Explosions on the rise

[Kojima]

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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* Comment by Starr DiGiacomo

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

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

SOZT

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

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

SOZT

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

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

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

 

* Comment by Starr DiGiacomo

SOZT

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

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

 

* Comment by Starr DiGiacomo

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

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

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[Original post on January 20, 2011]

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

 

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

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.ksfy.com/story/16482793/neighbor-captures-sioux-falls-ho...

Neighbor captures Sioux Falls house explosion on camera

An explosion sends large flames and thick black smoke into the air. It happened at a farmhouse at 47322 Austin Court in rural Sioux Falls and a neighbor catches it all on camera.

The Lincoln County Emergency Manager says two people have been severely burned after that explosion. A father and his daughter were home at the time. Officials tell us the father is being airlifted to a Minneapolis burn center. His daughter was also hurt but she was able to drive them both to a Sioux Falls hospital even before crews arrived. At this hour, we don't know her condition.

When we first arrived we couldn't even get near the house because it was still a very active scene but after a few hours we were let through. For hours, smoke continued to billow out of the basement.

We met some people who live right across the street who captured everything right on their camera.

Nate Flanders and his sister Allie live right across the street from a home that went up in flames Monday afternoon.

Nate was home when it happened.

"I heard loud screams, very loud screams and I walked outside and determined it was coming from over here," Nate Flanders said.

Nate then saw flames so he grabbed his camera.

"It was in flames and I watched the first truck show up and they ran out of water that was in the tank and I could tell it was over for the house and sad to see," Nate Flanders said.

Crews say the home is a total loss, mainly because that explosion caused the walls to shift. Some walls even collapsed causing the roof to come tumbling down.

Fire crews from Sioux Falls, Harrisburg and Tea worked to fight the blaze.

They were able to knock down the flames but now they're dealing with smoke billowing from the basement. That smoke so thick, if you were driving in Sioux Falls or Harrisburg Monday afternoon you may have saw it. Nate's sister did, she was driving home from school.

We captured the smoke on our Avera sky cam.

"I saw this plume of smoke flying out of the sky, is someone burning something? The further down we get to our house, we see it's our neighbors," Allie Flanders said.

And for Nate and Allie, they just hope the family is doing OK.

"It's a tragic event and it just opens my eyes to wow, this could happen to anyone, the craziest of things," Nate Flanders said.

Crews are still trying to figure out how the fire started but they do believe it started in the basement and they're not sure if propane or gas caused the explosion.

We did notice a sale sign near the home. There are a few homes in the area and the lots are pretty irregular. We did some checking and this home did come up for sale.

But we also talked to the fire chief earlier and he says he isn't sure what was for sale, the home or the lot.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.wave3.com/story/16474488/explosion-levels-lexington-home...

Explosion levels home

Posted: Jan 09, 2012 7:24 AM AST Updated: Jan 09, 2012 7:24 AM AST

 

Courtesy WLEX18

LEXINGTON (WAVE) - An explosion destroyed a Lexington home early Monday morning.

Neighbors say debris rained down on neighboring homes, but there was no significant damage to any other houses. Firefighters quickly responded and put out a small fire.

Investigators have not given a cause for the blast happened around 1AM near Transylvania University, leveling a vacant home on Campbell Street, but neighbors say they smelled natural gas shortly before the explosion.

Officials say there was nobody inside the house and nobody suffered any injuries.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/4d82f196216f484dacfd7657510ab...

No injuries when fire on mountain causes explosion along natural gas pipeline in Floyd County

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — An explosion and fire rocked a section of Floyd County, but fire officials believe the fire came first.

The blast occurred on the side of a mountain in the Wheelwright community on Saturday night. The woods were still burning on Sunday, according to WYMT-TV in Hazard (http://bit.ly/zFMcAC ). No injuries or damage to homes were reported.

Wheelwright Mayor and Assistant Fire Chief Andy Akers said it appears a forest fire ignited a natural gas line.

Wheelwright Mayor and Assistant Fire Chief Andy Akers said it appears a forest fire ignited a natural gas line. Utility workers shut down the line.

Officials say the wildfire began on the opposite side of the mountain in Melvin and came over the ridge. They hoped rain would help extinguish the remaining flames.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Home Explosion Injures Four Official says the four family members were able to get out of the house before emergency crews arrived on scene.	Courtesy: Oscar Rivera

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Four people where hospitalized after their home in Sublette was destroyed in a fiery explosion. The blast was reported just after 9 a.m. Sunday morning at the intersection of Carson Avenue and Wooten Street.

Haskell County Emergency Management Director Debbie Brown says the four victims, all family members, were able to get out of the house before emergency crews arrived on scene. Their names and conditions have not been released.

It's not known at this time what caused the explosion. Brown says fire investigators have been on the scene all day and are working to determine what happened.

