Asphalt naturally contains both sulfur and hydrogen, which, when they react, form hydrogen sulfide. All Rights Reserved. Though that is closer to the flash point, it still allows for a buffer. Please be aware that there is a mandatory evacuation for everyone within a 1/2 mile of the TPC plant in Port Neches. Texas has seen multiple petrochemical industry blazes this year, including a March fire that burned for days near Houston and another that killed a worker at a plant in nearby Crosby. At least three people were transported to hospital by air ambulance as authorities responded to the major industrial accident in Baytown, just over 25 miles east of Houston, officials said. Officer Kyle Tranovich of the Caernarvon Township police department said a skeleton crew of only six people was working in the TIMET Morgantown plant due to the holiday before the 2:30 p.m. GRASS VALLEY, Ore. (AP) A small town in central Oregon was evacuated and five people were hurt due to a hemp manufacturing plant fire Sunday. The explosion that injured Chambers was unexpected, but similar accidents had occurred in other places. Carl Bradley Johansson, 64, of Newport Beach also was sentenced for tax evasion and for using fraud to receive more than $954,000 in COVID-19 relief money, according to the U.S. MORGANTOWN, Pa. (AP) A furnace explosion damaged the roof of a titanium plant in southeastern Pennsylvania on Thanksgiving Day, but no one was injured, authorities said. The explosion a night earlier in the city of Sulimaniyah destroyed three homes and also injured 16 people. Hot workthe use of tools for cutting, grinding and welding that can create sparksis common at industrial plants, and asphalt plants are no exception. The accident occurred Saturday in the township of Huejutla in Mexicos Gulf coast region known as the Huasteca. A recent publication by the Asphalt Institute, the main trade group for the industry, warned tank owners and operators about the dangers of pyrophoric material formation in asphalt tanks and advised them to evaluate whether their tanks could be affected. We deliver climate news to your inbox like nobody else. BERLIN (AP) Nine men suspected of involvement in blowing up dozens of cash machines in Germany and stealing some 5.2 million euros (nearly $5.7 million) have been arrested in the Netherlands and Belgium, German authorities said Thursday. Gasoline is well known to be a volatile liquid and consequently, gasoline vapors are controlled using an internal floating roof to keep oxygen out and the vapors in, averting potential explosions. She spent four years at sea, serving aboard ships based in Honolulu, Hawaii and Key West, Florida, and two years as the military aide to a flag officer in Alameda, California. FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas -- Emergency crews brought the flames from a pipeline explosion in Texas under control about an hour after the blaze occurred. Neither OSHA nor the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, an independent federal agency charged with looking into industrial chemical accidents, has conducted a systematic investigation of these explosions. Fort Bend County Judge KP George said that residents surrounding the area were evacuated as a precaution. Gas and electricity was turned off to most of the homes on the street until about 9:30 p.m., when Atmos Energy and Oncor Electric representatives determined it was safe to restore gas and power. BEIRUT (AP) Two soldiers were killed and three were injured in an explosion in northern Iraq, Iraqi state news said Thursday. Inside Climate News made repeated attempts to speak with Chambers, but messages left on his phone and email and with his family and his attorney were not returned. IE 11 is not supported. In that case, the blaze was extinguished hours after it began, but Harris County officials said it continued to release toxic pollutants for eight more days. As refineries have gotten more efficient at squeezing every valuable drop of more profitable petroleum products, like gasoline or jet fuel, from crude oil, the products at the bottom of the vacuum stack, like asphalt or No. The Associated Press contributed to this report. like, a wave," Sarah Martinez, who lives right across from the plant with her 4-year-old son, told NBC News. U.S. Polyco later determined it to be operator error, according to court documents, but did not give any details about the incident. You have no clue whats being distributed and being released in the air that could possibly be extremely harmful and toxic.. Gonzalez said initial reports suggested that "some type of explosion" had occurred inside the plant. "It's like the whole house was shaken," one woman told CBS News. ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) A gasoline tanker crashed and then exploded in north-central Nigeria, killing at least 12 people, police said Friday. