Explosions on the rise

[Kojima]

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An oil field exploded in Basra Iraq [Iraq Oil Report ; Published September 20, 2011]; Comment by Starr DiGiacomo

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List of comment about gas explosion, in order of posted time; as of 2011-09-01

 

1) SOMERVILLE, Ohio, US; "Investigation continues in house collapse"

2) BAKERSFIELD, Calif. US; "Bakersfield resident hurt in natural gas explosion"

3) Pompton Lakes, NJ, US; "Update: Suspected gas explosion levels home in Pompton Lakes [raw video]"

4) Brantford, Ontario, Canada; "Natural gas explosion levelled Brantford house: fire marshal"

5) Warren, MI, US; "City of Warren Home Explosion Underscores Need for Natural Gas Safety"

6) Castleford, West Yorkshire, UK; "Dramatic footage shows huge gas explosion at Yorkshire home"

7) Warren Park, Harare, Zimbabwe; "2 seriously injured in Warren Park gas explosion"

8) Logan City, south of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia; "Seven children killed in gas explosion at house"

9) Herscher, IL, US; Douglasville, GA, US; "This Week In Natural Gas Leaks and Explosions – Aug. 22, 2011"

10) "Seven children killed in gas explosion at house" [See 8)]

11) Lakeview, MI, US; "Explosion inside Lakeview house causes fire, couple escapes with minor injuries"

12) Newborough, Victoria, Australia; "Gas blast destroys Newborough garage"

13) Cato, Montcalm, MI, US; "Couple escapes house explosion"

14) Glenrock, Converse, WY, US; "Oilfield explosion claims three"

15) St. Augustine, Fla, US; "Gas Station Explosion Site in St. Augustine now 'Stable'"

 

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* Comment by Starr DiGiacomo

We'll be seeing an uptick in unusual home and business gas explosions and I'm trying to locate specific ZT on the matter.  Below is a refresher for the many gas related news articles.

http://zetatalk5.com/index/blog0214.htm

SOZT

Fault lines, when adjusting, do not just rip apart one day during a dramatic earthquake. They most often creep. Laying gas lines along or across a fault line is asking for an accident of this sort. Fault lines are also seldom so clearly delineated that one can go a mile in this or that direction and avoid their action. Where a slip-slide fault such as the San Andreas will often leave a clear line on the surface, this is only the surface action, not what occurs in the rock layers on either side which can fracture for a long way to either side during any movement. The gas company, or the age of the pipes, will be faulted but in truth the finger should be pointed in many directions. The public, who insist on living at such a scenic spot, is to blame. Officials, who zoned for housing are to blame. The public utility company, for allowing gas lines in the area, is to blame. But this will change nothing, while man continues to live on the San Andreas, even as it awakens. EOZT

http://www.zetatalk5.com/ning/18sp2010.htm

SOZT

The danger from radon gas will not be increased as a result of the pole shift. Radon gas is emitted by rock containing uranium, which is degrading. In normal circumstances, where air can circulate, it is disbursed rapidly as is any methane created by decay of organic material. The danger from these gasses comes from confinement - being trapped in a mine, a basement, or beneath the permafrost. The dangers are well known. For methane, it is explosions. An accumulation of methane gas can be identified by the smell of rotten eggs, or as some have described it, dirty socks or cabbage soup. For radon gas the danger is lung cancer, from the continual exposure to the radioactive air. Radon gas is odorless, and cannot be detected except by specialized equipment not in the hands of the average person.

