels was not immediately available. The alkylation unit produces alkylate, which is used as a gasoline-blending component to increase octane. San Antonio-based Valero’s Wilmington refinery is located near Los Angeles. It has a 141,000 barrel per day throughput capacity and manufactures 100 percent of motor fuels to stringent California Air Resources Board standards. 

Firedamages Oakwood poultry plant, but no workers injured 
By MIKE MORRIS Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer 
No injuries were reported this morning in a fire that heavily damaged a poultry processing plant in Oakwood. Hall County fire dispatchers said the blaze broke out shortly before 8 a.m. at the Dutch Quality House plant at 3450 Old Oakwood Road. Company spokesman Mike Robach said there were about 150 employees at work when the fire broke out, and all were evacuated safely to the cafeteria of a nearby business. Robach said that while the fire didn’t spread throughout the 100,000-square-foot plant, “we know that a portion of the facility where the fire started has extensive damage.” The cause of the blaze hasn’t been determined. The fire was out by 10 a.m. The plant, which was built in 1979, produces poultry products for restaurants and institutional customers, Robach said, and is one of 13 processing facilities in the southeast operated by parent company Wayne Farms LLC. 

Seven Miners Killed in Gas Explosion in NE China
A fierce gas explosion at a mine in Liaoyang city, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, has left seven people dead and four injured. Sources from the local government said the explosion happened 6:30 p.m. Saturday about 400 to 500 meters below ground, when 11 miners were working underground at the private mine. All the injured were in a safe condition and the bodies of those killed had been retrieved after an emergency rescue operation. The cause of the accident was still under investigation. The Liaoyang government has required all mines to suspend operations until safety checks have been carried out. 

Investigators Know Cause of Defiance Factory Fire
(Defiance, Ohio, WANE, May 17, 2003) – Firefighters now know what caused a huge factory fire in Defiance, Ohio. Investigators say it started at a processing line along the western part of the building. Flames tore through the manufacturing floor at the Johns Manville plant Friday afternoon. Fire officials believe a line supplying natural gas failed. The gas was ignited by production equipment. The fire then spread to the roof which sent flames through out the structure. Crews had it contained within several hours, but the new concern is that the air might be polluted by the thick black smoke. Crews have been monitoring it through the night and say all readings remain satisfactory.

Fire shuts ExxonMobil Texas gas processing plant
Reuters, 05.14.03, 3:51 PM ET
NEW YORK, May 14 (Reuters) – A fire at an ExxonMobil Corp. (nyse: XOM – news – people) natural gas processing plant in Katy, Texas, on Tuesday has knocked out all 120 million cubic feet per day of the facility’s processing capacity, the company said on Wednesday. “We did have a small fire in a heating unit yesterday. It was extinguished quickly, but the processing capability of the plant has been shut in,” company spokesman Bob Davis said. He said the cause of the fire was not known but there were no injuries and no environmental impact. The Katy plant is about 20 miles west of downtown Houston. Davis said he was not sure how long it would take to get the processing capability of the plant back in service. “We’re evaluating the extent of the damage and the options of restoring processing,” he said, declining to go into detail. The plant takes raw natural gas from wells and removes impurities and extracts liquids like propane and butane from the gas stream. 

Flames rip through factory
16may03
FIRE has caused an estimated $800,000 damage to a screen-printing factory in Melbourne. Senior-Constable Wayne Wilson said the blaze started in the Laser Street, Rowville, factory about 10pm last night. “They got some stuff out, but it severely damaged the factory and contents,” he said. Police said there was no indication the fire was the result of arson. The Country Fire Authority said 30 firefighters using breathing apparatus took about half-an-hour to douse the flames. They saved an administration wing at the front of the 600 square-metre factory and prevented the fire from spreading to a nearby church. An investigation has begun into the cause of the blaze. 

Fire destroys west Belfast metal works factory
An accidental fire has destroyed a metal working factory in west Belfast. Around a dozen fire fighters were called to JH Place Metal Works in the Kennedy Way industrial estate to tackle the blaze. Fire Officer Neil McGrath said they managed to stop the fire from spreading but couldn’t prevent damage occurring to the property itself. “It’s more or less down to bare brick,” he said. 