Gas service for the eastern half of Sublette was shut off for most of the day. Brown says service was restored Sunday evening and crews from Black Hills Energy went door-to-door to notify residents and relight their pilot lights.

http://www.kake.com/news/headlines/Home_Explosion_Injures_Four_1369...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Interesting article

http://in2eastafrica.net/rwanda-lake-poses-gas-danger-energy-promise/

Rwanda Lake Poses Gas Danger, Energy Promise

On the job into the evening, workers re-enforce rails guiding the methane extraction barge into Lake Kivu. (Photo: Anna Boiko-Weyrauch)

In the early evening on Lake Kivu, along Rwanda’s western border, clusters of lights bob on the surface of the water. They’re lanterns hanging off wooden boats to attract small herring.

Lake Kivu’s fish are a crucial source of food and income for local residents. But there’s something else below the surface beside fish, something fraught with both peril and, locals hope, promise. Deep at the bottom of the lake, almost a thousand feet down, Kivu’s water is rich with naturally-occurring gas – including high levels of carbon dioxide and methane.

The gas is produced by unusual geological and biological processes. It’s a natural oddity, and it could be very dangerous, says Charles Nyirahuku, who manages energy projects for the Rwandan government.

“It builds up in the water,” Nyirahuku says, “and it can cause a sudden outburst or release of methane into the atmosphere.”

Geologic evidence shows that long ago, Lake Kivu had sudden releases of gas, or limnic eruptions, as they’re called. And similar recent events elsewhere show how bad an explosion like that could be today. In the 1980’s, CO2 bursts from two lakes in Cameroon killed nearly 2,000 people. Scientists believe Lake Kivu could be even more deadly, because they estimate it has about 1,000 times more gas than the Cameroonian lakes.

“We are told that this is one of the major environmental risks which we can face,” Nyirahuku says. And the only way to avert this kind of risk is to extract the methane.”

And that’s what his role in energy projects comes in. Nyirahuku is helping develop a project to capture the lake’s dissolved methane and use it to generate energy.

The beginnings of the project are rising on the edge of the lake, where workers chant in unison as they move metal beams next to a big blue barge, and welders fix rails that will guide the barge into the lake.

The barge will eventually float to a spot about eight miles away and become part of what’s known as the KivuWatt project. Equipment on the barge will suck the gas-rich water from the deepest part of the lake through what are called risers—“basically big straws” — stuck more than a thousand feet into the lake, says Bill Barr, a vice president at the New York-based company ContourGlobal, which is developing the unusual power plant.

Barr says the gasses will be separated from the water, and then from each other. The less-volatile CO2 will be pumped back below the surface, and the methane will be piped to shore, where it will be used to fuel a power plant.

If all goes according to plan, the process will help solve two big problems: the threat of an explosion, and Rwanda’s chronic energy shortage. Rwanda has very few energy resources of its own, which has helped make it one of the most expensive places in East Africa to power a home or business. Almost half of the electricity here is generated using diesel fuel, which has to be trucked into the landlocked country.

Backers hope the KivuWatt project will eventually double the amount of electricity

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Crew jump for their lives as blast rips through boat

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=1...

Expand

The blaze seems to have started when a problem with the boat's ignition caused petrol to catch fire. Photo / Katie Anderson

Katie Anderson was asleep at her mother's Whitianga home when she was awakened by a loud bang.

The freelance photographer looked out her window and saw smoke billowing out of a 10m boat and a group of men jumping for their lives at the bottom of a boat ramp.

"Basically we woke up to an explosion," she said.

"At first we thought the boat had come off the trailer but I looked again and saw the smoke.

"After I ran downstairs I looked out again and saw flames everywhere."

She said the men who were in the boat disconnected it from its trailer and drove their ute to the top of the boat ramp, where they all watched as their fishing trip went up in flames.

"They didn't say much ... they all looked pretty gutted.

"By the time the fire brigade got out here she was well in flames."

Miss Anderson, 22, said firefighters told her the boat had been recently refurbished and was being relaunched when the accident happened.

She said she heard the engine turning over a couple of times.

"They went to fire it and it didn't fire and they disengaged it andwhen they went again it just went boomfa.

"The flames were pretty big."

The boat's owner did not want to speak to the Herald.

Inspector Cornell Kluessien of the northern police communications centre said that the fire was not suspicious.

It appeared to have started because of a problem with the boat's ignition, which sparked off fuel in the vessel.

He said no one was injured but the fire gutted the boat, which was burned right to the waterline.

The Whitianga Harbourmaster said he had filed an incident report that said the cause of the explosion would be "pretty hard" to find because the boat had been gutted.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=1...

Man burnt as abandoned car explodes

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Emergency services attended a car explosion in Whirinaki. Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

A Far North man has been badly burnt after an explosion in an abandoned car.

Emergency services were called to Whirinaki, South Hokianga, at 3pm on Tuesday when an abandoned car exploded near State Highway 12.