In that the pole shift, or the Earth changes preceding the pole shift, can fracture rock and release pockets of either gas, survivors should be cautious about huddling in bunkers. You are safer out in the open air, or in a trench you have dug that will allow the pole shift winds to pass over you, but nothing to fall on and crush you. The fact that both methane gas and radon gas can accumulate in the bunkers of the elite is one of the reasons we have stated that they have dug their own graves. EOZT

http://www.zetatalk5.com/ning/12mr2011.htm

 

* Comment by Starr DiGiacomo

SOZT

Anyone watching the news, for instance the news on the San Bruno explosion in a distribution line close to the San Andreas Fault line, knows that gas in any form is a danger. Oil and gas refineries explode when rigid piping cracks. Oil or gas wells explode when the ground around them moves. And the gas distribution lines running under cities are no exception. They likewise will explode. Gas lines, whether along the street or within a home, are rigid. In some cases automatic shutoff valves can limit the amount of gas available for an explosion by sensing a drop in pressure, but this is always after the fact. The explosion has already occurred. Utilizing gas on a planet prone to earthquakes was a mistake to begin with, but man never thinks of the consequences when striving for modern conveniences. We have advised turning off the gas at the street, though when the street explodes and your neighbor's homes are on fire you are not likely to escape the holocaust. A better alternative is to live in an area where gas is not available, as in your rural safe location where you will be doing a form of camping while gardening. A campfire at night, for cooking and washing and a bit of friendly light before bed. Nothing explosive. EOZT

http://www.zetatalk5.com/ning/02oc2010.htm

 

* Comment by Starr DiGiacomo

SOZT Answer: It is no accident that the New Madrid fault lies under the Mississippi River near Memphis, as rivers form in lowlands created when land pulls apart, separating the rock fingers and weakening support for the land. Thus, the Ohio River bed also is an indication of where rock fingers will pull apart. Two adjustments in Kentucky, a day apart, are not an accident, but an indication of the speed at which the stretch zone is starting to adjust. Rail lines are frequently an early harbinger of such adjustments, as they run long distances, whereas structures within cities, such as tall buildings, take up relatively little space and have a small footprint. Our warning that imploding cities will be experienced, before the hour of the shift, are in this regard. Be warmed, it will not just be your rail lines and gas and water mains that will shatter and be pulled apart during the stretch. The foundations of your tall buildings will likewise be vulnerable.EOZT

http://www.zetatalk5.com/newsletr/issue008.htm

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[Original post on January 20, 2011]

Original title: Gas explosion kills 1, injures 5 in Philadelphia

 

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/01/19/pennsylvania.gas.explosion/index.h...

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The explosion occurred in Philadelphia's Tacony neighborhood
• The blast killed one utilities worker and injured five other people
• Some of the injuries are serious

(CNN) -- A gas main explosion in Philadelphia Tuesday evening killed one utilities worker and injured five other people, a fire department official said.

Philadelphia Gas Works employees were responding to a gas main break in the city's Tacony neighborhood when the explosion occurred, fire department spokesman Jim Smith said.

"They were trying to control it and found a source of ignition," according to Smith, who said four PGW employees and a firefighter were among the injured. He said some of the gas workers' injuries were serious.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/natural-gas-explosion-philadelphia-...

http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/caught-on-tape-gas-main-explodes-126...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.newson6.com/story/24374594/pipeline-explosion-causes-lar...

Pipeline Explosion Causes Large Fire Near Milfay

Posted: Jan 06, 2014 12:58 PM ESTUpdated: Jan 06, 2014 6:47 PM EST

Milfay, Oklahoma -

A natural gas pipeline explosion rocked parts of Creek County Monday morning.

The blast cut off gas to several homes and Monday evening some residents are still without service.

The explosion happened in the small town of Milfay, which is southwest of Depew.

Investigators are still working to figure out what caused the explosion.

It sparked a large fire that made one woman stop to capture the moment on camera.

Theresa McKinzie was tending to her horses near Depew when she saw a massive fireball.

She described it as shooting about 10-15 hundred feet in the air before collapsing.

"Then a few seconds following, there was a very large boom, shook everything, rattled the car everything else," McKinzie said.

McKinzie and her husband immediately called 911 and ran to the area to make sure no one was hurt.

"In this cold weather, you always worry about what people are doing to heat their homes and stuff like that and were just really worried," she said.

A ONEOK spokesperson can't say yet what caused natural gas to leak out of the pipeline and that runs from Depew to Tulsa.

McKinzie says there are gas lines all around the rural area and she was very worried about the safety of others.