64 dead, 22 missing after China mine blast
BEIJING May 14 – Sixty-four workers died and 22 were missing deep undergound Wednesday after a gas explosion ripped through a coal mine, adding more grisly statistics to an industry with an appalling safety record. “Sixty-four miners have been confirmed dead,” a mine official surnamed Hu told AFP from the scene of the blast in Anhui province in eastern China. He said there were 22 still missing from the accident, which happened 590 metres (1,947 feet) deep in the mine shaft, and that rescue work was ongoing. “The chances of their survival is not very good. It is not probable that they are alive,” he said. Another mine official, surnamed Zhang, added: “So far 17 rescue workers have been sent into the mine. They have been divided into two groups and they are trying to find those still missing. “It was a gas explosion. Twenty-seven people have been rescued and 10 are in hospital.” Hu added that gas was still leaking and there was a risk of new explosions. “They are pumping air into the mine right now,” he said. The blast struck the registered Luling coal mine in Anhui province’s Huaibei city shortly after 4:00 pm (0800 GMT) Tuesday. Rescue workers, led by provincial governor Wang Jinshan, were feverishly trying to find those trapped in the mine shaft, said family members and friends of employees who were helping. “They haven’t been home for two days,” said a man in his 20s, whose father and uncles work in the mine but were in a different shaft from where the explosion occurred. The man and other residents reached by phone Wednesday said the mine, located near Suzhou city, was the largest in the Huaibei Coal Mine Administration. It employs 7,000 workers, an official in the company-run union said. In the aftermath of the accident, all coal mines in northern Anhui have been shut and will only reopen if safety standards are met, local officials said according to the Xinhua news agency. The young man, who declined to give his name, said his family members had worked in the mine for years, beginning when it was built some 35 years ago. Few major accidents have happened in the state-run mine. “It’s a safe mine, but mines always have some accidents happening,” said a friend of a mine office employee, who added that in the past several people had died. Many family members of the miners were at the scene, waiting at the gate of the mine, hoping their relatives would be found alive, said another employee’s friend. Chinese mines, many illegally operated, have an appalling safety record with thousands of deaths reported last year in explosions, floods and cave-ins. China’s market-oriented reform of the state-run coal sector is leading to increased mine accidents while the ruling Communist Party-controlled unions are ineffective in safeguarding workers, labor activists have said. Last month, two major explosions killed 97 miners in China, with 72 dying at the Mengnanzhuang mine in Shanxi province in the north and 25 in a blast at the Mengjiagou mine in the northeastern province of Liaoning. Official figures show nearly 1,600 miners died in Chinese mines in the first two months of the year. – AFP

UPDATE 5-13, Local: Official: Burns cause of man’s death at Eastman
By MIKE ELSWICK
Federal officials from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration are investigating circumstances surrounding the death of Eastman Chemical Co., Texas Operations worker George Mark Mitchell of Gladewater. Mitchell, 41, was killed Sunday in an industrial accident. Harrison County Justice of the Peace Melba Oney pronounced him dead about 1:30 p.m. at the plant site. An autopsy was ordered and the tentative cause of death was due to burns sustained in the accident, she said. Elizabeth Todd, spokeswoman for OSHA regional offices in Dallas, said on Monday the investigation is in progress. “While OSHA is investigating an incident, all we can do is confirm the investigation is in progress,” Todd said. By law, OSHA is required to complete its investigation within six months, she said. “But it rarely takes that long,” she said. Company spokesman Mike Childress said the accident occurred about 11 a.m. Sunday. Funeral services for Mitchell are set for 4 p.m. Wednesday at Mobberly Baptist Church in Longview. Childress confirmed that OSHA investigators were at the plant Monday. He said Mitchell was a waste facilities operator/relief supervisor who had worked at the plant since Sept. 4, 1990. “As part of his assigned duties, Mitchell was unloading material into the waste incinerator area when a fire occurred in the area,” Childress said. Eastman’s own investigation is also continuing into the cause, he said. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our co-workers,” Childress said. “The events of Sunday weigh heavy on our hearts in the days and weeks ahead.” Childress said the fatality was the first of an Eastman employee at the plant due to operations in more than 25 years. “Safety is an important issue with us,” he said. “We spend thousands of man-hours a year dedicated to safety.” 

