North Plainfield man hospitalized for burns after natural gas explosion

Published: Thursday, September 08, 2011, 5:40 PM     Updated: Thursday, September 08, 2011, 5:43 PM

NORTH PLAINFIELD — An elderly North Plainfield resident was hospitalized this afternoon when a natural gas explosion rocked his Route 22 apartment, said Police Chief William Parenti.

The victim, identified only as an 85-year-old male, suffered burns to his chest, arms and face after the 2:43 p.m. blast at the Cypress Gardens apartment complex, Parenti said. He is expected to survive.

The man told police he was trying to adjust his apartment’s heater and thermostat, which investigators believe led to the explosion. Parenti said the victim was "conscious and alert" when a State Police helicopter transported him to St. Barnabas Burn Center in Livingston.

The boom blew out several windows in the man’s apartment, but Parenti said the damage was contained to his residence. The apartment complex did not suffer any structural damage, there was no sustained fire, and no on else was injured, according to Parenti.

PSE&G cut off gas to the building until it can contain the leak, according to Parenti.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/09/north_plainfield_woman_hos...

Underground blast shocks drivers in downtown St. John's

ST. JOHN'S — After leaving his office in downtown St. John's, Norm Dimmell was driving along Water Street Wednesday evening and stopped at the intersection with Ayre's Cove. What happened next was a shock.

"All the lights went out," he said. "As I started moving, there was a 'pop.' I turned my head and my truck was engulfed in flames.

"It was almost like there was a water balloon of fire thrown at me and it busted off the side of my truck."

Dale Foote with the St. John's Regional Fire Department later confirmed an underground Newfoundland Power generator — specifically a covering around the wiring of the generator — had exploded.

He said a "short circuit" of some kind was the cause. "Because it's surrounded in mineral oil, it exploded and, when it did, it blew the (manhole) cover and that up."

Asked how much the manhole cover might weigh, Foote estimated it to be 300 pounds.

There were no injuries reported, but the underside of Dimmell's vehicle was damaged.

Karen Ryan witnessed the blast. Like Dimmell, she also said the lights went out moments before.

"This guy in the truck was just passing over that manhole cover and then next thing this huge explosion and flames were shooting up through it and this guy was seconds from totally running over it and getting blown up. Honest to God," she said. "I called 911 and I said, 'I think you better get down here.'"

Jamie Holmes had just driven through the same intersection.

Holmes said firefighters arrived only a "few minutes" later, and closed off the intersection. Despite the rapid response, about half a dozen other vehicles passed over the opening before the area could be closed off, he said. "It was pretty scary, actually."

Due to "some kind of gas" or an "oily residue" around the area of the manhole, firefighters put foam in and around the opening.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/national/Underground+blast+shocks+...

A massive fireball tore through a slum in Kenya's capital after a leaking gas pipeline exploded Monday, killing at least 75 people and injuring 100 more, officials said.

Flames shot out hundreds of feet from the ruptured fuel line, incinerating an entire neighborhood and its residents.

Charred bodies floated in a nearby river and blackened bones laid near the site.

"I've lost count of the number of bodies," said Wilfred Mbithi, the cop in charge of operations in Nairobi. "Many had dived into the river to put out their flames."

Pockets of fire continued to burn among the smoldering wreckage of crumpled corrugated shacks.

Resident Joseph Mwangi, 34, said many of his neighbors had gone to gather leaking fuel from the pipe when an mammoth explosion ripped through the area around 9 a.m.

As he spoke, Mwangi discovered the charred remains of two small children in the burnt wreckage of his home.

"Those were my children," he said, collapsing to the ground.

When Michael Muriuki found his daughter's smoldering body, he struggled to speak.

"Her name was Josephine Muriuki. She was five," he managed to say.

The area was packed with people when the explosion erupted, tearing through rows of flimsily-constructed houses.

At least 112 burn victims have been brought to the Kenyatta National Hospital, including many young children, officials said.

"This is a terrible accident," said Prime Minister Raila Odinga, as he visited the wounded.

He said the government would pay for all medical care and would launch an investigation into the Kenya Pipeline Company to determine the cause of the leak.

www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2011/09/12/2011-09-12_pipeline_explo...

3-alarm fire at Mumford propane plant; worker injured in explosion

 

Firefighters are continuing to battle a three-alarm blaze at the Burnwell gas company in Mumford, and at least one male employee who was inside the building was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital with burns to his face and arms and possibly most of his body.

Mumford Fire Chief Mike Burnside has declared the fire under control, but said firefighters are still battling flames coming from a 1,000-gallon tank. He said he expects the operation to last well into the night. He estimated it would be at least three hours before hazardous materials crews could come in to assess any environmental damage.

 The extent of the man’s injuries are unclear due to conflicting reports, said State Police Lt. Doug Montijo.

One report indicated he had burns to 90 percent of his body, but another report was less severe, he said.

Keith Wrisley, vice president of operations for Superior Plus Energy Services Inc., said the employee's injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

The man, whose name has not been released, was lucid and awake when he was discovered at the scene, Montijo said.

The fire at the propane plant at 1104 Main St. in the hamlet of Mumford started about 3 p.m., and nearby homes and businesses were evacuated as traffic was shut down in all directions.

The state Department of Transportation at 5:15 p.m. shut down Route 36 in both directions between George Street and Caledonia High School until further notice.

The American Red Cross is on the scene providing food and water to the firefighters, EMTs and other responders, said spokeswoman Erin Caldwell. She said the Red Cross is prepared to set up a shelter if residents who were evacuated are not allowed back home tonight.

Several explosions have occurred and at one point firefighters were ordered to back up to outside 1,000 feet of the fire for fear of additional explosions. Several large propane tanks remained intact this afternoon, and firefighters were dousing them with water to keep them from igniting, Montijo said.