Theresa McKinzie, Witness: "We also know people who go out and they tend the gas lines, so you never know who's going to be out there in a situation like this," McKinzie said. "It's a small town. Kids get out and play. Luckily it was cold enough nobody was back there."

After they realized everyone was okay, she took pictures and a cell phone video of the flames.

"We did that as we were getting ready to leave just to kind of capture it because it's not something you see every day certainly," she said.

The pipeline is in the Oklahoma Corporation Commission's jurisdiction.

It says 48 ONG customer meters are out of service because of the line explosion.

The corporation says arrangements are being made to provide natural gas to customers while repairs are being made on the line.

All gas to that line has been turned off to prevent any other fires.

The corporation commission expects all gas services to be restored before Tuesday. 

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://kstp.com/news/stories/S3269573.shtml

400-500 People Displaced after Gas Tank Explosion at Apartment Complex in Rogers

Minnesota

Updated: 01/05/2014 3:31 PM
Created: 01/05/2014 9:30 AM KSTP.com 
By: Megan Stewart

A gas tank explosion sent dozens of fireballs into the air behind an apartment building on Sunday morning in Rogers, police said.

Large fireballs were reported by residents in Rogers at 13600 S. Commerce Blvd. near Diamond Lake Road at 8:40 a.m. Sunday.

Fire Chief Brad Feist said there were no injuries and no damage to the apartments. He says the damage was confined to an outside propane generator.

Approximately 400-500 residents living at the Preserve at Commerce apartment complex were immediately evacuated.  Residents were relocated to the Hampton Inn and the Rogers 18 Theatre.

The American Red Cross, Salvation Army are helping victims displaced by the explosion.

Bill Decowski said the first fireball shook his house. Then he said they felt dozens more.

For Dillon Czanstaowski and Brian Dongoski, who live on the other side of the complex, they felt the explosion, before they saw it.

"I thought it was a car that drove into the building, it shook the whole building, it was crazy," said Dillon Czanstaowski.

"Suddenly it was just like, boom, and everything shook. It felt like somebody up on top of us in the apartment above, dropped something like a fridge or stove, hard," said Brian Dongoski.

Besides the burned canopy roof, there's not a lot of surface damage to the apartment complex; mostly just blown out windows.

"It was very scary, it's scary to think that if we would not have gotten up when we bed, all that glass, we would have been in bed, all the glass on our bed," said Laurie Peterson.

The investigation is ongoing. First responders and crews are working through subzero temperatures.

He estimated the balls shot up four to five stories in the air.

Video provided by KSTP viewer Barry Nelson.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1390833/four-dead-scores-inj...

Four dead, scores injured as 'gas' explosions rip through Sichuan shopping mall

picture link: http://english.cri.cn/11354/2013/12/27/2561s805367.htm

Four people were killed and at least 37 others were wounded when a series of powerful explosions rocked a shopping mall in downtown Luzhou city, Sichuan province, on Thursday evening, scol.com.cn reports.

The blasts, believed to have been caused by a gas leak at a restaurant, occurred at around 10.40pm at the Moer shopping centre in Jiangyang district.

The gas reportedly leaked throughout the first and second floors, which caused the ensuing fires to spread quickly.

The explosions caused the plaza’s second-floor ceiling and walls to collapse. The impact was so strong that neighbouring buildings’ windowpanes shattered and a nearby bus station collapsed, damaging three taxis, the report said.

Witnesses said they saw smoke billowing from a building downtown and a section of road littered with shattered glass.

The general labour union office building next to the mall was also engulfed in flames.

Firemen were able to quell the blaze on Friday morning, although traffic was still blocked at several main roads in the area.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://county10.com/2013/12/25/breaking-natural-gas-compressor-fire...

 Legacy Resources natural gas compressor explosion injured one at N...

by Ernie Over on December 25, 2013

(Riverton, Wyo.) – An explosion and flash fire at a Legacy Resources Natural Gas Compressor Station at mid-morning Christmas Day injured one man. According to Fremont County Fire Protection District Trainer Dan Oakley who was at the scene, “there was an obvious explosion as the 30′x30′ compressor station’s windows and a large overhead door were all blown out, there was extensive damage inside the building but structurally, the building is still standing,” he said via phone from the scene. Oakley also said said someone, “and presumably the man burned in the fire,” had attempted to use a dry chemical fire extinguisher to put out the fire. “There was evidence that a fire extinguisher  had been used inside the building.”