Lucky escape in plant explosion
May 12, 2003
WORKERS at a Melbourne chemical plant have been lucky to escape injury after a drum of chemicals they were emptying exploded. No one was injured in the explosion at Chemsal in Doherty’s Road, Laverton North, about 2.40pm (AEST). Metropolitan Fire Service spokesman Mark Dalrymple said fire crews were soaking up the chemical, believed to be an organophosphate, which spilled from the drum after the blast. He said Chemsal staff were decanting the 200-litre drum when a fierce chemical reaction with a liquid pesticide started. He said the clean-up operation was being conducted with the Environment Protection Authority and WorkCover. 

Fire puts Temco production behind
Temco says it could take a month to make up for lost production at its Bell Bay manganese plant in northern Tasmania. Investigations have confirmed an electrical fault was to blame for a blaze which started on the top floor of the number two furnace on Friday morning, causing $100,000 damage. Plant manager Les Jensen says crews have spent three days repairing the damage and were able to begin operating the equipment last night. “We had a couple of days that had expired and we had to get some equipment from the mainland,” he said. “We’ve been able to source that and it’s been a great effort from the Temco guys and other support people who worked around the clock and get it ready to go, even on Mother’s Day. I commend them.” 

‘Toxic’ risk from factory fire 
Residents in an area of Northumberland were told to keep doors and windows closed following a risk of toxic smoke for a factory fire. About 40 firefighters tackled the fire at the Bassington Industrial Estate in Cramlington. Police said the fire began at Precision Hydraulic Cylinders and started in the paint shop. High winds quickly spread the fire through the building. Firefighters put in place a 200 meter exclusion zone because of the danger of gas cylinders exploding. A spokesman for Northumbria Police said local people, particularly those on the nearby Hartford Estate, had been told to keep their doors and windows closed. Officers also sealed off several roads and are asking all other people to stay away. The spokesman said toxic smoke drifted across neighbouring factories towards the Hertford estate. 

Fire Destroys 2 Million Frozen Chickens 
by Kim Chang-gon 
A fire broke out Monday morning at the main factory of Korea¡¯s largest chicken producer, Harim, and raged for nearly 14 hours, destroying factory facilities and about 2 million frozen chickens, the company said. Damages at the factory in Iksan City, North Jeolla province are estimated to be at least 20 billion won ($17 million). Harim holds 25 percent of the domestic chicken market, so the fire may affect supplies in summer, when chicken consumption tends to increase. °We are going to operate our factory in North Jeolla province 24 hours a day to produce 280,000 chickens a day,” an official at the company said. “Also, another producer has agreed to produce an additional 100,000 chickens, so we will be able to supply 80 percent of what we lost.” Harim, established in 1978, has seven affiliates and produces 400,000 chickens a day either in raw or processed forms. It is the No. 1 domestic chicken producer, with sales last year of 1 trillion won, including 430 billion from the main factory. 

UPDATE Ludhiana factory blast toll rises to 10 
Press Trust of India Ludhiana, May 12 
The toll in the blast at a hosiery factory rose to 10 with two more persons, including a woman, succumbing to their burn injuries on Monday, a hospital spokesman said. Jaspal Singh alias Pappu (42) and Gulshan Kaur (51), both residents of the area where the unit was located, died in the Christian Medical College Hospital, Acting Director of the hospital TM Jesson told PTI. He said 73 injured, seven of whom were serious, were receiving treatment at the hospital. Five others were admitted to the Dayanand Medical College Hospital. Meanwhile, forensic and other experts were examining the site to ascertain possible causes of the blast that led to fire in the factory on Saturday afternoon. Punjab government on Sunday ordered a magisterial probe into the blast that would be conducted by District Magistrate of Ludhiana.

Twelve Die in Indian Stocking Factory Blaze 
Sat May 10, 2003 01:04 PM ET 
CHANDIGARH, India (Reuters) – At least 12 people died and 70 were injured, many critically, when fire swept through a stocking factory in the northern Indian state of Punjab on Saturday, police said. The incident occurred in the textile town of Ludhiana, where small factories operate from congested residential areas. One witness said the fire started when a worker threw a lit cigarette near drums containing inflammable chemicals, a police officer said. 

