When fugitive vapors are ignited the flame will follow the vapors back to their origination. In a separate statement, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at least four people had been injured, with three taken to hospital by air ambulance. All Rights Reserved. Officials said the blast could be felt up to 30 miles away, and that by sunrise, toxic plumes could be seen for miles. "Nobody was injured or killed," White said. "We are keeping them and their families close to our hearts and hoping for a swift and full recovery. Officials say firefighters were called to Trinity Hospital shortly She joined InsideClimate in the fall of 2013, after helping produce documentaries and interactives for the PBS show Frontline since 2010 with 2over10 Media. TPC officials know that at least three tanks have been damaged, but firefighters have not been able to fully assess the harm, Monk said. An 18-wheel truck hit a train carrying chemicals and fuels in Cameron, Texas, early Tuesday, causing a huge explosion and starting a fire that is expected to burn for The accident occurred Saturday in the township of Huejutla in Mexicos Gulf coast region known as the Huasteca. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Two people have together been awarded $10.4 million at trial after a jury found they suffered hearing loss and emotional trauma when they narrowly escaped a natural gas explosion in Portland. Shutterstock As least 10 people were injured in a fire caused by a natural gas explosion in Texas Friday night, officials said. A massive explosion and fire occurred at one of the nations largest ExxonMobil refineries in Baytown, Texas, early Thursday morning, sending several workers to a local hospital. Please enter valid email address to continue. We've received your submission. ISLAMABAD (AP) A hotel catering to foreign visitors in Afghanistan's capital of Kabul was attacked Monday and three of the assailants were killed, a Taliban official said. TOWN OF MAPLE GROVE, Wis. (AP) Sheriff's investigators in Wisconsin are willing to forgo any possible underage drinking violations in order to get more information about a bonfire explosion that injured more than a dozen people, including some critically, officials said Tuesday. Four injured in refinery fire at Baytown, Texas. Speaking at a news conference at around 5:30 a.m. Authorities work on the scene of an explosion in Austin, Texas, March 12, 2018. NASA has officially confirmed that a loud explosion felt and heard in South Texas Wednesday evening came from a 1,000-pound meteor that crashed near McAllen, Texas at approximately 5:23 p.m. Police and multiple fire departments responded at 1 a.m. GAITHERSBURG, Md. However, in many other cases, the causes were either not identified or not publicly released because of the restrictions imposed during litigation., Zaloshs study concluded that flammable vapor concentrations measured in storage tanks of residual fuel oil and of asphalt have shown the presence of flammable concentrations even when the liquid is well below the flash point.. For decades, companies and regulators assumed that emissions from asphalt and No. BEIRUT (AP) Lebanons top prosecutor Wednesday ordered the release of all suspects detained in the investigation into the deadly 2020 port blast in Beirut and filed charges against the judge leading the probe, he told The Associated Press. We had two tanks right next to each other that we were dealing with: one with fire, one with rescue, Slovak said. In 2010, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board issued a safety bulletin on preventing worker deaths during hot work in and around tanks. If you have the contamination of higher flash point liquids with lower flash point liquids or the deliberate use of additives and youre not aware of what its doing to the tank vapor space, that could potentially be a hazardous situation, Zalosh said. Freeport police said to ask the city manager, who then told ABC13 he was not aware of any release. The Veracruz state civil defense office said most of the people injured in the explosion Tuesday in the town of Agua Dulce suffered first-degree burns. Almost instantly, the tank he was standing on exploded. Updated on: November 27, 2019 / 9:34 PM Though that is closer to the flash point, it still allows for a buffer. Webtoday: 2.5 in Mentone , Texas , United States. TOWN OF MAPLE GROVE, Wis. (AP) Four people remain hospitalized in Wisconsin burn centers with injuries from a bonfire explosion last week during a party in the Town of Maple Grove, authorities said Thursday. Gasoline is well known to be a volatile liquid and consequently, gasoline vapors are controlled using an internal floating roof to keep oxygen out and the vapors in, averting potential explosions. QUINTANA, Texas (KTRK) -- No injuries were reported Wednesday after what police initially described as an explosion at a liquefied natural gas