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.

http://www.hazardexonthenet.net/article/45592/Refinery-explosion-ca...

Refinery explosion caused by fuel leak

An explosion and fire at a crude oil refinery in the central Canadian province of Saskatchewan has injured 10 people. Eight were taken to hospital to be treated for burns, whilst two were treated at the site.

At the time of the explosion at Consumers' Co-operative Refineries Ltd. (CCRL), located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, between 400 and 450 refinery employees and around 1,000 contractors were working in the area.

An unnamed foreman for Chemco electrical contractors, who had 250 employees on site, described the incident. "The explosion went up about 250 feet in the air - it was a huge fireball. I notified everybody by radio that there was a big explosion on the unit Your biggest fear is that you won't get everybody out safely."

Cameron Keller, an insulator with Fulleraustin, a subcontractor for CCRL, was working near the site of the explosion when he heard popping sounds. "It sounded like a cap popping off a beer bottle and then all of a sudden there was tons of black smoke and big waves of fire going straight up. The alarms went off and we all ran out. We were two plants away and we didn't feel the heat, but we had some guys in Unit 11 and they felt the heat right above them."

CCRL is in the middle of a $1.9-billion expansion project, the biggest project in the refinery's history and what is believed to be the largest-ever project in Regina. The expansion will increase the refinery's capacity from 100,000 barrels a day to 130,000 when it is completed in 2012. It is expected that capacity could be further increased by 15,000 barrels per day by 2016.

However, the explosion occurred in an older area of the refinery, which is being revamped. Gilbert Le Dressay, the refinery's manager of safety, environment and training and the incident commander, commented: "This is an area where we're replacing equipment, but this equipment is still monitored and repaired as normal.” Le Dressay added that gas detection monitors in the affected area prompted the alarm system, meaning that personnel were immediately evacuated.

It is understood that the explosion occurred in a unit that was involved in processing diesel fuel. A leak in a high-pressure pipe carrying diesel and hydrogen caused the release of diesel fuel and hydrogen gas, which ignited.

Investigators are still looking into the biggest explosion and fire at the plant since August 1990.

An early-morning cable fire caused a small manhole explosion just feet away from the 50th Precinct and left much of Kingsbridge Avenue between West 236th and West 238th streets without power for more than 12 hours.

Power was restored around 2 p.m. but through-traffic is still blocked off.

A Con Edison employee at the scene said at 1:41 a.m. this morning, a shorted feeder cable caused an explosion, which burst through a manhole.

The Five-O is unaffected but residents of 3605 Kingsbridge Ave. and 11 businesses on the block, including the Riverdale Diner, Domino’s Pizza and T and Y Wines and Spirits, have no power or gas.

While the two eateries are closed, a clerk at T and Y Wines and Spirits said the store will continue to operate until it gets dark.

A Con Ed representative said electricity will likely be restored by the end of the day, but did not comment on when gas service will return. Chris Marche, who lives at 3605 Kingsbridge Ave., said he was told there would be no gas for at least two days but added that mild temperatures should make the situation bearable.

Mike Berry, a Kingsbridge resident who witnessed the explosion from down the block, said flames were shooting out of the ground.

“The lights on the car wash started flickering, then the bulbs on the diner started flickering … and then down the block, just past the intersection, boom. It had green and blue and red sparks and everything coming out,” Mr. Berry said. “Literally, within three minutes, you had six, maybe seven, FDNY [trucks].”

http://riverdalepress.com/stories/Manhole-explosion-causes-gas-powe...

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on September 13, 2011

Pipeline explosion in Kenya kills at least 75 people, injures more than 100

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Overview of gas pipeline explosion: Mukuru-Sinai slums of Nairobi, Kenya

http://www.unitar.org/unosat/node/44/1592

ANALYSIS SUMMARY: This analysis is based on an assessment of satellite imagery recorded on 22nd September 2011 following a gas pipeline explosion that took place on 12th September 2011, within the Mukuru-Sinai slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Analysis revealed that the explosion took place in the highly congested Mukuru-Sinai slums along the river Ngongo. This is a preliminary damage assessment, and it is likely to represent a reliable minimum estimate; the actual building damages within this area are likely to be larger.