It’s unclear what caused the fire or which structures are ablaze, officials said.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20110913/NEWS01/1109130...|head

Police Evacuate Apartment Building After Explosion

Toxic Gas Shuts Down Traffic in Midtown

Palo Alto police and firefighters responded to a small explosion in a Palo Alto apartment complex Tuesday night. The building was evacuated and traffic was halted in the surrounding area due to toxic gas, police said.

A resident of the building in the 2700 block of Midtown Court reported the explosion and subsequent noxious odor in a 911 call at 7:20 p.m.
The Palo Alto Fire Department located the source of the odor in a pool supply area beneath a stairwell. Firefighters found a five-gallon bucket containing a chlorine-based substance that was violently "off gassing," police said.

The substance was removed from the building and firefighters were able to stop the hazardous fumes. Residents were allowed to return to their apartments at around 9:30 p.m.

Seven residents and one Palo Alto firefighter were evaluated for exposure to the substance and were treated on the scene. The Red Cross assisted one family that was unable to return to their residence.

Firefighters stored the substance for further evaluation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Investigators do not yet know if the explosion was accidental or intentional.

http://paloalto.patch.com/articles/police-evacuate-apartment-buildi...

Housing NSW has issued a statement about the gas explosion at one of its properties which claimed the life of a 34-year-old woman.

A 45-year-old man also was airlifted to a Sydney hospital with burns over 42 per cent of his body..

The statement from Housing NSW read in full:

"Housing NSW extends its condolences to the victims of the overnight incident in Forster.

The property in Little Street, Forster, is owned by Housing NSW and had been managed by Community Housing Limited (CHL) for a number of years.

Housing NSW plans to sell the property and the tenants had been relocated. There was only one remaining tenant in the complex and she was not injured in the incident and Housing NSW is arranging temporary accommodation prior to finalising her relocation.

All the windows of the vacant units on the ground floor had been boarded up and the doors screwed shut to deter squatters. The stairwells to the upstairs units had also been boarded to prevent access to those units.

Staff from CHL had been on site late last week. At that time the boarding was intact and there was no sign of squatters.

Housing NSW is assisting police with their enquiries."

http://www.greatlakesadvocate.com.au/news/local/news/general/housin...

  

A fire that erupted in a railcar near downtown Amarillo does not pose a threat to the public, officials said.

About 11:27 a.m. fire and police crews responded to an explosion and fire at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway yard in the 1700 block of Johnson Street that quickly escalated to a hazardous materials situation. 

Black smoke was visible in the downtown area with flames reaching up to 300 feet, Police Chief Robert Taylor said.

The fire caused the evacuation of about a fourth of a mile or four blocks away from the scene in each direction and some roads were closed leading into downtown, Taylor said.

Authorities said they believe the fire began in a railcar carrying Isopentane, a flammable gas that reacts with the air, but they do not know the exact cause.

Authorities don’t know how many rail cars were affected or what they were holding. 

Two BNSF employees were taken to the hospital for minor injuries and one was treated on scene and released.

An Environmental Protection Agency coordinator and the the Texas Commission on Environmental Quaity will lead an investigation with BNSF.

http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2011-09-16/officials-say-railca...

Update: Gas leak caused Northeast El Paso house fire that injured three

  

http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_18913209?source=most_emailed

There was at least one explosion at a degassing station in Iraq's power-horse Rumaila oil field near the Kuwaiti border when a pipeline was set ablaze during maintenance, and shutting in at least part of field's production.

The station belongs to the state-run South Gas Co., but will affect the output of the Rumaila oil field, operated by BP and the China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) in a development deal signed with the state-run South Oil Co. in late 2009.

http://www.iraqoilreport.com/oil/production-exports/dead-missing-in...

Oil Rig Explodes in Oklahoma, No Reports of Injuries

Published September 20, 2011 

 

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/09/20/oil-rig-explodes-in-oklahoma-n...

The great explosions of Iraq's oil fields has started.

 

What sequence of events will occur up until the severe 270° roll occurs we will hold in abeyance, in order to best discombobulate the establishment. They are still clinging to the notion that they will commandeer all the oil fields of the world, guarded by the US Military, black gold to be used as the next commodity in the future when survivors will sell their children and their freedoms in order to stay warm. Black gold to run the war machines of the world, ensuring world domination to he who owns the oil fields. That Iraq is in tatters and all tapped oil fields will explode into fireballs and all oil tanks likewise rupture and be disbursed has not occurred to these megalomaniacs. They are still clinging to the notion that a passage might happen without the severe Earth changes we have predicted, and want their paper ownership of the world to remain intact until that notion is disproved, utterly. Beach property, the solvency of banks and nations, corporate equity and the false value placed on commodities, all to retain their worth until the shores are awash and the cities in dust. Meanwhile, they lay their plans, prepare for their families, and plot how to enslave the common man whom they assume will be taken by surprise, and therefore be vulnerable. But what is the common man expecting, and aware of? In every culture, in every country, there is some clue of the coming times in folklore and prophecy.

In every case, this leads with the worst, descriptions of the final convulsions the Earth will go through on her way to rebirth. In every case, there are signs to look for when this time draws near. In every case, there is no clear indication of the date. In this regard, ZetaTalk did not differ from what existed in folklore and prophecy, describing the hour of the shift and heralding signs and declining to name a date. We have described increasing weather swings of drought and deluge, switching about for seemingly no reason, since 1995, and these have occurred. We have described earthquakes and volcanic activity increasing on a linear basis up until the last days, with the cover-up of this increase and lack of media attention keeping pace, and this likewise has occurred. We have described problems with maintaining satellites in the months before the pole shift, and this has become apparent to the common man even with extensive backup systems sent aloft to guard against this. We have described what signs the common man should look for, in order to time his escape to safety, and described in great detail what traps to avoid and how to prepare for the Aftertime. Regardless of what sequence of events will occur between now and then, he is armed. The breaches in the sequence of events, however, are designed to disarm the establishment, who will find themselves on a level, a par, with the common man they so disdain.

http://zetatalk5.com/index/blog0607.htm

Sheriff: Warnings helped workers reach safety before Okla. gas rig blast; homes evacuated

“It was a very huge fireball coming from the rig, and it’s still burning,” Ainsworth said Tuesday. “It has settled down some, but it’s definitely still burning.”