terminal near Freeport. Two people are dead after a chemical leak and explosion Tuesday evening at plant in La Porte, Texas, company officials said. Video footage from the scene shows debris and lumber scattered across the home's yard and into the street. It is now common for additives to comprise up to 20 percent of stored asphalt or No. ICN provides award-winning climate coverage free of charge and advertising. Thus, the potential of asphalt additives to influence the formation of pyrophoric materials in an asphalt storage tank cannot be ruled out.. I didnt want there to be an evacuation and I wouldnt know because I was sleeping.. A dredging vessel in Corpus Christi hit a submerged pipeline, sparking an Chantal Da Silva is a breaking news editor for NBC News Digital based in London. 6 fuel oil are processed and stored may be contributing to them, and that workersand residents who live near the tanksmay be at risk. An investigation is underway at Freeport LNG in Surfside Beach after reports of an incident Wednesday. She worked as a co-producer, field producer or associate producer on the Frontline films League of Denial (2013); Money, Power and Wall Street (2012); A Perfect Terrorist (2011); Dr. Hotspots (2011) and Law and Disorder (2010). "Air quality tests in the area are ongoing. Smoke plumes fill air after 18-wheeler collides with train. On the way to the scene, ABC Houston affiliate KTRK's helicopter noticed the flames could be Around 1 a.m. on 12/23/2021, a fire occurred at our facility. ". If you add something that has a different explosive limit, youre going to change the properties of the mixture, he said. The Harris County Sheriff's Office said deputies were responding to the incident and that "some injuries" had been reported. In many cases, there was hot work or torch heating on or near the tanks, wrote the author, Robert Zalosh. An 18-wheel truck hit a train carrying chemicals and fuels in Cameron, Texas, early Tuesday, causing a huge explosion and starting a fire that is expected to burn for several days. The explosion happened just before 8 p.m. when workers At least 37 people were injured and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Shrapnel from the tanker tore into residential buildings and into the soccer pitch. A figure from the Chemical Safety Board report on the West explosion shows an unidentified ammonium nitrate storage facility. After the explosion in Ennis, Tank #17 was left damaged beyond repair and in need of removal. BERLIN (AP) A ship chartered by the operator of the Nord Stream 1 natural gas pipeline has arrived at the site of last month's explosions under the Baltic Sea to survey the damage, the company said Thursday. A barn burned to the ground, and several nearby houses were evacuated, but most people have returned to their homes. Five days after a home exploded in Westworth Village, Atmos Energy said there was "no evidence" to suggest its system was involved. One Twitter user recorded feeling the concussion from the explosion 25 miles away. GAITHERSBURG, Md. It is also a possibility it may have happened on the other side of the border. ", Tim Fitzsimons is a reporter for NBC News. The explosion happened in a remote area in Orakzai, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, said Mohammad Arif, an adviser for the Mines and Minerals Department. A meteor fell in Mission, Texas today around 5-5:30 pm, making a loud bang, shaking house in a 10 mile radius. Police have said that the two blasts that rocked Austin, Texas, today are related to a similar one that occurred on March 2. But central to making determinations about safe protocol is knowing the dangers posed by the specific product youre working with. Long-term exposure has been associated with cardiovascular disease and cancer, and can damage the nervous system. Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to a 10:21 a.m. call of a natural gas odor at 5726 Highland Hills Road in South Dallas, officials there said Wednesday. The explosion that injured Chambers was unexpected, but similar accidents had occurred in other places. 6 fuel, because their emissions were thought to be negligible, are vented, allowing oxygen in and vapors out. Flames shot out of the top of the damaged tank, and firefighters let the blaze burn out. Do not 'push a slower friend down' if you encounter bear: Park Service, Robbery, shooting occur at same time inside Galleria parking lot: HPD, Family holds vigil for 16-year-old killed while riding his dirt bike. Yes. First published on November 27, 2019 / 5:31 AM. But additives are not necessary for a pyrophoric explosion to occur. Fort Bend County Judge KP George said that residents surrounding the area were evacuated as a precaution. BERLIN (AP) Nine men suspected of involvement in blowing up dozens of cash machines in Germany and stealing some 5.2 million euros (nearly $5.7 million) have been arrested in the