Local Worker Injured In Explosion; Cylinder Company Employee Suffers Burns 
A local worker was injured in an explosion in Whitewater Township Friday afternoon. The owner of Haring Cylinder Co., on Dry Fork Road, said the employee has minor burns on his arm, WLWT Eyewitness News 5 reported. The explosion and subsequent fire left a swath of blackened ground and burning tanks strewn across the company’s yard. It’s still not clear what sparked the blast, according to WLWT. Please follow WLWT Eyewitness News 5 and ChannelCincinnati.com for updates to this story as they become available. 

5 killed in China chemical plant explosion 
Beijing, May 11. (PTI): Five people were killed and one seriously injured today when an explosion ripped through a chemical plant in Kunming, the capital of southwest China’s Yunnan province. The explosion occurred in the Xishan district of the city. The injured was rushed to a local hospital, Xinhua news agency reported. Fire fighters rushed to the scene at around 07:30 hrs (05:00 hrs IST) and the fire was brought under control at about 10:00 hrs (07:30 hrs IST), the report said. A technical supervisor believed that the explosion was possibly caused by industrial chemicals overheated in a closed vessel although the specific cause of the accident would be determined after investigations.

Generating Station Fire Put Out Without Shutting Down Plant
Posted: 11:57 a.m. EDT May 8, 2003
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Firefighters had to climb a tower Thursday morning to put out a small fire at the JEA’s Northside Generating Plant on Heckscher Drive. Heavy smoke was visible just after 10 a.m. A JEA spokesman says the fire was on a conveyor belt that transports limestone used for emissions control into the boilers. Several fire units and dozens of firefighters responded and had the fire under control within one hour. No injuries were reported and the utility says that none of its customers experienced an interruption of electric service. 

House explosion kills worker; Flooring chemicals may be root cause of blast, officials say 
05/07/2003 By L. Anne Newell ARIZONA DAILY STAR 
A 37-year-old man was fatally injured Tuesday afternoon in an explosion at a Sabino Canyon-area home he was helping to remodel, officials said. Russell Norman Behrman was pronounced dead at Tucson Medical Center at 3:10 p.m., about an hour and 45 minutes after the explosion at a home at North Moccasin Trail and East Sunrise Drive, said Deputy Steve Easton, spokesman for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. Behrman, an independent contractor, suffered severe head injuries in the incident, which also hurt his 18-year-old co-worker, David Brown, Easton said. Brown was treated and released at TMC. Rural/Metro Fire District Chief George Good said Behrman and Brown had been installing a new floor throughout the home, including laying wood laminate above a sunken floor in the living room. Investigators said the work involved ether-based chemicals, which produced vapors that became trapped between the two layers of floor. They suspect a spark from a nail gun ignited the vapors, causing an explosion powerful enough tthrow Behrman head-first into the 8- to 9-foot-high ceiling. The explosion also caused a blast wave that shattered windows in the house, Good said. It did not start any fires, but left residual smoke, he said. “From what I saw in there, it was a pretty severe explosion,” Easton said. The noise brought neighbors rushing outside to see smoke drifting out the front door. “It was huge,” said Cristine Fridena, who lives across the street from the home. Margarete Sokser, who also lives across the street, was talking with a friend when she heard the blast. “I heard a loud sound and said to my friend, ‘Did you hear that? It sounded like an explosion.’ I looked out the window and couldn’t see anything,” she said. “Five minutes later, the police and the firetrucks were out there.” Sokser said the workers had been at the house since last week, performing heavy work. She’d even stopped to chat with them the day before. The owner was expected to come in Friday, she said. “It’s so tragic, I can’t believe it,” she said. Brown, of the 8100 block of East Speedway, called 911 on his cell phone at 1:24 p.m., officials said. Neither he nor his family could be reached for comment. Efforts to reach relatives of Behrman, who lived in the 800 block of South Stewart Place, also failed. One of the many people who stopped to watch the aftermath of the explosion was the home’s former owner, Mike Katz, who said he and his wife sold the home last August but stayed there as renters through April. His family still lives in the area and he was driving past Tuesday when he noticed all the trouble outside his old home and stopped. “I’m flabbergasted,” he said. He and his family bought the home new 19 years ago and had extensive work done, he said, starting a complete remodeling project five years ago. “There’s been construction for years and we’ve never had problems,” he said. “My wife and I are beyond words. That’s all I can say. We’ve got memories for 19 years there, my kids grew up there and we never had an accident once in that house. I wish I knew what happened.” 