Continental spokeswoman Kristin Miskovsky said the well could keep burning for several days before the damaged rig can be cleared and the fire extinguished.

The explosion and ensuing fire forced the evacuation of about 20 homes within a two-mile radius, Ainsworth said. Some residents were allowed to return home but those living closest to the rig were not. A shelter was set up at the Blaine County fairgrounds for displaced residents.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and a well-control team was brought to the site to assess the situation, Miskovsky said.

Patterson-UTI Drilling LLC owns and operates the rig, but Continental Resources is the operator of the well, Miskovsky said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/sheriff-warnings-helped-work...

Thanks Star and Kojima for this excellent and timely compilation!

During the current and particularly the forthcoming plate movements, this will be an almost constant affair, I fear. Gas lines are everywhere! And it will be after the fact that gas mains are turned off, after the big explosions. People have become dependent upon natural gas, so clean, lines up and down every street. Very scary.

 

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-09-18/news/bs-md-briefs-explo...

Man injured in suspected gas blast in Newcastle

A man is in hospital with serious injuries after a suspected gas explosion at a house in Newcastle.

Police said the 38-year-old suffered "potentially life-threatening injuries" in the blast in the city's Sceptre Street early on Wednesday.

Six neighbouring properties were evacuated as firefighters tackled a blaze following the explosion. There were no other reported injuries.

A joint police and fire service investigation into the cause has begun.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-14998864

GAS LEAK

Clark Co. Gas Line Rupture Heard Several Counties Away

Posted: Sep 21, 2011 5:25 AM 
Updated: Sep 21, 2011 7:26 AM

 

People across several counties heard the rumbling sound early Wednesday morning. It shook the ground and rattled windows.

A gas line ruptured just after midnight in Clark County, near the Powell County line. People as far away as Lee County heard the noise, and the LEX 18 newsroom was flooded with calls.

Herman Cole lives nearby.

"All I heard was a big pop sound and a big roar sound. I thought it was a motorcycle outside my door. So it was pretty loud," he said. "It was really roaring and it got louder and louder. No major explosion or anything," he said.

The rupture occurred in a commercial transmission line near Irvine Road. It took crews several hours to find the break and shut off the flow of gas. But officials say there was never an actual explosion. There were no injuries or evacuations, and since the line does not serve the public, there was no interruption of service.

Crews from the Tennessee Gas Company continue working to inspect and repair the line. Officials with the company have not given a timetable for repairs.

Fire officials say this wasn't the first incident involving these particular gas lines. There was a rupture four years ago and a deadly incident 50 years back.

http://www.lex18.com/news/clark-co-gas-line-rupture-heard-several-c...

Workers inside the building, at 172 St Georges Terrace,  were lucky to escape injury when a gas hot water boiler exploded at about 3.45pm, blowing office equipment and furniture across the room.

FESA Perth District Manager John Truswell said workers in State One House at the corner of King Street  reported a strong smell of gas in the building about 2pm.

Thirty firefighters from four stations were called when the combined hot water boiler/cooler malfunctioned and exploded in the Level 2 kitchen almost two hours later.

``There were people working around it, but they were lucky there were no injuries at all just a lot of furniture blown around the room,'' Mr Truswell said.

``It's blown the cupboard to pieces and bl

 

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Constant_rumbling_wakes_up_Kentu...

Two dead in Colombia coal mine explosion: official

BOGOTA (MarketWatch) -- Two miners died, three more were wounded and several more could be trapped underground in a coal mining explosion in Colombia, the latest tragedy in a series of deadly mining accidents.

Fabian Morales, the head of rescue operations at mining regulator Ingeominas, said the accident was apparently the result of an explosion of methane gas in a coal mine located in the department of Boyaca, near Bogota.

Morales added that the rescue team had yet been unable to determine how many other miners had been trapped by the explosion. So far this year, 106 workers have died in mining accidents in Colombia.

Colombia is the world's fifth-largest coal exporter and its production destined for abroad is controlled by foreign companies including Alabama-based Drummond Co., Glencore International AG (GLDLF, GLEN.LN), BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP, BHP.AU) and Xstrata PLC (XTA.LN), which operate in open-pit coal mines.

But most of the deadly mining accidents in Colombia occur in small, underground coal mines operated by individuals or small local companies that have few safety procedures in place. The output from most of these mines is destined for the domestic market.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/two-dead-in-colombia-coal-mine-exp...

Explosion, 3-alarm blaze at Gas Station

USA — An employee of Burnwell Gas was injured Tuesday after an explosion and a three-alarm blaze at the company’s facility, 1104 Main St.

The extent of the man’s injuries is unclear due to conflicting reports, but the man was lucid when he was discovered at the scene, State Police Lt. Doug Montijo said. The victim, whose name was not released, was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital.

Witnesses reported the smell of gas for about two hours prior to the explosion, Montijo said, adding that the building was destroyed.

The Monroe County Fire Bureau is investigating the cause of the blaze.

The fire at the plant started about 3 p.m. The facility is a storage and distribution site for home heating fuel. Burnwell, part of Griffith Energy, services the Monroe, Livingston and Ontario county areas.

Burnwell released a statement confirming that an employee had been injured. “We are and will of course continue to work with community authorities to identify and address the causes of this situation,” the statement read in part.

At the scene, Keith Wrisley, vice president of Superior Plus Energy Services Inc., parent company of Burnwell, said the employee’s injuries appear to be non-life-threatening.