Netherlands and Belgium, German authorities said Thursday. The asphalt in this case was a combination of asphalt and diesel fuel. She has also reported for ProPublica, the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press. He said that "for now" there were no indications that nearby residents would need to evacuate the area or shelter-in-place. Harvey Patel was eating lunch inside the Budget Inn Ennis on April 23, 2018 when he felt a shockwave rattle the building. Smoke billows from a fire following an explosion caused by a crash between a train and an 18-wheeler near Cameron, Texas, on Feb. 23, 2021. The plant in Port Neches in southeast Texas, about 80 miles east of Houston, makes chemical and petroleum-based products. Numerous residents of the area reported that it "sounded like an earthquake.". Harley, a 22-year-old living with her boyfriend about two miles from the ExxonMobil facility, said she thought the blast was "a bomb or an earthquake.". Two months before Tank #17 exploded, on Feb. 2, 2018, there had been an explosion in the other tank, Tank #18. Overturned gas tanker explodes, killing 1 person. The windows on both sides of the building shook, and Patel, the general manager of the motel, said he could feel the blast inside his body. At least one house was damaged in the blast, and residents were evacuated from the area, according to the outlet. Copyright 2023 KTRK-TV. Martinez said she stayed up for hours, watching the scene unfold. Courtney Wallace, a BNSF spokesperson, confirmed that an investigation is underway and said 13 of the train's 110 cars derailed, 10 of which continued to burn Tuesday evening. Gonzalez said initial reports suggested that "some type of explosion" had occurred inside the plant. An Explosion in Texas Shows the Hidden Dangers of Tanks Holding Heavy Fuels - Inside Climate News A tank used to emulsify asphalt caught fire and exploded early But a 1997 study found that in several cases, fires and explosions had happened in materials like asphalt and No. "We're extremely grateful that nobody was killed," he said. Environmental and Alaska Native advocates rallied outside the White House ahead of an expected final decision on ConocoPhillips Willow Project. One of the asphalt tanks at the plant had been damaged and needed to be demolished, and the 32-year-old foreman was part of a five-man crew of contractors charged with getting it done. Nederland Volunteer Fire Department - NVFD, Inc. this year: 5.4 in Mentone , Texas Colombia plans to send 70 'cocaine hippos' to India and Mexico, How Paul Murdaugh helped solve his own murder, At least 13 people are dead as severe storms sweep across US. this week: 4.1 in Mentone , Texas , United States. WebShortly before 9 a.m. this morning, loud noises disrupted work in a nitric acid unit at the Invista Chemical Plant in Victoria, Texas. Though each accident had different particulars, all resulted from a flammable vapor coming in contact with an ignition source created by welding or cutting that was performed in, on, or near tanks that contained flammables.. MINOT, N.D. (AP) A small explosion and fire disrupted care on the third floor of a Minot hospital. Pulitzer Prize-winning, nonpartisan reporting on the biggest crisis facing our planet. (AP) A fiery explosion that injured more than a dozen people at a Maryland condominium building was ignited by a resident who intended to kill himself and died in the blast, police said. Four people were inside the two-story home when it was heavily damaged by Tuesday's explosion in the city of Princeton, leaving two people hospitalized with burns while a third person complained of back pain, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and State Fire Marshal said. White said the driver of an 18-wheel flatbed truck lost control of his vehicle, was unable to stop, swerved around a parked vehicle and into a rail crossing, where his truck struck a passing BNSF train. ABC-7 reported the loud boom heard and felt in east El Paso as well as the Lower Valley was in fact an explosion. The dramatic scenes of the nighttime fire have reverberated across Iranian social media. Shortly after 4 p.m., they declared the situation was under control and contained to the immediate affected area of the plant. Two people remained unaccounted for. Humble neighbor flown to hospital after grill explosion, deputies say, 5 victims awarded nearly $30M for 2019 Baytown ExxonMobil explosion, Ohio metal factory explosion kills 1, injures over a dozen others, Reporter arrested during news event on Ohio train derailment, Istanbul explosion leaves at least 6 dead, dozens injured, Restaurant fire intentionally set in Atascocita, fire marshal says, 20-foot segment of Challenger shuttle found 36 years after disaster, Railroad worker dies after explosion caused by fuel, officials say, At least 8 hurt in building explosion, collapse in Chicago, Shelter in place lifted after large