 Satellite Data (2): WV02/QB02 

Imagery Dates: 20/11/2010, 22/09/2011 

Resolution : 0.5 m/0.6 m 

Copyright:DigitalGlobe 2011 

Source: FirstLook 

Analysis : UNITAR / UNOSAT 

Production: UNITAR / UNOSAT 

Analysis conducted with ArcGIS v10.0 

Projection: UTM Zone 37 N

Gas leak causes blast in Quetta, 2 injured

http://tribune.com.pk/story/277223/gas-leak-causes-blast-in-quetta-...

Massive blaze: 4 dead, dozens homeless

Dozens of apartment block fire survivors have been left without permanent residence in late autumn, as rescue workers recover the fourth body from the debris.

­Though at present they are unable to determine the body’s identity, this is the last of the four people that were previously unaccounted for.

Another four tenants are in hospital with various injuries, with the overall number of those who sought medical attention reaching 21. However, most suffered not from burns, but from exacerbation of existing conditions caused by injuries and stress.

The fire broke out in a five-storey apartment block on Monday at 3:45pm Moscow time (11:45 GMT) in the town of Bronnitsy, just southeast of Moscow. Triggered by what is suspected to be a gas explosion on the fourth floor of the building, serious damage resulted.

Overlaps between the third and fourth floors and some of the upper outside walls collapsed, with fire then quickly spreading to some 20 apartments.

The blaze was extinguished in the early hours of Tuesday.

Rescue operations continue on Wednesday, with some 200 emergency workers involved, as well as 60 vehicles, which still have about half of the debris to clear.

Overall the 1987-built complex accommodated about 170 people. Most of them have been taken in by relatives, while others have been given temporary accommodation.

Meanwhile, the Moscow Region Investigative Committee is investigating a case of “causing death due to negligence,” its representative told Interfax.

http://rt.com/news/fire-four-dead-bronnitsy-175/

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/highlands-islands/275573-explosion-and-...

Fire: Crew called to two incidents at factory in one day. Pic: © STV

Fire crew have tackled an explosion and a fire at a malting company in the Highlands.

Staff at Bairds Malt in Inverness had to be evacuated following the dust explosion at around 12.30pm on Thursday.

Nobody was injured in the explosion but gas and electricity were switched off at the industrial site on Longman Drive.

Fire crew used breathing apparatus, a main jet and a hose-reel jet to tackle the incident, believed to be a dust explosion in a combustion chamber.

The fire brigade were called out to the malting company premises two hours later to deal with a separate fire in the roof space.

A fire brigade spokeswoman said: "It appeared the first call was a dust explosion in an industrial building. We are investigating and will be liaising with site engineers.

"At 2.48pm we got another call to say there was a separate fire there, this time in the roof space."

A Northern Constabulary spokesman said no roads had to be closed while dealing with the incident.

The company, formed in 1999, has an annual production capacity of 255,000 tonnes of malt

I don't quite know what a dust explosion is but ........

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/transjakarta-driver-badly-injur...

Another bus explosion

TransJakarta Driver Badly Injured in Explosion
Zaky Pawas | October 20, 2011

The driver of a TransJakarta bus that exploded in the Pinang Ranti shelter on Thursday was critically injured, an official with the bus operator said.

The bus, which serves Corridor IX running from east to north, was filling up on gas at the TransJakarta refuelling station (SPBBG) installed at the shelter when a hissing noise was heard.

“The bus was refueling at 8:20 a.m. and the noise came from below the bus,” Sri Ulina, TransJakarta’s spokeswoman told the Jakarta Globe.

The hissing sound was followed by a loud explosion.

The driver, Yusaf, the bus attendant, Malinda, and a refueling station attendant, Sugianto, were injured.

“Yusuf was badly injured and his legs were broken while Malinda and Sugianto sustained minor injuries,” Sri said.

The three victims were rushed to Asrama Haji Hospital in Pondok Gede, East Jakarta.