The storage capacity for the Burnwell site is 58,000 gallons of fuel, Mike Burnside, chief of the Mumford Fire Department, said. It’s unclear how much fuel burned or exploded.

“The largest tanks — 30,000, 18,000 and 10,000 gallons — were not affected by the fire and explosion,” he said.

Nearby homes and businesses were evacuated and traffic was shut down in all directions. The state Department of Transportation closed Route 36 in both directions between George Street and Caledonia High School for hours.

Several explosions occurred, and at one point, firefighters were ordered to back up beyond 1,000 feet of the fire for fear of additional blasts. Firefighters doused several large intact propane tanks with water to keep them from igniting, Montijo said.

Flames could be seen for miles and explosions heard for more than a mile, witnesses said.

Mary and Jody Pitt live on Williams Street, about a quarter mile from the scene. Mary Pitt said she didn’t see the explosion but she felt it. “We felt our house shake,” she said, and left the house to see a sky filled with black smoke.

“I was in Scottsville and you could see the smoke from there,” said Wheatland Highway Superintendent Chuck Hazelton, estimating the distance to be about eight miles from the Burnwell plant.

The Caledonia-Mumford school district enacted its emergency procedures and kept some buses at

Gas Leak Causes Arkwright Fire

September 23, 2011| 

http://post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/591404/Gas-Leak-Causes-Arkwright-Fire.html?nav=5069

l

POMPTON LAKES - Three explosions and a fire in a garage at 55 Schuyler Ave. early on the morning of Friday, Sept. 23, resulted in evacuations on Schuyler and Jefferson avenues.

A passerby reported flames shooting as high as 10 feet as a result of the blaze that heavily damaged a garage detached from the Wagner residence at 55 Schuyler.

According to a police report, Patrolman Jonathan Williams observed the garage engulfed in flames as he responded to a neighbor's call for help shortly after midnight.

While approaching the residence, Williams further reports that he heard a loud explosion coming from the garage, which he observed was followed by two more explosions.

At that point, Williams said he began evacuating homes on Schuyler while another officer did the same on Jefferson Avenue. Officers escorted occupants away from the homes and confirmed that the residences were empty.

Homeowner Peter Wagner said he was unaware of the fire in the back of his home. Initially he thought it was a car accident. Then he also heard the explosions which he originally thought was gunfire.

"I heard the (the police officer) shout 'Get out' and I thought they were shooting each other," Wagner recalled. "The cop who I knew banged on the door and said, 'Get the kids out of the house.'"

Wagner advised police that the garage contained gas cans, motorcycles, and a natural gas line to a heater. Among his losses was 1984 Harley Davidson, a quad, a refrigerator, and some tools. The heat from the fire also melted the vinyl siding on the back of his house.

Also at the scene were the Pompton Lakes Fire Department, Riverdale police officers, and the Passaic County Sheriff's Department.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/130424913_Early_morning_fire_in_Pom...

 

RIDGEWOOD – An early morning underground explosion that partially blew a manhole cover at the corner of North Walnut Street and Franklin Avenue was still under repair on Friday with officials from Public Service Electric and Gas at the scene.

“Apparently there was enough force to rip up the manhole cover partially and leave it ajar,” said Ridgewood Police Chief John Ward from the scene of the 9:05 a.m. explosion. “Initial reports were some flames and smoke coming out of the manhole.”

Police and firefighters from the village responded to the area. There were also reports of sporadic power outages at the same time from Linwood and Van Dien avenues and the area of 1200 East Ridgewood Avenue.

Crews from PSE&G later arrived at the scene.

“We couldn’t definitely say if that was related, but it seems to be because (the call) came in at the same time,” Ward said.

The Valley Hospital had power, Ward said.

Utility crews were working Friday afternoon to check for any residual effects of the explosion and would work to drain water from the area, police said. There had been some unconfirmed reports of a light odor of natural gas and environmental officials were also at the scene — which is near a fuel station — early Friday afternoon.

“This looks like it was electrical related,” Ward said. “These manholes are basically sealed. If there is an explosion in there, there are large currents down there. It’s a confined space…any kind of electrical explosion ?  is going to push the manhole up.”

http://ww

Fire investigators have been on the scene most of the day looking for clues that might help them figure out why Jack Roberts' house exploded yesterday morning.

Officials from the several agencies have been combing through the remains of the house. The investigation is still in its early stages, but officials tell me they're focusing on a propane appliance in the basement. They say Jack Roberts had complained of a propane odor in the upstairs portion of the house just before the explosion. Assistant fire Chief Mike Sparks was one of the first on the scene.

"There was quite a bit of chaos. We had two patients and they were saying another victim was in the house and we had a tremendous amount of debris. Smoke and flames were visible for miles," says Sparks.

Officials say Jack Roberts was likely killed instantly. His two children, Jerry Roberts and Karen Knox were badly injured and flown to UK Hospital where they're in critical condition. Assistant Chief Sparks says he hasn't seen an incident quite like this in 24 years of service.

"I've seen a lot of incidents, but nothing like an explosion as serious as this," says Sparks.

He says gas leak problems are best left to professionals.

"If you do smell gas, you need to get out. Call the fire and let them deal with it. Don't try to do anything yourself," he says.

Family members tell me Jack Roberts has lived in this house since he built it in the 1960s.

http://www.wkyt.com/news/headlines/Officials_investigate_house_expl...

Colombia mine explosion toll rises to seven

BOGOTA — The death toll from an explosion at a coal mine in northern Colombia, believed to have been caused by an accumulation of methane gas, has risen to seven, authorities said Friday.

Colombia’s mining regulator Ingeominas had last put the death toll from Wednesday’s incident at the El Diamante mine in the town of Socha in Boyaca department at three.

Emergency personnel subsequently retrieved the bodies of four more miners who had been trapped under the rubble, Ingeominas said.

More than 40 people have been killed in mining accidents in Colombia so far this year, most of them in cave-ins.