fire at Prime Eco plant in Wharton, Risk of car battery failure rises as temperatures increase, Houstonians may hear a loud boom on Saturday, NASA says, Flames extinguished after pipeline explosion in Fort Bend County, Driver dies after explosion at Battle Creek Air Show in Michigan, Refrigerator explodes violently, shattering 4 windows in CA home, Incident at Freeport oil and gas company under control, officials say, Explosion rocks neighborhood near Philadelphia, 4 confirmed dead, Kansas fire caught on video after massive explosion; 2 hurt. No. In that case, it turned out the refinery had previously stored other, more volatile materials in the tank, and small amounts had remained and mixed in with the carbon black, leading to a build up of vapors inside the tank. TOWN OF MAPLE GROVE, Wis. (AP) Authorities investigating a bonfire explosion over the weekend in eastern Wisconsin said Monday that as many as 40 people might have been injured in the blaze, including some who were seriously hurt. Gas and electricity was turned off to most of the homes on the street until about 9:30 p.m., when Atmos Energy and Oncor Electric representatives determined it was safe to restore gas and power. / CBS/AP. She graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a bachelors of science in electrical engineering. (AP) A body was found in a Maryland garden-style apartment building a day after an explosion and fire there and investigators are looking into the possibility of a criminal, intentional act, officials announced late Thursday. MADISON, Wis. (AP) Federal regulators have determined that a lack of safeguards during a maintenance shutdown led to a 2018 explosion at an oil refinery in Superior. Chambers climbed to the catwalk and got ready to separate it from the tops of the tanks. BEIRUT (AP) Two soldiers were killed and three were injured in an explosion in northern Iraq, Iraqi state news said Thursday. The explosion a night earlier in the city of Sulimaniyah destroyed three homes and also injured 16 people. The EPA has been aware of problems with the formula since at least 2007, but has not called for its field offices to investigate the emissions or required that companies directly measure and report emissions. Rosselot added, The potential for higher vapor concentrations needs to be recognized, so that care is taken to prevent the vapors in these tanks and the vapors being emitted from these tanks from coming into contact with a source of ignition.. Download the NBC News app for breaking news, "They have got a lot of people working on it," White said Tuesday evening. MINOT, N.D. (AP) A small explosion and fire disrupted care on the third floor of a Minot hospital. The noise caused a flurry of reaction on social media,with one person questioningif it was a sonic boom from military aircraft. Monday's blasts left one teen dead and All of the sudden I heard what I thought was my sliding glass door breaking, one neighbor told KTVT. By Jason Murdock On 1/24/20 at 7:14 AM EST. In these cases, it is unclear whether the workers did. PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) A methane gas explosion ripped through a coal mine in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, killing nine miners and injuring four others, a government official said. He ran out of the building to see what had happened. 6 fuel oil, have become more depleted than in the past, making them hard to work with. ", "I got really scared," Martinez, 27, said. Hot workthe use of tools for cutting, grinding and welding that can create sparksis common at industrial plants, and asphalt plants are no exception. 6 fuel oilexploded when a worker opened a hatch, allowing oxygen to enter the tank. It is a colorless gas with a gasoline-like odor, used to produce synthetic rubber products like tires, plastics and other chemicals. PLANO, Texas The explosion that destroyed a house in suburban Dallas and heavily damaged the two next A recent publication by the Asphalt Institute, the main trade group for the industry, warned tank owners and operators about the dangers of pyrophoric material formation in asphalt tanks and advised them to evaluate whether their tanks could be affected. They cut a hole through the tank wall to extract him. At a news conference today, Manley said the latest bombing occurred when the two victims either stepped on or kicked a tripwire as they were walking on a sidewalk in the Travis Country neighborhood of Austin. The incident investigation will continue," said the company, one of the largest U.S. exporters of liquefied natural gas, or LNG. In the years since, companies increasingly have mixed additives into residual products. By continuing to use this site, you accept this policy. CAIRO (AP) A towering blaze at a notorious prison housing political prisoners and anti-government activists in Iran's capital killed four inmates, the country's judiciary said Sunday.