The explosion also damaged the bus and the shelter.

Police officers are still conducting an investigation at the scene.

“The police and the Director General of Oil and Gas are here to find out the cause of the explosion,” Sri said.

The refueling station in Pinang Ranti shelter is one of four stations owned by TransJakarta.

“Pinang Ranti is temporarily closed but drivers can still refuel at our stations on Jalan Pemuda in East Jakarta, Pancoran in the south and Jalan Siliwangi in Depok,” she said.

LOVES PARK (WREX) - A shopping center has to be evacuated when construction crews accidentally hit a gas line in the ground.

The Loves Park Fire Chief, Phil Foley, tells 13 News around 12:30 construction crews were resurfacing the parking lot outside the Harlem Shopping Center at Harlem and Alpine when one of the workers struck and ripped out a gas line.  The 2-inch main was blowing gas directly into the front door of the Dollar Tree store there.

The fire department made everyone leave the entire shopping center.  Nicor responded to take a reading of the air and called it a "level 3."  A "level 5" indicates a risk of explosion.  Crews had to ventilate the building.

As of 1:30 p.m., people were being let back into the shopping center, but Nicor still has the gas shut off to the complex

http://www.wrex.com/story/15768485/shopping-center-evacuated-after-...

Gas Leak in Belgrano

Last night, a forklift hit a gas pipe on a construction site in Belgrano. The collision led to an explosion and fires continue in the area today. The construction work was headed by a government-owned company Metrogas.

Three Metrogras personnel were left injured after the collision caused an explosion and the workers tried to fix the leaking pipe. The victims were taken to the Piovano Hospital immediately.

The accident took place at Monroe Street 2750. Metrogas said the leaking “won’t bring graver danger,” and the Federal Police assured that “the fire is under control”.  The statement came before another gas leak occurred this morning in Arcos 2800.

Two blocks in the area have been evacuated as several firemen and emergency city hall personnel are working to control the fire.

http://www.argentinaindependent.com/currentaffairs/newsfromargentin...

http://www.gtowntimes.com/local/Fire-destroys-St--Stephen-AME-Churc...

Gas explosion destroys southern Kalispell home

 

Neighbors felt their houses shake as an enormous gas explosion blew apart a house on the south side of Kalispell Saturday.

No one was hurt in the noon explosion that buckled the walls, the garage door and collapsed the roof at the rear of the house at 2358 Coot Court. Nearby homes were rained with insulation, and a subsequent fire that put off a column of black smoke melted the siding of a neighboring home.

“We felt it,” said Rick Wills, who lives less than a block away. “I thought it happened in my back yard. I could see flames. You could see the walls were folded out. The roof was gone. It was huge. It was a big boom.”

“It was a scary, big noise,” said neighbor Pat Fleming.

Her husband, Robert Fleming, said he was looking out a picture window at their home when he saw a flash and heard the noise. He said his house and yard were covered in insulation.

The explosion and fire and large response of Kalispell Fire Department, South Kalispell Fire Department, the Whitefish Fire Department, Evergreen Fire and Rescue and the Smith Valley Fire Department attracted dozens of onlookers, some who were hopeful that no one was inside because there was no vehicle in the garage.

 “No one was home at the time of the explosion,” said Kalispell Fire Chief Dave Dedman. “We have confirmation the husband is hunting.”

And evidently, the wife was away when it happened but was in the vicinity of the home afterwards.

“I don’t know if she came home to it or what,” Dedman said.

When firefighters arrived they could not immediately approach the home because the gas was still turned on, and the gas meter at the rear of the home was ruptured and spewing flames.

“There was a large amount of fire coming from that,” Dedman said, adding that once the gas was turned off, firefighters were able to move in and knock down the fire.

Northwest Energy personnel were on the scene monitoring for leaks that might threaten other homes. Dedman said the area appeared to be secure, and the cause of the gas leak wasn’t immediately known.

http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/82352/huge-gas-leak-trigge...

http://photos.mlive.com/flint-journal/2011/10/house_explosion_at_bu...