Oakley said the fire persisted from a pressurized natural gas line, and after the gas had been turned off by company personnel, county fire personnel went in to “cool off the regular combustibles” inside the structure.

The fire occurred in Legacy’s North Alkali field, which sits about three to four miles east of the Sand Draw Road “at the corrals,” Oakley said.

Devon Energy Riverton Manager Bill Skelton said several personnel from Devon’s Sand Draw location rushed to the scene to assist Legacy personnel after the explosion was first reported.

Oakley said the man who was burned and taken to Riverton Memorial Hospital, “was from this incident.” The man’s condition is not known. Skelton said he had also heard the man had been burned, but did not know to what extent.

A call to Legacy Resources’ headquarters in Texas had not been returned by mid-day on Christmas.

Cause of the explosion is under investigation

Original post:  

(Riverton, Wyo.) –  An explosion and a fire at a natural gas compressor station about 10 a.m. Christmas morning east of the Sand Draw area in Central Fremont County has apparently injured one worker. Fremont County Fire District units are en route at this time. The injured worker was rushed to Riverton Memorial Hospital by private vehicle with burns to his hands and face, according to initial reports. Fire units had not yet reached the scene as of 11:40 a.m. which was reportedly five miles east of the Sand Draw Road.

When contacted by phone this morning en route to the fire, FCFPD Trainer Dan Oakley said units had not yet arrived at the scene, but he said he understood that a compressor station was on fire. He said firefighters would wait for the compressor’s operator to arrive and shut down the natural gas flowing into the station. Operator of the compressor station was not immediately identified.

[Howard]

Ohio Houses Leveled in Possible Natural Gas Explosion (Dec 20)
Residents are shocked that two houses are now gone and amazed that no one was killed after an explosion rocked an Elyria neighborhood Friday night.

Only piles of rubble remain of the two-story brick colonial house at 118 Columbia Avenue in Elyria.

Michael and Diane Page live right next door.

“It was the loudest explosion I have ever heard. I thought a plane crashed. My son thought a nuclear explosion,” Michael Page said.

Investigators continue to search for the cause of Friday’s house explosion in Elyria, that could be felt and heard for miles.

One of the possible causes that authorities are looking into, is a natural gas leak in the vacant home on Columbia Avenue.

The blast also pulverized the home next door, where 56-year-old Christine Mickolick was watching television. Mickolick told FOX 8, “I was in the chair and when the explosion happened, there was just that loud roar and I became airborne with the chair, and was thrown about 20 feet across the living room.”

Mickolick said the explosion next door was so powerful that it blew out the walls of her home, but somehow Mickolick and her son, who was upstairs at the time, walked away with minor injuries.

“If anything happened to my son, that would be devastating to have to run up the stairs to find him, so the fact that his entire wall was blown out; so as he tried to scramble to his feet, all he saw were the flames, which were higher than our house, and so that side of the house was just a wall of flames,” she said.

Sources

http://fox8.com/2013/12/21/at-least-8-homes-damaged-in-explosion/

http://fox8.com/2013/12/23/neighbor-in-house-explosion-heard-loud-r...

[Tracie Crespo]

Girl Burned In North Richland Hills House Explosion 

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Girl-Burned-After-House-Explosion-...

A family is in shock and a young girl is at Parkland Hospital after being badly burned in an explosion in North Richland Hills on Saturday afternoon.

The explosion happened around 4:06 p.m. inside a home in the 7900 block of Harwood Road just east of Davis Road.

Seven people were inside the house at the time of the explosion, but only one young girl was injured.

Marvin Reinoshek says his eight-year-old niece Maya Javier was badly burned in the blast, but that she was talking and able to move after the explosion.

 

"It just blew out all the windows," Reinoshek said. "I had to get the door--the bathroom door off of my niece then get her outside."