Huge fire erupts on city’s West Side
By Paul Meincke
May 7, 2003 — Flames roared through a West Side auto body garage, forcing neighbors to evacuate the area and delaying some Metra trains. Fire crews were able to contain the blaze to the building. One worker was injured. Officials say that the fire began when an employee at Acorn Garage, located at 1146 W. Hubbard, was working on one of 12 trucks inside the building. That truck exploded. One employee received second-degree burns to his head. Five other employees were able to escape without injuries. Neighbors evacuated the area as a precautionary measure. Metra trains were temporarily stopped due to the thick smoke. Click here to see if your train has been affected. You can see video from the scene and the ABC7 report by clicking on the video icon at the upper right. You will need Real Player 8 to view this video. You can get it FREE by clicking here. NOTE: Video clips will only be available for 10-days from the date they were created.

Factory fire near huge gas cylinder 
Published on May 8, 2003 
Fire broke out yesterday evening at a plastics plant in Samut Prakan’s Bang Saothong district, threatening to set alight a huge gas container. By late last night, most of the factory was gutted. Police said workers at Thai Urethane Plastics Co, off Bangna-Trat Road, noticed the fire at the plant’s one-storey chemical storage facility at about 6pm. Fire-fighters spent more than four hours trying to put out the blaze in an attempt to stop it spreading to the gas container, a 10,000-litre underground thinner container, and production house. Homes situated some 500 metres from the plant were not considered at risk. About 30 fire engines were called to company’s 26-rai compound, with 10 appliances containing fire-extinguishing foam in use. More than 300 employees were working at the chemical storage facility when the fire broke out. All escaped unharmed. The fire quickly gutted the 15-metre-high storage facility, which contained mostly synthetic resin and plastic pellets. Explosions could be heard, followed by fireballs. As flames leapt more than 10 metres into the air, in- and out-bound traffic along Bangna-Trat Road was temporarily halted, police said. 

Fire At Former Nuclear Weapons Plant Under Investigation; No Radiation Released, Spokesman Says
POSTED: 7:11 a.m. MDT May 7, 2003
GOLDEN, Colo. — A small fire at the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant Tuesday caused no injuries and released no radiation, a spokesman said. The fire was in a waste box inside a containment tent, said spokesman Patrick Etchart. Etchart said there is no indication that anyone inhaled radioactive material. Workers were checked for possible radioactive skin exposure and were decontaminated. The crew inside the containment tent used fire extinguishers on the flames and Rocky Flats firefighters sprayed water on the box, Etchart said. Some of the radioactive contamination from the inside of the waste box washed onto the floor of the tent and was tracked outside the tent. Based on a preliminary investigation Etchart said looks like a piece of equipment used to cut the glove box apart may have dropped a piece of metal into the glove box and ignited some sort of combustible material inside. It was the third safety incident at Rocky Flats in less than six weeks. In the previous two incidents, workers cleaning up the plant complex may have been exposed to low levels of radioactivity. Etchart said he did not have final test results from those incidents. 