House explosion at Buder and Saginaw street in Burton

 

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/gas-leak-disruption-stretches-hospi...

• 
  Hospital bed - Source: Thinkstock

The impact of a gas leak in Taranaki is beginning to hit North Island hospitals.

The gas line which links the Maui gas field to the upper North Island closed this morning after gas began escaping from the pipeline in north Taranaki.

While residential gas users in the areas north of King Country and in the Bay of Plenty are not affected, some of the country's biggest industrial giants, such as Fonterra, Fletcher Building, Auckland District Health Board, and now Waikato District Health Board, are.

Waikato DHB has issued a call for its hospitals to ration laundry supplies due to their Waikato contractor being forced to curtail gas use because of the leak.

The Waikato contractor also services Auckland, Waitemata and Counties Manukau DHBs. Auckland DHB has already cease its laundry operations.

An emergency management team has been put in place, and patients coming into Waikato hospitals are being asked to bring their own named pyjamas, nighties, towels and facecloths.

The hospital campus' usual launder service, Spotless Facility Services, will be working around the clock and only focusing on essential items, such as sterile supplies and scrubs, sheets, pillowcases, blankets and linen bags.

Wards are also being encouraged to use disposable cloths and nappies.

Vector has said that it will be midday Wednesday before it can start excavating around the site of a gas leak.

A further team of geotech experts are currently heading to White Cliffs north of New Plymouth, where the leak occurred, to survey the site before any digging can begin to make repairs.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jessica-pearce-rotondi/4-train-evacua...

More troubles in the NYC subway system.

I turned down a drink last night in favor of catching an earlier train home; little did I know my decision would lead to a one and a half hour ordeal featuring a still-unexplained explosion, very real smoke, an underground evacuation and emergency personnel.

It was a little after 9:30 pm when I boarded the 4 train to Brooklyn from Fulton Street. I remember glancing up from my Kindle at Bowling Green to reassure myself we were making progress; it was my first time on the 4 in awhile and I just wanted to be home. All seemed normal and I went back to my reading when what sounded like an explosion ripped through the car -- definitely not a sound you want to hear while in a black tunnel under the East River. The train shuddered and came to a halt. That's when the car enclosing me began to fill up with thick, odd-smelling smoke.

Then the ventilation system shut down. A few passengers started to panic and opened the doors on either side of the car in an attempt to get more air, which only made the car fill up with the foul-smelling smoke more quickly. Other passengers yelled at them to stop."It's coming from the tunnel!" someone shouted.

As the air in the car slowly turned gray, passengers began to cover their mouths with scarfs and sweaters. Unsettlingly, one man pulled on a gas mask and the person next to me whispered that it seemed like he was prepared for whatever was about to happen -- perhaps too prepared (he's by car door to left in this photo:)

Passengers began to speculate about what was going on. A few made nervous jokes while others appeared to close their eyes in prayer or thought or both. I hadn't been to church in years, but found myself clasping my hands in a pose that recalled my Grandmother Mary whenever she heard bad news. I pulled my turtleneck over my lips in an attempt to ventilate the stale air and told myself to breathe.

Was this it? The two year anniversary of my mother's death is Saturday; what will my Dad do alone? Would my sister have to come home from Germany, where she'd finally been carving a life out for herself? Did I really just spend the last night of my life getting drinks with a finance guy?

A woman in her late 20s calmly walked over and pushed the red emergency "talk" button that you always stare at when you forget reading mat

Maui gas pipe ruptures

Gas industry experts face a frantic mission today to find and fix a gasline rupture crippling industry in the top half of the North Island.

The Maui gas pipeline, which runs from the Maui production station at Oanui and feeds gas to much of the North Island, was closed early yesterday morning when a leak was discovered near White Cliffs north of Urenui.

By lunchtime the closure of the line forced 15 of Fonterra's northern factories reliant on gas to shut down or only partly operate, and Waikato dairy farmers last night began dumping milk.

Other industries also began to suffer and Employers and Manufacturers Association manufacturing manager Bruce Goldsworthy described the situation as "a bloody disaster".