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) A popular Indianapolis museum was closed for a second straight day Tuesday after recent frigid temperatures caused a pipe to burst, flooding part of the museum, officials said. One womanshared a video from her Ring camerathat she believed may have captured the noise. He said that all other personnel at the facility, which houses a chemical plant, an olefins plant and a 560,500 barrel-per-day oil refinery, according to Reuters, had been accounted for. The personnel were killed when an explosive device detonated during a security operation in the Khan area of the Tarmiyah district. When my husband pulled into our garage, the roof in our garage had caved in.. "There is no risk to the surrounding community. EVANSVILLE, Ind. When vapors above a certain concentration come into contact with an ignition source, Rosselot said, thats when explosions can happen. Captain Josh Slovak, a 15-year veteran of the Ennis Fire Department at the time, was on the second engine to arrive at the plant. More:Texas SWAT commander killed, 4 officers injured in standoff with gunman; suspect captured. An internal, floating roof is used to keep oxygen out and vapors in. Four people were inside the two-story home when it was heavily damaged by Tuesday's explosion in the city of Princeton, leaving two people hospitalized with burns while a third person complained of back pain, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and State Fire Marshal said. This article was produced in collaboration with Berkeley Journalisms Investigative Reporting Program. In the March fire, prosecutors filed five water pollution charges against the company that owns the petrochemical storage facility after chemicals flowed into a nearby waterway. Firefighters responded to Neptune Welding on Virginia Beach Boulevard just after 11 a.m., news outlets reported. RELATED: Explosion rocks mysterious Georgia monument called satanic by some, America's Stonehenge by others. this week: 4.1 in Mentone , Texas , United States. Atmos Energy Corporation, one of the largest natural gas distributors in the nation, was helping with the investigation. If you have the contamination of higher flash point liquids with lower flash point liquids or the deliberate use of additives and youre not aware of what its doing to the tank vapor space, that could potentially be a hazardous situation, Zalosh said. In the years since, companies increasingly have mixed additives into residual products. July 21, 2021, 8:49 PM PDT. TOWN OF MAPLE GROVE, Wis. (AP) Investigators are recommending criminal charges against two teens in connection with a bonfire explosion at a party in northeastern Wisconsin last month that resulted in critical burns to some in attendance. "They are indicating that it could take up to two or three days to actually extinguish the entire fire.". "I didnt know what it was. Video footage from the scene shows debris and lumber scattered across the home's yard and into the street. Deep inside the asphalt tank, Chambers lay, suffering from third degree burns to his face, back and abdomen and a shattered right leg. A shelter-in-place order was also issued, affecting around 5,000 people in the area. A meteor fell in Mission, Texas today around 5-5:30 pm, making a loud bang, shaking house in a 10 mile radius. WebIncident at Freeport oil and gas company under control, officials say Explosion rocks neighborhood near Philadelphia, 4 confirmed dead Kansas fire caught on video after A car further down the train filled with phosphoric acid solution was unhooked and moved to safety before it could be ignited by the burning fuel cars, and a specialized fire crew sent from BNSF arrived with heavy equipment to extinguish the blaze. Those additives have increased the vapor pressure inside the tanks making them more vulnerable to explosion, Rosselot and others said. It included a section on the role that additives can play in contributing to these kinds of explosions. As is often the case in explosions without injuries or fatalities, there was no official investigation into the cause by the fire department or any state or federal regulatory agencies. And I just noticed two picture frames on the wall fall down and the sound and that didnt match up. Inside Climate News uses cookies. The Baytown Fire Department said its crews had not responded to the incident. The plant in Port Neches in southeast Texas, about 80 miles east of Houston, makes chemical and petroleum-based products. The fire, in a remote area, was brought under control after about an hour. BAGHDAD (AP) A heating gas tank exploded in a residential complex in northern Iraq on Thursday, killing six people, Iraqi Kurdish officials said. A dredging vessel in Corpus Christi hit a submerged pipeline, sparking an Fire officials said that of the six people hospitalized, one was extricated from the rubble of the home that exploded and the other five were in a home next door. He ran out of the building to see what had happened. In that incident, more than 60 people were sent for medical evaluation following the blast. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. ISLAMABAD (AP) A hotel catering to foreign visitors in Afghanistan's capital of Kabul was attacked Monday and three of the assailants were killed, a Taliban official said. Police and multiple fire departments responded at 1 a.m. GAITHERSBURG, Md. The explosion happened Wednesday while a truck was pumping waste chemicals from the Quick Turn Anodizing facility in Guthrie, Todd County Emergency Management Director Daniel Smith told news outlets. News Exxon Texas Explosion. Port Neches, Texas Two explosions at a chemical plant in Texas put 60,000 people under evacuation orders Wednesday. ABC-7 reported that police and fire officials could not explain the LONDON (AP) The death toll in an explosion and fire at an apartment building on the English Channel Island of Jersey has risen from five to seven, police said Tuesday. One witness said he believed the missing man had fallen inside the tank that was to be demolished. The explosion happened in Wallis, Texas, about 50 miles west of Houston. GAITHERSBURG, Md. The Asphalt Institute did not respond to questions submitted to them by Inside Climate News. Several residents on El Paso's eastside heard a loud explosion on the morning of December 30, 2021. BEIRUT (AP) Scores of protesters Thursday scuffled with riot police in Beirut as they tried to break into the offices of Lebanons judiciary, after the countrys chief prosecutor filed charges against the judge investigating the massive 2020 port explosion and ordered the release of all suspects in the case. Troy Monk, TPC's Director of Health, Safety and Security, said at the press conference that all three of the injured workers have been released from the hospital. PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) Would-be thieves tried to blow up an ATM in Southern California, but didn't get away with any cash, authorities said. FARMERSVILLE, Texas (AP) A valve leak and a spark of unknown origin combined to cause a North Texas natural gas pipeline explosion last year that killed two workers and injured two others, federal investigators said. Updated on: November 27, 2019 / 9:34 PM / CBS/AP. "Kind of like a little mini earthquake.". Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to a 10:21 a.m. call of a natural gas odor at 5726 Highland Hills Road in South Dallas, officials there said Wednesday. Copyright 2023 KTRK-TV. There were lightning storms in the area on Monday afternoon. The hole in the sewer undermined the soil beneath the gas pipes, causing them to sag and then crack open. Thus it was the combination of the two circumstances which caused the disaster. Our first priority is people in the community and in our facilities, the company said. The more asphalt is heated, the more hydrogen sulfide is created, and over time, high concentrations can build up. A massive explosion and fire occurred at one of the nations largest ExxonMobil refineries in Baytown, Texas, early Thursday morning, sending several workers to a local hospital. In some cases workers were injured or killed, and some explosions ignited fires in other, nearby tanks, causing whole neighborhoods to be evacuated. Seven or eight homes in the "very rural area" are affected, and those residents could be displaced for several days, White said. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. A fire at an ExxonMobil oil refinery in Texas left several people injured early Thursday after what officials and local residents suggested may have been an explosion. Thus, the potential of asphalt additives to influence the formation of pyrophoric materials in an asphalt storage tank cannot be ruled out.. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Two people have together been awarded $10.4 million at trial after a jury found they suffered hearing loss and emotional trauma when they narrowly escaped a natural gas explosion in Portland. She graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a bachelors of science in electrical engineering. Nearly a year later, Gloucester City Fire Marshal Patrick Hagan said the explosion is still under investigation, but that pyrophoric material buildup in the tank is one of the hypotheses about what caused it. ", Tim Fitzsimons is a reporter for NBC News. Chambers climbed to the catwalk and got ready to separate it from the tops of the tanks. Judge Branick told Beaumont TV station KBMT the blast awakened him early Wednesday at his home, and that it initially sounded like someone firing a gun into his house. And thats what brought Chambers to the site that Spring morning. The explosion ripped through a section of the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhhorod pipeline in the Chuvashia region during repair work. Thanks for contacting us. Chambers and his team went over the plan and reviewed the permits, including one that cleared the crew to use a cutting torch to detach a catwalk that connected Tank #18, the damaged tank, to Tank #17, an asphalt tank six feet away, according to court documents. VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) Two people were killed Monday when a storage tank exploded at a Virginia welding business, a fire official said. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. USA TODAY 0:00 1:13 Six people were hospitalized after a home in a Dallas suburb was leveled by an explosion Monday afternoon, fire rescue officials said. By The Associated Press. COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) There is no indication that either a collision or an explosion caused the 1994 sinking of a ferry in the Baltic Sea in one of Europes deadliest peacetime maritime disasters, the accident investigation boards of Estonia, Finland and Sweden said Monday. TOWN OF MAPLE GROVE, Wis. (AP) Four people remain hospitalized in Wisconsin burn centers with injuries from a bonfire explosion last week during a party in the Town of Maple Grove, authorities said Thursday. We were able to look in a small cut that was in the side of the tank and actually see that he was there, Slovak said. Another personposted, "Anyone else felt a big boom or house shaking just now? The explosion happened in Wallis, Texas, about 50 miles west of Houston. 6 fuel oil despite temperatures never reaching the flash point. An investigation is underway at Freeport LNG in Surfside Beach after reports of an incident Wednesday. Vaggelis Kousioras - stringer, AP. Freeport LNG reported that an incident occurred around 11:40 a.m. at its facility in the 1500 block of Lamar Street at the facility on Quintana Island, according to Brazosport CAER. CAIRO (AP) A towering blaze at a notorious prison housing political prisoners and anti-government activists in Iran's capital killed four inmates, the country's judiciary said Sunday. Chambers was thrown across the catwalk and about 30 feet down into Tank #18, which held a few feet of cold, hardened asphalt, topped by about eight inches of stagnant water. It also apologized for any disruption or inconvenience that this incident may have caused the community. U.S. Polyco has countered that R-Tex Services, Chambers employer, was at fault. Two people remained unaccounted for. We are saddened by todays tragedy of a house explosion in our City. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, One killed in Jackson Heights apartment building fire, At least five died, including two children, in devastating Rockland County fire, Federal judge upholds demotions of FDNY chiefs, Retired NYC firefighter helps Spirit crew put out fire that broke out on plane. DENVER (AP) A man who put three failed explosive devices inside a worship hall of Jehovahs Witnesses in suburban Denver before killing his wife and himself there on Christmas morning is suspected of causing an explosion at a union building, police said Wednesday. KHOU reports that Mike White, the Jefferson County Emergency Management coordinator, said there are a few chemicals housed at the facility, including Butadiene. Yet there is reason to believe that changes in the way asphalt and No. It wasnt long before sirens began wailing and fire engines arrived on scene. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said there are 33 sites in Texas today, but denied TPRs records request for more information on where they are and who operates them. Smoke plumes fill air after 18-wheeler collides with train. Long-term exposure has been associated with cardiovascular disease and cancer, and can damage the nervous system. The asphalt in this case was a combination of asphalt and diesel fuel. Shrapnel from the tanker tore into residential buildings and into the soccer pitch. BERLIN (AP) A ship chartered by the operator of the Nord Stream 1 natural gas pipeline has arrived at the site of last month's explosions under the Baltic Sea to survey the damage, the company said Thursday. The blast was so powerful that it sent the 12-foot diameter lid of the tank flying, before it landed on an employees car. Police and fire dispatchers said all local utility companies had been contacted, but none had reported any issues. It is a colorless gas with a gasoline-like odor, used to produce synthetic rubber products like tires, plastics and other chemicals. TOWN OF MAPLE GROVE, Wis. (AP) Authorities investigating a bonfire explosion over the weekend