Last year, 173 people were killed in 84 reported accidents, many due to insufficient security measures.

President Juan Manuel Santos has sought to boost the mining sector as a pillar of Colombia’s economic growth.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/64425/colombia-mine-explosion-toll-ris...

Workplace regulators have huge job, few resources to police oilfield safety

Seattle gas explosion came from problem within home

The explosion that ripped through a house in northern Seattle and forced a neighborhood evacuation Monday was caused by a natural gas leak inside the home -- not pipeline leaks in the same neighborhood a day earlier, investigators have concluded.

A couple badly injured during the blast and subsequent fire had smelled gas in their home Sunday -- the same day utility workers were checking out three pipeline leaks just blocks away -- but had not reported it, Seattle Fire Department spokesman Kyle Moore said in an interview.

"The couple that lived there said they smelled natural gas yesterday, but they also had some other odors, so they did not know if it was natural gas or not. They did not report it," Moore said. "This morning they woke up and started turning things on -- and boom."

The explosion was caused by an electrical spark igniting gas inside the house, he said.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/09/seattle-gas-explo...

 

This is the 2nd Seattle explosion in less than 24 hrs.  What is going on here.  Scary stuff.

Gas main blast takes out rural W.Va. road

 

Published 02:05 p.m., Monday, September 26, 2011

http://www.chron.com/news/article/Gas-main-blast-takes-out-rural-W-...

    An explosion destroyed an Egyptian pipeline in Sinai that supplies Israel and Jordan with gas on Tuesday, security sources and witnesses said.

The security sources said the explosion happened west of the city of El-Arish. Witnesses said 15-meter high flames could be seen rising from the pipeline. The cause of the blast was not immediately known and there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The army surrounded the area and the company operating the pipeline closed it down after the blast, which was heard far away from the scene.

The pipeline is run by Gasco, Egypt's gas transport company which is a subsidiary of the national gas company EGAS.

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=239672

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-15085046

PUGET SOUND GAS EXPLOSION THEORY

They maintain that a windstorm on Sunday blew a tree into a power line near 127th Street Northeast and 12th Avenue Northeast, and a surge of electricity somehow reached PSE's pipeline. They believe that surge caused several leaks, including one that filled the home with gas. A spark ignited the home Monday morning.

PSE officials say they've found at least four BB- to finger-sized holes in the neighborhood gas lines that appeared to be caused by an electrical surge, PSE spokesman Martha Monfried said.

"That's what our experience is telling us," she said.

This phenomenon — referred to as arcing, because electrical currents can actually jump from one conduit to another — is rare. Puget Sound Energy can find only 17 instances of it throughout their distribution system during the past nine years.

But it has caused other accidents around the country. In one Virginia case in the 1990s, according to Associated Press accounts, corroded underground electrical wires buried too close to a natural-gas service line arced, energizing the gas pipeline. A house exploded, killing a wife and mother and severely injuring her husband.

Getting a powerful enough jolt of electricity to reach underground pipelines isn't as easy as it might seem, said Rick Kuprewicz, a Bellevue-based independent pipeline safety consultant. It requires a source of enough voltage and a pathway — tree roots or the right soil consistency — linking it to a nearby pipe.

But when it happens, "all those underground pipelines basically function like wires," he said. "Usually you see it in the Midwest, with lightning. I've seen it where the power was so great it actually left a track in the pipeline."

Once the surge hits all that steel, the current can head in many directions at once. If the electrified pipeline comes close to an adjacent metal water or sewer line, it may arc to the new line. Near one of the gas-line holes this week, Monfried said, an even bigger hole appeared in an adjacent water line.

"It could have jumped from our line to another," she said. Or the other way around.  Continued...

 

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016337715_gasleake...

Two people have been treated for minor burns after some small explosions near Crewe Railway Station.

A man and a woman were taken to hospital for treatment to burns after the incident at around 8.22pm on Nantwich Road.

Witnesses reported manhole covers being blown up into the air by an explosion thought to have been ignited by underground electricity and gas supplies.

Emergency services closed off the station to tackle the incident, although it has since reopened.

The National Rail Enquiries website said delays of up to 60 minutes could be expected by passengers. Normal services expected by 11.30pm.

An investigation into the cause of the explosion has started, although a spokesman for British Transport Police said it was thought to have been sparked by a combination of underground gas and electricity supplies.

He said: "Emergency services are there making it safe."

http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Explosion-near-Crewe-Railway-S...

7 dead, 1 injured in China mine explosion

Seven people were killed and one injured in a coal mine explosion in central China’s Hunan Province Thursday evening, local work safety authorities said Friday.

The explosion occurred at about 7 p.m. Thursday at the Qiyi Coal Mine in the city of Changning, the provincial coal mine safety bureau said in a press release.

Explosives set off by workers to excavate mine shafts triggered explosion of high levels of gas in wake of bad ventilation, the initial investigation showed.

The mine is under technological renovation to expand annual output to 60,000 tonnes

http://coalmountain.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/7-dead-1-injured-in-ch...

Here we go again.....another Middle Eastern Gas Explosion.  Zetas Right Again.  With constant plate movement occurring worldwide, gas rich countries are bound to blow.  So much for liquid gold.

4 killed in Kuwait refinery blast
Kuwait: 43 minutes ago

An explosion killed four Asian workers at Kuwait's Ahmadi refinery on Saturday but it was not immediately clear whether production was affected, a spokesman for Kuwait National Petroleum Company said.

Several workers were injured at refinery, the KNPC spokesman added, without giving further details.

Media reports quoting officials said the explosion was caused by a leak in a gas pipe.

Mina al-Ahmadi is the largest of three refineries in Opec member Kuwait, with a refining capacity of over 460,000 barrels per day. It was not immediately clear if the explosion would hit the country's crude exports.-Reuters

http://www.tradearabia.com/news/OGN_205715.html

Four workers were killed and three firemen injured in a gas pipe explosion on Saturday at Kuwait’s largest refinery of Mina Al Ahmadi, an industry source told AFP.