At this stage residential supplies are not affected.

Hekia Parata, the acting Energy Minister, travelled to New Plymouth for briefings on the crisis.

Last night pipeline operator Vector could not say when gas would be turned back on. Although the leak has been isolated to a section of pipe near White Cliffs, spokeswoman Sandy Hodge did know the extent or type of damage suffered by the pipe.

"For safety reasons a full excavation of the pipe cannot be undertaken until a detailed site evaluation has been carried out. We need to have a careful look at the pipeline before we bring diggers in," Ms Hodge said.

She said engineers were working on "every scenario they can come up with" on what type of fix the pipe will need so repairing can begin as soon as the fault is understood.

That fix might be known as early as 7am today, when Vector makes the day's first announcement on what is happening at the leak site.

Ms Hodge said the leak had not posed an explosion risk and as far as she knew it was the first time the pipeline had been comproMised.

Yesterday residents near the pipeline on Pukearuhe Rd reported hearing a huge roar of gas being vented but little else.

"They were blowing stuff through there today. It made a hell of a noise. A big roar," said Ian Besley.

"There was a message on my phone from Vector to say they were doing something. They had some sort of problem."

Mr Besley said he had heard the pipeline being vented in the past and did not think it unusual.

Neighbour Michael Kuriger said Vector called his wife in the morning to say there had been a major leak and they might be flaring off some gas. But it was only the appearance of a Taranaki Daily News car on Pukearuhe Rd that made him think anything unusual might be going on.

continues at:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/5851498/Maui-gas-pi...

Weston house wrecked in gas heater explosion

Two people escaped with minor injuries when a gas explosion wrecked a house in Somerset.

Firefighters were called to the house in Brean Down Avenue, Weston-super-Mare, at 19:45 BST on Tuesday.

An investigation by Avon Fire and Rescue concluded the explosion was caused by a portable butane gas heater.

The front of the house has been destroyed and is now structurally unsound - forcing the evacuation of a neighbouring property.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-15459532

Utility finds 4 more natural gas leaks in Seattle

Utility crews have found a total of eight natural gas leaks in the north Seattle neighborhood where a home exploded, injuring two residents in a two-alarm fire.

The pipes have been dug up for repair, Puget Sound Energy spokeswoman Martha Monfried said Tuesday.

More than two dozen utility employees were using sniffer equipment to sweep the area within five miles of Monday's blast.

Four of the leaks have been linked to electrical arcing initiated when a tree knocked down a high-voltage power line Sunday. The utility believes this is what caused the holes to the service line of the destroyed home.

One leak is under investigation and the other three are not related to the downed tree.

Puget Sound Energy said it surveys its entire coverage area every day with trucks and people. The utility has conducted extra surveys over the last two days in a 5-square mile area near the site of the explosion.

David Ingham, one of the two people injured in the explosion and fire has been released from the hospital, Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg said Tuesday. Ingham's wife, Hong, remains in serious condition in the intensive care unit.

Damage from the blast is estimated at $350,000, Fire Department spokesman Kyle Moore said.

The utility has 750,000 natural gas customers in five counties.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9Q1H8B01.htm

 

TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - A vacant central Toledo house fire that began early Wednesday has been ruled as arson.

Neighbors say they heard an explosion and looked out to see the house on fire in the 1200 block of Prospect near Detroit Avenue. This was just after 1 a.m.

Investigators say there is evidence of some sort of explosion because the vent covers were all blown off of the wall. A gas can was also found by the house.

http://www.wtol.com/story/15876445/neighbors-hear-explosion-before-...

Mother and daughter die in Swiss gas blast

Published: 27 Oct 2011 11:36 GMT+1

 

One of the victims of a gas explosion in southwest Switzerland that killed two people on Tuesday has been identified as a 31-year-old mother named as Yassouda.

DNA tests are expected to show that the second body was that of her 5-year-old daughter Odyssea. 

Yassouda was at her home in Yverdon-les-Bains when the explosion rocked the building where she lived with the child and the girl's father.