in eastern Wisconsin said Monday that as many as 40 people might have been injured in the blaze, including some who were seriously hurt. A construction crew was working with explosives to extract material when the explosion occurred. Dan Gearinos habit-forming weekly take on how to understand the energy transformation reshaping our world. One man who lived near the terminal told a local news crew that he heard a loud boom at about 12:49 a.m. and saw that the top of the tank was engulfed by flames. Two months before Tank #17 exploded, on Feb. 2, 2018, there had been an explosion in the other tank, Tank #18. Two foreign residents were injured when they jumped out of windows to escape, said Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government's spokesman. As least 10 people were injured in a fire caused by a natural gas explosion in Texas Friday night, officials said. She is the author of Meltdown: Terror at the Top of the World. Courtney Wallace, a BNSF spokesperson, confirmed that an investigation is underway and said 13 of the train's 110 cars derailed, 10 of which continued to burn Tuesday evening. Shankman has a Masters in Journalism from UC Berkeleys Graduate School of Journalism. ET). This story has been shared 128,919 times. The bulletin included several key lessons from those accidents, including avoiding the work if possible, monitoring the atmosphere for gas and identifying any potential hazards prior to starting work. Most of the explosions of heated storage tanks have taken place at asphalt plants, but in cities and towns across the country the tanks are often knit into neighborhoods, near schools, daycares and retirement homes. 6 oil, in bulk storage tanks across the United States, theres the potential for more explosions like the one that injured Chambers or the ones that kill and injure other workers each year. When asked directly what type of chemical may have been released from the tanks, company officials told ABC13 they were not sure, and advised to ask Freeport police. On June 30, 2020, a tank holding asphalt mix at the Blueknight Energy Partners terminal in Gloucester City, New Jersey exploded. A section of the five-story building in the town of Tymovskoye collapsed after a gas cylinder exploded in one of the apartments at around 5:30 a.m. NEWFANE, Vt. (AP) A man was found dead in a home explosion and fire in the southern Vermont town of Newfane early Friday morning, state police said. In 2019, an explosion caused a massive blaze in the area that processes polypropylene. Thats where additives come in. On the way to the scene, ABC Houston affiliate KTRK's helicopter noticed the flames could be All the victims are believed to be from the energy company. When hydrogen sulfide interacts with oxidized iron inside a tank (in the form of rust, for example), it can form a new compound called iron sulfidea pyrophoric substance that, when exposed to air, can ignite. A Texas pipeline explosion sparked a fire that could be seen from 30 miles away. BEIRUT (AP) Lebanons top prosecutor Wednesday ordered the release of all suspects detained in the investigation into the deadly 2020 port blast in Beirut and filed charges against the judge leading the probe, he told The Associated Press. BEIRUT (AP) A British court has ruled a London-based company that delivered the explosive ammonium nitrate to Beirut's port is liable towards the victims of a devastating blast in 2020, Lebanon's Beirut Bar Association said Thursday. Several people have been injured after an explosion at the ExxonMobil plant in Baytown, Texas, early on Thursday morning. ". The noise was also heard and felt in the nearby City of Socorro, according to acity representative. The dramatic scenes of the nighttime fire have reverberated across Iranian social media. Witnesses in the area described hearing a noise that sounded like a thunderstorm and say they saw a big fireball in the area of the plant. If you add something that has a different explosive limit, youre going to change the properties of the mixture, he said. There was a pipeline explosion today in Fort Bend County, Texas, and flame could be seen from 30 miles away. But a 1997 study found that in several cases, fires and explosions had happened in materials like asphalt and No. But additives are not necessary for a pyrophoric explosion to occur. The Harris County Sheriff's Office said deputies were responding to the incident and that "some injuries" had been reported. Whereas some highly volatile materials can have low flashpoints, like gasoline at -40F or ethyl alcohol at 55F, asphalts can be listed as high as 450 or 500F. But storage tanks for asphalt and No. People in the surrounding neighborhood were forced to evacuate and seek shelter in a nearby community center until fire crews extinguished the flames four hours