 

Javier was visiting for what was supposed to be a happy holiday celebration for a few days, but instead four days before Christmas it's a family nightmare.

 

"All I could do was hold her until they (paramedics) got there," Reinoshek said. "I didn't know what to do, I was in shock myself. I've never been through something like that."

 

He says Javier went to use the bathroom and when she turned on the light, what may end up beign natural gas exploded.

 

"We heard a boom and it knocked us on the floor, it knocked me on the floor," he said.

 

And while the outside damaged doesn't look extreme, Reinoshek says the blast destroyed the family's home for the last decade.

 

"It's in shambles, it's pretty bad inside there," he said. "The hallway is gone."

 

Most concerning though is the injury to Javier, the only one injured.

 

"She's burnt pretty good," her uncle said.

 

North Richland Hills Fire estimates she has burns on 40-percent of her body. Reinoshek said she suffered second degree burns.

 

"Any burn at this point in time, it's going to be hard on the victim," Assistant Fire Chief Kirk Marcum said.

 

Marcum said there was little fire damage from the blast, but that it blew out the windows of the home. The Red Cross arrived to help get the family shelter for the night, but Reinoshek was mostly concerned for his niece.

 

"Pray for her, that's all we can do now," he said.

 

It appears that natural gas is the culprit behind the explosion. Two hours after the blast NBC 5 crews on scene could still smell natural gas.

 

Chief Marcum said that as of 6:30 p.m. Atmos Energy had still not turned off the gas. Investigators from Atmos were on scene checking to determine the source of the blast and if there was indeed a natural gas leak.

 

At mos evacuated homes on either side of the Reinoshek family home out of safety concerns. At one point firefighters went door to door at the Arts Apartment Complex across the street checking on residents to make sure none of them had any natural gas problems.

 

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family affected by today’s events, especially the young girl who was injured” said Jennifer Ryan, Atmos Energy Spokesperson said in a press release. “It is too soon to tell what lead to this incident, but we can assure everyone that Atmos Energy has trained technicians on the ground tonight to make sure the neighborhood is safe.”

 

Ryan told NBC 5 at the seen that Atmos would take care of the three effected homeowners with supplies and a place to stay as they continue to investigate.

 

Fire officials have not said whether anyone could smell natural gas before the blast. Ryan says that if anyone does smell gas that they should immediately leave the area and call 911 or the At mos emergency line at 1.866.322.8667. Ryan says that turning on a light switch or even using your cell phone could ignite the gas.

 

Javier is from Bridgeport. Her uncle says her mother is with her at Parkland Hospital.

 

Earlier this week a woman's home exploded in Azle. No one was home or injured in that blast. However, the incident in Azle is distinctly different from what happened in North Richland Hills.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/12/explosion_at_birmingham_apartm....

Explosion at Birmingham apartment complex kills one, sends 8 to hospital

December 17, 2013 at 6:33 AM, updated December 17, 2013 at 11:38 AM

A pre-dawn explosion rocked a Gate City apartment complex in Birmingham, Alabama Tuesday December 17, 2013 that sent 8 people to the hospital. Residents watched as a search continued through the rubble left from two five bedroom apartments that were destroyed in the explosion.

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- A woman has been found dead in the rubble of this morning's Gate City explosion. She suffered crushing injuries and burns, and rescuers were unable to get a pulse from her at the scene.

Just moments before, a man was pulled out alive in critical condition. He was taken to UAB Hospital. Birmingham Fire Chief Ivor Brooks said rescue teams sprang into action after hearing the man calling to them from under the rubble. 

Workers began shouting to one another, "Hey, we got somebody, it's time to get busy," Brooks said.

Earlier today, five children and two adults were taken to the hospital following the pre-dawn explosion apparently involving a gas line at Birmingham's Gate City apartments.

"This explosion was a tragedy for the family and this community. It is really a Christmas miracle that we didn't experience an even greater loss of life,'' said Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper. "There are so many other things that could have gone wrong in the response and rescue effort but our public safety personnel really demonstrated their skill and expertise in this operation."