Police say a 26-year-old Whirinaki man was thrown from the vehicle by the force of the explosion, which left him with serious burns to his upper body.

He had also suffered internal burns from inhaling burning gases.

He was taken first to Rawene Hospital, then transferred by air to the burns unit at Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland.

Sergeant Pat Davis of Kaikohe said police were still trying to ascertain why the man was sitting in an abandoned car and what had caused it to explode.

It was possible that gas from an LPG cylinder found in the vehicle had ignited.

It did not appear that a clandestine drugs lab was involved.

Rawene fire brigade was called out to assist police and St John Ambulance.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://online.wsj.com/article/APac0a85a155d34666a8779135d7a6fbe0.html

NY gas blast levels house, sets 2 others on fire

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — Authorities say a natural gas explosion has leveled one house and set two others on fire in Schenectady. There are no reports of injuries.

The Daily Gazette of Schenectady reports (http://bit.ly/xHevgN ) that occupants of the house were evacuated before the blast at about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.

The newspaper says flames shot three stories high and the explosion rattled the north end of the city near the Mohawk River.

Firefighters continued to battle the flames in late afternoon and utility crews were called to shut off the gas supply.

Information about the cause of the gas leak and explosion isn't available yet.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Father-and-Son-Recovering-After-Ho...

Father and Son Recovering After House Explosion

Both men have burns on 30 percent of their bodies.

|  Tuesday, Jan 3, 2012  |  Updated 5:17 PM CST

|

Amanda Guerra, NBC 5 News

Darryn and Shelby Huffman are recovering after they were badly burned when part of their house exploded.

advertisement

A father and son are recovering in the hospital after both men were badly burned when part of their Richardson home exploded.

Firefighters said Darryn Huffman, 51, makes jewelry for a living and didn’t realize a propane tank he keeps inside his home for work was leaking.

His son Shelby Huffman, 20, was also home at the time.

The men smelled the gas leaking and went into the front room to find the source of the gas when the furnace in the front room exploded, blowing out multiple windows and catching both men on fire.

Family members said both father and son have burns on approximately 30 percent of their bodies.

“His arms and his hands are the worst,” said mom Robyn Huffman, talking about Shelby. “His hair was really fried because of the fire as well.”

Family friend, Kim Larson, said Darryn Huffman has similar burns.

“[He’s] very swollen because they have to administer a lot of fluids and stuff like that. He’s burned on his hands and his chest. His face is burned also,” Larson said.

Both men will need multiple surgeries and skin grafts.

“It’s pretty overwhelming sometimes. And some days, after their procedures in the morning, it’s kind of hard to see them when they come back,” Larson said. “But we’re here for them. We love them no matter what they look like and they know that.”

Larson also said through the pain, there is humor -- something the Huffman family will come to rely on in the following months.

“His spirit is still there,” said Larson talking about Darryn Huffman. “His sense of humor is still there. And when they came to check him last night and asked him who he was he said 'Elvis Presley' and laughed, so you know it’s still there. Darryn’s still there.”

Family members are in the process of setting up a fund for the two men at Chase Bank.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Obama signs pipeline safety bill

January 3, 2012

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2012/01/obama-signs-pipel...

President Obama signed into law Tuesday a pipeline safety bill that gained momentum after a string of high-profile incidents, including a deadly Northern California explosion in 2010.

The bill, which passed Congress with rare bipartisan support, doubles the maximum fine for safety violations to $2 million, authorizes more pipeline inspectors and requires automatic shut-off valves on new or replaced pipelines "where economically, technically and operationally feasible.''

It does not include a National Transportation Safety Board recommendation to require such shut-off valves on existing pipelines in heavily populated areas. It took utility workers nearly 95 minutes to manually shut off gas spewing from a pipeline in San Bruno, Calif.

The September 2010 explosion killed eight people, injured dozens and destroyed 38 homes. Other pipeline malfunctions have occurred in Michigan, Montana and Pennsylvania.

The call for automatic shutoff values on existing pipelines has faced industry opposition because of cost. Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democrat who represents San Bruno, has vowed to continue to push for legislation that would require such shut-off valves on existing pipelines in populated areas.

The bill also requires pipeline operators to confirm, through records or testing, the maximum safe operating pressure of older, previously untested pipelines in populated areas.

“This is landmark legislation that provides the regulatory certainty necessary for the pipeline industry to make critical investments and create American jobs,” Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), who chairs a House subcommittee that oversees pipelines, said in a statement Tuesday.

"Safety is always of the highest priority and this law strengthens current law, fills gaps in existing law where necessary, and focuses on directly responding to recent pipeline incidents with balanced and reasonable policies..."

The Obama administration is considering stronger measures. California has taken steps to strengthen pipeline safety rules, including requiring automatic shut-off valves in vulnerable areas.