 

‘Based on initial information, the four workers are Asian,’ said the source who asked not to be named. ‘The explosion was caused by a leak in a gas pipe.’

Mina Al Ahmadi is the largest of three refineries in OPEC member Kuwait, with a refining capacity of over 460,000 barrels per day. The other two at Shuaiba and Mina Abdullah have a combined capacity of around 450,000 bpd.

It was not immediately clear if the explosion would affect Kuwait’s crude exports. 

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middlee...

 

WELLSBURG, W.Va. -- A mandatory evacuation was issued in Wellsburg Saturday morning when a high-pressure transmission gas line was ruptured at the corner of Fourth and Yankee streets.The Brooke County Sheriff’s Office called for everyone in homes and businesses from Eighth to Third streets to leave their buildings for shelter around 8:45 a.m."As soon as I got out of the house, I could smell it though because it was the next street over,” said Stephanie Kins, a resident in Wellsburg. “It's kinda of scar. It was like a big geizser."Gas fumes leaked through about a four-block radius, and the fumes were at least 40 feet in the air. The Brooke County Emergency Management Agency responded to the scene along with Wellsburg Fire Department and other area crews. Responders said a worker was digging with a backhoe to find a sewer line, then struck a high-pressure gas line for the entire area."We basically need everyone to get out of the area in case the gas finds an ignition source, and there's an explosion. That's our greatest fear right now," said Bob Fowler, the Brooke County EMA Director.Responders set up a shelter at the Wellsburg Banquet Center while they waited for Mountaineer Gas Company to shut off the gas line."They're actually going to have to make a couple of digs to be able to crimp the line off to stop the gas flow," said Fowler. With the evacuation order lifted around 11:40 a.m., people were free to go home."We've advised everyone that if they go into their homes, and they smell any type of natural gas, to call into 9-1-1, so we can get in the fire department to come and evacuate any fumes that may be in their home,” said Fowler.

http://www.wtov9.com/news/29362071/detail.html

Lingfield fire: Eight injured in factory explosion

Eight people have been injured, four seriously, in an explosion and fire at a Surrey factory.

Fire crews were called to the Hobbs industrial estate in Newchapel, near Lingfield, shortly before 11:30 BST.

The patients are being treated for burns, respiratory problems and head injuries.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said there were gas cylinders at the site and progress was "difficult" but the fire had been brought under control.

Officials said the cause of the fire was not yet known and firefighters would remain at the scene overnight.

One casualty was airlifted to a London hospital, five were admitted to the East Surrey Hospital at Redhill and two were taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

'Bits flying off'

Ian Thomson, of Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, said all those in the building at the time of the blaze had been accounted for.

Surrey Police has asked people to stay away from the area for the rest of the day.

One employee at the industrial estate, who did not want to be named, said: "I heard a great big explosion and thought, what on earth was that?

"Then I looked out the window and there was all this debris coming down in the sky.

"It turned out to be stuff that looked like cartridges and bits were flying off the roof."

The explosion was heard by people at the nearby London England Temple, a Mormon place of worship.

One engineer, who did not want to be named, said he was working on a roof near the boundary of the temple's 32-acre grounds, when he heard a loud bang.

"There was a massive, massive bang, a large bang, with a little after-bang but that was it," he said.

He said a lot of smoke could be seen near the industrial estate, which is located about 10 miles (16km) east of Gatwick Airport.

The fire began in a unit at the industrial estate being used by a company that recycles electrical equipment.

About 75 people were evacuated from surrounding businesses.

The Environment Agency is supporting the fire service after it emerged there was a run-off of water used to dampen the flames.

Christine Brooks, 59, a waitress at the Peacock Lodge pub in Newchapel, said workers from the industrial estate had been evacuated from the site to the pub.

She said there had been a "huge vibration" and "everything just shook".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-15154314

 

One worker said he saw cartridges flying from the sky as employees gathered at the nearby Peacock Lodge pub and police guarded a cordon at the entrance of the industrial estate.

The worker, who did not want to be named, said: 'I heard a great big explosion and thought, what on earth was that?

'Then I looked out the window and there was all this debris coming down in the sky. It turned out to be stuff that looked like cartridges and bits were flying off the roof.'

He said he had seen one person with burns to his hands, and another with a cut ear.

Christine Brooks, 59, a waitress at the pub, said she had felt a 'huge vibration' and added: 'Everything just shook.'

Burning building: At least eight people were injured in the fire which followed a 'massive explosion'

 

 

An engineer working on a roof near the blast site said: 'There was a massive, massive bang, a large bang, with a little after-bang, but that was it.

'Just a few minutes after, that's when smoke started to appear.

'I'm actually working on a roof on part of our boundary and I could see the smoke starting to billow up.

He added: 'The amount of ambulances would indicate something quite serious.'

Three seriously injured workers were airlifted to major trauma centres in the region by helicopters from the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Ambulance Service.

One was taken to King's College Hospital in London and two to Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, where they are stable in A&E and waiting to be transferred to a nearby burns unit.

Five people have been admitted to East Surrey Hospital in Redhill with minor burns and smoke inhalation.

There are reports that there may be six more people missing.

Peter Burns, who works for Trichem, just two doors away from the suspected source of the explosion, described

Eight workers injured after massive explosion at ink cartridge recycling factory

Eight workers were injured after a fire broke out following a massive explosion on an industrial estate this morning.

Three employees were airlifted to hospital with burns while five others were driven to hospital to be treated for burns and smoke inhalation after gas canisters exploded at the building near Lingfield in Surrey.

The blast - believed to have started in an ink cartridge recycling factory - shook nearby buildings and workers were evacuated from across the Newchapel business park.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2044705/Surrey-industrial-e...