BFD said they are packing up and turning the investigation over to Alagasco at this point. "It's up to Alagasco to clean up the rest," Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service spokesman C.W. Mardis said Tuesday morning. 

Mayor William Bell visited the scene earlier this morning and prayed with victim's families, Mardis said.

Mardis said the five children and two adults taken to the hospitals this morning had varying degrees of injury, but none were believed life-threatening. He said two, five-bedroom apartments were "literally destroyed." 

A neighbor said debris from the blast showered other units with bricks and debris. Gate City resident Viola Bozelan said the explosion happened around 1:30 a.m.

"It shook my house," Bozelan told AL.com. "I came out and the whole building was on fire."

Bozelan said she and a friend once lived in the building that exploded."I thought an airplane had crashed down here," she said.

Taris Richardson, who said he has lived in the community for 20 years, said the smell of gas has been a problem in the apartment complex going back three years, especially during the summer and at a building adjacent to one that exploded.

"You can smell gas right there," Richardson said, pointing to the building.

Gary Williams, with the Salvation Army, said the organization is on site to provide snacks, water, coffee, or cook a meal for firefighters and those affected. "We're just going to do what it takes," Williams said.

Residents in the immediate area have been complaining that water in the area is muddy and undrinkable. Mardis said that can happen when firefighting -- fire hoses pull a large volume of water and can stir up sediment in the system.

"We will have some dirt in the lines," he said. He said Birmingham Water Works is "working feverishly" to fix that.

 

[Tracie Crespo]

An update to Starr's post...  21 of the miners are now deceased.  4 still trapped.

21 Miners Killed in Gas Explosion in Guizhou 

http://shar.es/OqiRw via @sharethis

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.hngn.com/articles/19500/20131213/gas-explosion-western-c...

22 Miners Trapped In Gas Explosion In Western China Coalmine

By Krittika Sengupta | Dec 13, 2013 07:56 AM EST

A gas explosion in a coal mine in Western China Friday morning has left 22 miners trapped underground.

The blast took place at around 1.26 A.M.(local time ) while 34 people were still working at the coal mine, according to reports from a government news agency in Changji  prefecture. After the blast occurred, 12 people somehow managed to escape but the rest 22 are still trapped beneath the mine, according to an Associated press report.

A rescue team and fire fighters have reached the place and rescue operations have begin. As of now there is no news about the missing 22 mine workers; whether they are injured or dead.

Accidents are common in mines in China.  Explosions in mines generally occur when methane gas get trapped in the shaft.

Recently in November, there was a massive pipeline explosion that killed 35 miners in China. The pipeline was owned by the largest oil refinery, the China Petroleum and Chemical Corp. and there was a massive oil spillage. A cleaning up of the spill resulted in two further major explosions, reports Bloomberg .

In October there was an explosion at a gas plant in Shandong where nine died and 200 were injured, according to global post.  Safety measure have somewhat reduces the accidents but clearly more stringent measure need to be put into place and mining companies need to follow the safety guidelines

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=9359463

Blue Island Phenol chemical plant fire, explosion injures 2 in Alsip

Updated at 03:43 PM today

December 13, 2013 (ALSIP, Ill.) (WLS) -- Flames and heavy smoke shot out of a chemical plant after an explosion was reported at a chemical plant in Alsip in unincorporated Cook County.

PHOTOS: Refinery Fire

Alsip refinery fire, possible explosion

View all 27 photos

Firefighters remain on the scene after a fiery explosion at a south suburban chemical plant. It happened shortly at the Blue Island Phenol plant before noon in Alsip in unincorporated Cook County.

A building partially collapsed, and a substance believed to be petroleum is burning on the ground.

Two people were taken to nearby Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn with injuries, hospital spokeswoman Cindy Jacanowski said.

A MABIS Decontamination unit also was at the scene.

Scott Poncinie, a Chicago State student who lives about three blocks away, said he heard a muffled noise just before noon and then his entire house shook.

"I thought it was an earthquake at first," Poncinie said.

Scott Allen, a spokesman for Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said that invesitgators from the agency were on their way to the scene.