Suspected chemical fire closes part of the city
Corydon Ireland Democrat and Chronicle 
(May 7, 2003) — A suspected chemical fire on Driving Park Avenue closed a one-square-mile section of northwest Rochester to traffic for three hours Tuesday night. A nearly simultaneous two-alarm fire broke out nearby, on Lake and Clay avenues. The double blazes “really taxed our resources,” said Rochester Fire Department spokesman Capt. Dan McBride. The fire at 1100 Driving Park Ave., near Mt. Read Boulevard, was also two alarms. It involved an abandoned former photofinishing facility known as Photo Tech and at first was declared a suspected hazardous material fire. It was called in at 7:34 p.m., after reports of an explosion at the site. Flames flared through the roof of the one-story brick structure. Soon after the fire was called in, two Rochester police officers, downwind of heavy black and yellow smoke, were taken to Rochester General Hospital as a precautionary measure, police officials said. No other injuries were linked to the fire. Nearby industries, including Delphi Automotive, remained open. No workplaces or residences were evacuated. Firefighters were fearful that the building, weakened by a previous fire, might collapse. So firefighters were not permitted to enter the structure. And because of concern that chemicals might be stored in the old building, firefighters were required to wear SCBA gear — Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus. Reporters at the scene were briskly shooed away and warned about drifting smoke. Firefighters hosed down the building from atop a hook-and-ladder apparatus. The air, hazy with smoke, smelled faintly of burning plastic. An Eastman Kodak Co. spokesman said the company did not own the former Photo Tech building. At presstime, Rochester Fire Department officials were not clear who did own the structure. By 10:45 p.m., an analysis of the smoke drifting downwind of the site turned up no traces of chemicals, except those created when wood burns. “We want to assure the public there is not a problem” with chemical contamination from the smoke, said McBride. Earlier, as a precaution, he and other officials had urged anyone near the fire to “shelter in place” — close doors and windows to avoid breathing potentially dangerous smoke. Until the air analysis was done, the blaze had been classified as a Level 1 hazardous materials incident because of drifting smoke. Haz-mat risk is measured on a scale of zero — the least risky — to 3, the most severe. Level 1 incidents are those in which suspected chemicals have migrated from the fire — in this case, as smoke. As an additional precaution, police sealed off roadways for a time last evening. Included was Driving Park at Dewey Avenue, where customers were kept inside a Wegmans Food Market for about an hour. Roadblocks were also set up at the intersection of Mt. Read Boulevard and Lexington Avenue. McBride called a hasty news conference in front of a Ridgeway Avenue bowling alley, a mile from the fire scene. He said good luck struck twice: The fire occurred in a light-industrial area where there are no residential neighborhoods. And the winds were calm, or very low — minimizing the distance smoke drifted. By 10:30 p.m., traffic blocks were removed from most roadways in the area of the fire. Driving Park Avenue between La Grange Avenue and Mt. Read Boulevard remained sealed to traffic. Firefighters, still fearful that the unstable building would collapse, used a crane to sift through the smoldering fire and put out any hot spots, said McBride.

Methane Leak Reportedly Caused Detroit Explosions; Firefighter Hurt In Blast
May 6, 2003
DETROIT — Methane gas underground may have caused explosions that rocked Detroit businesses Monday morning. A methane leak from an old sewer line could have been the culprit, Ron May, vice president of DTE Energy, told WDIV-TV in Detroit. He believes a spark may have ignited the methane gas, which is created by sewage, and started the underground fires. The fire burned insulation that surrounds the underground lines, May said. The fire burned underneath the street at Shelby and Lafayette. Just before noon Monday, a massive explosion caused by the underground fires blew two manhole covers off the ground, WDIV-TV reported. One manhole cover flew into the air at Michigan and Griswold. WDIV-TV reported that a firefighter parked in a nearby firetruck at Washington was rushed by EMS to a hospital after his eardrums were punctured by the blast. The windshield and side window of the fire truck were shattered. The third and fourth explosions were the most powerful, the station reported from the scene. Firefighters were not able to use water to put the electrical fire out. DTE said the had to cut the power to burn the fire out. Patrons eating lunch in the nearby American Coney Island said they felt the windows shake in the building. One man said he saw glass shatter and a manhole cover shoot into the air. First Independence Bank was closed for the day. Workers in the area should be able to return to work Tuesday, according to reports. The Federal Court building on Lafayette, between Washington and Shelby, was evacuated Monday, but people were able to return in the afternoon, according to the station’s reports. 