Around 3000 people evacuated after storage yard fire last night near Belmont Circle

8:26am Tuesday 4th October 2011

AROUND 3000 people were evacuated from their homes in Harrow last night following a huge fire at a storage yard.

The storage area round the back of Belmont Service Centre, in Kenton Lane, was completely destroyed with six cars and around 100 tyres being damaged.

A small part of the car workshop was also damaged after a gas cylinder exploded before firefighters were called around 6.30pm.

It is believed there were around 25 gas cylinders at the site, including a number of propane cylinders and around five acetylene cylinders, which can be hazardous when exposed to heat.

The fire was brought under control at around 11.30pm.

Station manager Turan Turan, from Northolt fire station, who was at the scene, said: “There was quite a large explosion but fortunately it was contained within the storage area."

The brigade worked with Harrow Council and police to evacuate between 500 to 600 homes in the area.

People were relocated to nearby community centres and St Anselm's Church, in Clifton Avenue, just off Kenton Lane.

Mr Turan added: “The explosion and fire caused extensive damage but fortunately no one was injured. Because of the danger posed by the gas cylinders, around 3000 people were evacuated from nearby homes as a precaution.

“It was a difficult job but crews worked incredibly hard to prevent the fire from spreading and managed to cool down the other gas cylinders and in doing so prevented further potential explosions.”

Firefighters stayed in the area for the rest of the night as fire investigators this morning work with police to establish the cause of the blaze.

http://www.harrowtimes.co.uk/news/9285534.Around_3000_people_evacua...

The accident occurred at 7:53 a.m. local time on Tuesday (2353 GMT on Monday) in a well at the Anping coal mine, which is located in the Lihua Township in the county of Libo, Xinhua news agency reported.

A total of 28 miners were working underground at the time of the blast. Eleven were rescued, and are currently receiving treatment in a local hospital.

Initial reports said 13 miners had died, but three rescued workers later died in hospital after treatment failed.

Another body was recovered on Wednesday morning, bringing the death toll to 17.

A thorough investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

China's mining industry is the most dangerous in the world. According to official figures, more than 2,600 miners were killed in accidents in 2009.

But independent labor groups say the figure could be much higher, as accidents are covered up to prevent mine closures.

The Chinese government has shut down hundreds of mines this year as part of efforts to improve safety standards.

Mining safety rules have often been ignored in favor of profit, as the economy has boomed.

http://presstv.com/detail/202910.html

http://bernalwood.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/gulp-troubled-pge-gas-pi...

Gulp! Why You Should Be Nervous About a PG&E Gas Pipeline with History of Big Trouble That Runs Through Bernal Heights

Did you happen to catch this anxiety-generating bit of news last week regarding the safety of PG&E’s gas pipelines?  From the San Jose Mercury News:

More than a year after the San Bruno natural gas explosion, PG&E still lacks “a large percentage” of the information it needs to accurately assess its pipeline risks and hasn’t taken needed steps to inform the public about its gas lines, according to the National Transportation Safety Commission’s final report on the 2010 disaster released Monday.

The 153-page report went further than earlier NTSB statements by including a strong warning about PG&E’s limited understanding of what other dangers may lurk underground.

Noting that PG&E uses data in a computerized system to gauge the risk posed by its pipelines, the agency said it fears the system contains “a large percentage of assumed, unknown or erroneous information for the Line 132″ — the one that erupted in San Bruno — “and likely its other transmission pipelines as well.”

In addition, the report — the board’s final statement on the San Bruno catastrophe and largely a repetition of previously released documents — scolded PG&E for its continued failure to sufficiently educate the public about its gas lines and the hazards they pose.

In other words, PG&E basically has no idea WTF is going on with its pipelines. Why is that an issue for Bernalwood? Because one of PG&E’s worrisome “other transmission pipelines” runs right through Bernal Heights:

Article continues:

An explosion and fire have ripped through a refinery in north Regina, injuring 10 people and forcing 1,400 to evacuate the facility.

Eight people were sent to hospital with burns, while two others were treated at the facility owned by Consumer's Cooperative Refineries

The company did not say what condition they are in.

All 10 were contractors working on a $1.9-billion expansion of the refinery.

In total, there were 450 day staff and nearly 1,000 contractors on site, all of whom were evacuated from the facility.

Witnesses told the CBC that the fire began after a large explosion at the diesel processing area of the facility at around 2 p.m. CST.

One worker told CBC News that after the explosion, he saw a giant fireball that was so hot it melted steel.

Emergency crews battled the fire as flames and black smoke shot into the sky.

The Co-op refinery in Regina was evacuated because of the fire. Jordan Jackle/CBC

There were concerns that the fire could spread and ignite gas and diesel tankers on the other side of the facility.

Shortly before 3 p.m., the fire was under control.

Refinery officials say there is no danger to the public.

They say they have found the ignition point of the fire, and suspect the cause was a pipe leaking a mixture of hydrogen gas and diesel fuel that found a spark.

It is the worst fire at the refinery in 20 years.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2011/10/06/sk-refi...

PELHAM MANOR, NY --  A massive overnight explosion at a gas station on Secor Road has closed Pelham Parkway from Boston Post Road to Columbus Avenue. 

A tanker truck exploded at the Gulf gas station across from Fairway at about 2 a.m. this morning, damaging nearby buildings and completely melting the truck, CBS Radio reported. 

No one was hurt, and the cause of the explosion has not been determined. Pelham firefighters were assisted by the FDNY, Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle and White Plains. 

http://www.thedailyhastings.com/news/massive-explosion-closes-pelha...

http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/gas-drilling/high-methane-level-recorded-in-dimock-water-well-1.1215258#axzz1aE7Hsw9d

High methane level recorded in Dimock water well

This is not looking good.  Interesting article

 

UPDATE 5.40pm: A middle-age man has been killed by a suspected explosion at a property in Perth's northern suburbs.