Yassouda’s partner, Alexandre Debons, told newspaper 24 Heures that his girlfriend had called him at around 12.30pm and said that she has just put out her cigarette because the kitchen smelled of gas.

“Since our flat it is not connected to gas, I just told her to open the windows and ventilate the room,” Debons told the newspaper.

An hour later, a powerful explosion destroyed half of the building on rue Neuchâtel 39, in the centre of the town in canton Vaud.

Fourteen other people were injured, mainly by broken glass and debris. Police said 15 flats, all on the fourth and fifth floors, would be uninhabitable for several months after the building's facade was ripped off in the blast.

Investigators have not yet confirmed the cause of the accident, though several witnesses have told police that they smelled gas minutes before the explosion

http://www.thelocal.ch/1589/20111027/#

Coal mine blast leaves 7 dead, 11 missing

ZHENGZHOU – Seven people have died and 11 others remain missing following a gas explosion early Thursday at a coal mine in central China’s Henan Province.

A gas rush hit the Jiulishan Coal Mine in the city of Jiaozuo shortly after midnight, said a spokesman with the provincial work safety authority.

At that time, 18 workers were working underground in the mine, which belongs to Henan Coal and Chemical Industry Group, the province’s largest state-owned mining company.

Seven workers have been confirmed dead, and the search for the 11 missing people was hampered by the high level of gas in the mine, the spokesman said.

Rescuers have installed ventilation machines and are speeding up the process of dredging the coal ore which was preventing rescuers from approaching the missing workers.

*

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-10/27/content_13991115.htm

The field has been in operation since 1962, producing 120,000 barrels of crude a day. The report said firefighters brought the blaze under control.

Increasing incidents of explosions have hit Iran’s oil and gas sector recently, but authorities rarely provide explanations for them.

The news agency said another fire Friday at Iran’s Arak refinery some 180 miles (300 kilometers) southwest of Tehran set off an explosion. There were no reports of casualties.

Majid Rajabi, head of the refinery, told Iran’s state radio that there was no fire or explosion in the operational part of the refinery. He said the fire might have been linked to contractors’ work on development projects.

Iran is OPEC’s second largest oil exporter, and sits atop 137 billion barrels of conventional crude oil. It also holds the world’s second largest natural gas reserves — roughly 28 trillion cubic meters.

Some 80 percent of the country’s foreign revenue comes from exporting oil.

Most of Iran’s pipelines are decades old and suffer from lack of maintenance and frequent technical failures. Also, there have been occasional cases of sabotage, mostly in northwest Iran, near the Turkish border.

In August, an explosion hit an oil pipeline in Iran’s oil-rich southwestern province of Khuzestan, a week after an explosion struck a major pipeline carrying gas to Turkey.

That blast, which temporarily cut the gas flow, took place in morning hours near a border crossing. No one was injured. Authorities blamed it on Kurdish rebels operating in the area.

In April, three explosions hit gas pipelines near the holy city of Qom in central Iran, briefly cutting the flow from Iran’s gas refineries in the south to the country’s northwest.

Similar explosions rocked the same pipelines in February. Officials at the time said the blasts were not caused by technical failures but did not say if they were acts of sabotage.

http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL5E7LS1LS20111028

Explosions in Iranian Refinery in Arak and at Oil Rig in Bushehr
Fire, explosion at Iran's Shazand refinery ARAK, Markazi Province, Oct. 28 (Mehr News Agency) - An explosion and fire occurred at the Shazand refinery in central Iran on Friday morning.   The reason for the fire is not yet known. No report has also been published about possible fatalities or the degree of damage to the refinery. More details will be published later. One Killed, 3 Injured in Iran Oil Rig Explosion TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- An explosion at a state-run oil field in Southern Iran killed a worker and injured three others on Friday.   A rig at the Bibi Hakimieh oil field in the Southern province of Bushehr was rocked by a blast when a huge amount of gas was released during drilling. The explosion killed one employee of the National Iranian Drilling Company, while three others were injured. ... Payvand News - 10/28/11 ... -- http://www.payvand.com/news/11/oct/1299.html