Kaiser repairing fire-damaged furnaces
By DAVID GILLIGAN Advocate Reporter 
HEATH — More details emerged Monday over the cause of a chemical blaze at Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corp. that tied up area firefighters for several hours. Kaiser said that that the incident involved an unintended release of molten aluminum from one of the plant’s four furnaces early Monday. The aluminum contained magnesium, which ignited, the statement said. Kaiser also said: One minor injury required on-site first-aid treatment: a superficial dime-sized burn on the arm of an employee, whose name was not released. Damage to facility was considered minor involving electrical wiring conduits. “Furnaces will be idled for about 24 hours or less while we complete minor repairs in the furnace area,” the statement said. Spokesman Scott Lamb said there was no major damage to the building and about 11 people were in the vicinity when the explosion occurred. Some parts of the plant are operating normally while the damaged areas of the operation are brought back online, Lamb said. Firefighters from Heath, Newark and Hebron battled the blaze, which was contained in one end of Kaiser’s huge mill, 1459 Hebron Road, Heath Fire Capt. Bob Kozlowski said, Firefighters could not use water to extinguish the fire, which made containing the blaze more difficult and time-consuming, he said. Firefighters had to use dry-chemical extinguishing agents. 

Vietnamese Ammunition Factory Explodes
MARGIE MASON Associated Press
HANOI, Vietnam – A fire at a military ammunition factory sparked a series of explosions in northern Vietnam, leveling hundreds of homes, killing one and injuring several others, a government official said Tuesday. An elderly woman was killed in the blast, which happened Monday night at the Z115 factory, a local official said. Several military personnel also were injured at the factory, which was built in the 1960s in Thinh Dan village, about 55 miles north of Hanoi, said an official at the Defense Ministry’s General Department of Military Industry. “There was a huge fire erupting at the factory that lit up an area,” an official of the People’s Committee of Thinh Dan village said on condition of anonymity. “About 40 minutes later, there was a very loud explosion.” Four other explosions followed for about an hour, the People’s Committee official said. Officials were still investigating the cause of the fire, which was extinguished about midnight on Monday. The area was blocked off by police and the military. Most of the estimated 700 houses within a mile of the factory were leveled or damaged by the blast. 

Limited Shuaiba refinery fire put out 
KUWAIT, May 5, (KUNA): A limited fire erupted in Al-Shuaiba refinery on Sunday without causing any casualties nor any pollution to the environment, Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) said on Monday. The refinery was shut off and undergoing maintenance during the fire, the head of the Public Relations Department in KNPC Ahmad Al-Mudhaf told Kuwait News Agency, adding the production of the refinery has been not affected. He said that firefighters controlled the small fire in no time, adding that only minimal infrastructural damage was sustained but it did not affect the daily production. KNPC is holding an investigation to determine the cause of the fire, Al-Mudhaf said. 

Four dead in refinery blast 
May 04, 2003
FOUR people were killed in a violent explosion at the Rafineria Gdanska (RG) oil refinery in Gdansk in northern Poland, a fire service spokesman said. “The blast occurred on a barge loaded with 20,000 cubic metres of petrol. Four workers aboard the barge are presumed dead,” the spokesman told AFP. A 30-strong team of firefighters was working to contain the fire and prevent the flames from spreading to three barges moored nearby. Rafineria Gdanska is Poland’s second-largest oil refinery.

Overnight Explosion in Queens, New York Critically Injures One Person
Courtesy of WABC News – New York
An overnight explosion at a recycling plant in the Maspeth section of Queens has critically injured one person. The man injured in this explosion was a 40-year-old machine worker who was working inside the recycling center. The roof just collapsed when this explosion happened and fire investigators are trying figure out what caused it. They say as they were walking around inside immediately after this explosion, it smelled like gas. The explosion happened at New Style recycling corporation, where the building owners say the gas has been shut off for years. This is a puzzling investigation for the people on the scene. The machine worker injured in this explosion burned over 50 percent of his body. He was rushed to the Cornell Burn Unit at New York Medical Center. He is in critical condition right now and when a group of truckers across the street actually saw the explosion happen, they immediately ran over as the building was still on fire to help this man out. Anthony Mason, Eyewitness: “I heard a loud explosion and I thought two trucks crashed. I looked up and saw the debris then I saw someone inside. The man was on fire and I told him to keep rolling around. He was hurt bad. I hope he makes it.” The fire is now under control and firefighters are still on the scene.