Firefighters discovered the man's body after extinguishing a fire in a shed at the Adams Road property in Mariginiup, east of Joondalup.

Police said the arson squad was investigating the possibility a gas cylinder exploded.

Firefighters and St John Ambulance were called to the property, which operates as Lake Adams Boarding Kennel and Cattery, shortly before 4pm.

It is understood the explosion occurred in a 10sq m shed, where the deceased man was welding metal on a car.

A female animal handler heard a loud explosion at about 3.45pm and ran outside to find the shed in flames with the sides and roof blown off.

Two cars were destroyed in the blaze.

A 200m exclusion zone has been set up around the scene.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/mp/10446658/man-killed-in-susp...

DERA GHAZI KHAN: Three people were injured in an explosion at the regional office of Fauji Fertilizer Company in the Model Town area of Dera Ghazi Khan, Express 24/7 reported Tuesday.

The explosion was caused by accumulation of gas due to a leakage in the supply channel.

The explosion caused extensive damage to the office and adjacent buildings – including a school and Watan Card Centre.

One person was reported to have received severe injuries, two other workers also received injuries and burns, however, no deaths have been reported so far.

The incident was confirmed by a company representative

http://tribune.com.pk/story/271614/gas-explosion-injures-3-in-dg-khan/

Gas explosion kills eight in western Kazakhstan

11 Oct 2011 14:53

Source: reuters // Reuters

 

ALMATY, Oct 11 (Reuters) - A powerful gas explosion at an oil pumping station killed eight workers in western Kazakhstan on Tuesday, the Central Asian nation's Emergencies Ministry reported.

The blast in the Caspian Sea port city of Aktau was caused by a gas leak after safety rules were broken, the ministry said on its website. (www.emer.kz)

Kazakhstan's state oil transportation company KazTransOil could not be immediately reached for comment.

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/gas-explosion-kills-eight-in-wes...

Oct. 03--Anxiety swept over Kern County's oil industry on the first day of summer as news spread that an oilfield worker was killed after falling into a sinkhole filled with steam and boiling hot fluids.

Little has been done to ease this anxiety since that tragic accident at the prolific Midway-Sunset oil field west of Taft. If anything, the implications have become more ominous as the industry grapples with safety concerns, an open-ended legal threat and continuing investigation by a powerful state agency that has not been shy about shutting down local oil production. By all accounts, a sinkhole like this had never been seen before in Kern's oil fields.

Some consensus has emerged as to what may have caused it, and Chevron (CVX) has acted swiftly to cordon off or plug oil wells associated with the kind of seepage observed in the area before and after the June 21 death of Robert David Taylor, a 54-year-old construction supervisor, father of two and grandfather of four.

But the local industry as a whole is reluctant to abandon the particular method of steam injection that regulators suspect contributed to the sinkhole's formation. At Midway-Sunset and other oil fields

county, high-pressure steam injection has brought new life to aging fields that no longer respond to more traditional production technologies.

Bakersfield oil executive Steve Layton said any move to curtail such injections would jeopardize the industry's ability to exploit vast oil reservoirs under Midway-Sunset.

"It would really be a significant blow to anyone whose projects were under assault by (state regulators) because of what happened," said Layton, president of Bakersfield-based oil producer E&B Natural Resources Management Corp., which does not have high-pressure steaming operations at Midway-Sunset.

"But that being said, I know that folks that have those projects -- the Chevrons, PXPs and the Berry (Petroleum)s of the world -- are all very concerned about safety and want to operate in the safest and most effective manner possible."

If there is any positive news, it is that the particular oil well next to the fatal sinkhole had a history of problems that suggest it may be a unique case. As Chevron has pointed out, it is deeper and older than most wells in the area and it appears to have been sheared by seismic activity, which could account for why the company has been unable to cap the well despite three attempts costing more than $2 million.

At the same time, Chevron has not injected steam into that well in almost three years, which could suggest that seeping and even erupting wells, or "volcanoes" -- not common but not exactly rare in Kern County -- may be harder to isolate than state regulators suspected.   Story continues

http://seekingalpha.com/news-article/1953058-news-analysis-oil-indu...

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/students+evacuated+from+northwest...

1,400 students evacuated from northwest school after gas line ruptured

 

A gas leak across the street from the Queen Elizabeth elementary, junior and high schools forced the evacuation of the buildings, sending 1,400 students out of the schools.

Contractors working for ATCO Gas ruptured a three-inch line at a home construction site on 18th Street N.W. across the street from the main entrance to the high school around 11 a.m. The workers called 911.

With so many students nearby, fire department spokesman Brian McAsey said the schools were evacuated as a precaution.

“Whenever you have natural gas, there’s always the danger that there could be an ignition and that could result in a fire or an explosion,” said McAsey.

“In this case there was no ignition, it’s very rare that there is so, but we wanted to make sure it was safe.”

Students walked to the nearby West Hillhurst community centre.

“All of the parents were contacted and were instructed to pick up their children or to make alternate arrangements,” said Calgary Board of Education spokeswoman Joanne Ramondt.

She said the evacuation went off without problems.

“It appeared to have gone well,” she said.

“There’s always an evacuation plan for situations like this.”

The fire department said the area was properly marked and the proper procedures were followed and the leak seemed to be caused by human error.

ATCO Gas is looking into the cause of the leak.

“We’re not exactly sure how or why that all happened, that part’s under investigation,” said Graeme Seltham, vice-president Calgary region operations.

“While it seems extreme, I think there was as many as 1,400 kids and teachers that had to leave the school, in our opinion that’s emergency services doing exactly what they’re supposed to be doing. Relatively speaking, it was a low-risk event . . . it took us about an hour to get the gas (turned) off,” he said.

Eleven homes were also affected, he said. Homes within a two-block radius were also evacuated and residents could not return until after 1 p.m. when the streets were reopened to the public.