later. Download the NBC News app for breaking news, "They have got a lot of people working on it," White said Tuesday evening. (AP) A fiery explosion that injured more than a dozen people at a Maryland condominium building was ignited by a resident who intended to kill himself and died in the blast, police said. With more than 2 billion gallons of asphalt or residual fuel, much of it No. Harley, a 22-year-old living with her boyfriend about two miles from the ExxonMobil facility, said she thought the blast was "a bomb or an earthquake.". A helicopter ambulance was waiting to take him to a hospital in Dallas, but with his clothes covered in asphalt, they decided against it out of fear that the fumes from Chambers clothes and body would overtake the pilot, Slovak said. a 2018 explosion at an oil refinery in Superior. Some industry experts believe that the changes in the volatility of the heavy fuel oils from additives may be behind many explosions in tanks containing asphalt and No. CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) Authorities in Moldova said Sunday that specialist teams have carried out controlled detonations of explosives that were discovered in parts of rocket debris that border officials found in a northern village near the countrys border with Ukraine. But Monk said that "Real time air quality reading collected thus far do not indicate levels of human health concern.". ICN provides award-winning climate coverage free of charge and advertising. A figure from the Chemical Safety Board report on the West explosion shows an unidentified ammonium nitrate storage facility. Harley said she was personally concerned about the potential impact incidents like this one and the fire in 2019 could potentially have on air quality. In court records, he is quoted saying that only skin was keeping his foot attached to his leg. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. More such explosions have probably gone unreported, said Kirsten Rosselot, a chemical engineer and the owner of Process Profiles, an environmental consulting firm, who has studied this type of tank. Around 1 a.m. on 12/23/2021, a fire occurred at our facility. Speaking at a news conference at around 5:30 a.m. MADISON, Wis. (AP) Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit Monday against a milling company for multiple violations at a plant that was the scene of a fatal explosion five years ago. She said fire crews appeared to contain the blaze within a short time, but by around 10 a.m. local time Thursday morning, smoke was still visible. WebThe map below, compiled from data provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is the most accurate nuclear attack map and fallout demonstration available for 2023: (Image courtesy of FEMA and Halcyon Maps) The fallout would rapidly spread, turning targeted cities into whole affected regions. Flames were seen at the Baytown, Texas refinery after a possible explosion. They cut a hole through the tank wall to extract him. By continuing to use this site, you accept this policy. First published on November 27, 2019 / 5:31 AM. The recall covers Beetles from the 2015 and 2016 model years. Colombia plans to send 70 'cocaine hippos' to India and Mexico, How Paul Murdaugh helped solve his own murder, At least 13 people are dead as severe storms sweep across US. 6, resulting in changes to the way the products performand what they emit. Freeport police said to ask the city manager, who then told ABC13 he was not aware of any release. The first blast, which blew out the windows and doors of nearby homes, injured three workers. For more on this story, follow Erica Simon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. (AP) Twelve people were injured, two of them critically, in an explosion and fire at a Maryland apartment building Wednesday and the residents of one unit have not been accounted for, a fire official said. ET, Rohan Davis, a refinery manager at the ExxonMobil site, said that all four people in hospital appeared to be in stable condition. PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) A methane gas explosion ripped through a coal mine in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, killing nine miners and injuring four others, a government official said. I could see the flames from the backyard," Branick said. GUTHRIE, Ky. (AP) One worker was killed and four others were injured in an explosion at an industrial facility in western Kentucky, officials said. OSHA, the American Petroleum Institute and other organizations have standard protocols to ensure the work is done in as safe a manner as possible. Chantal Da Silva is a breaking news editor for NBC News Digital based in London. TPC EXPLOSION: Home video from early morning explosion in Port Neches! QUINTANA, Texas (KTRK) -- No injuries were reported Wednesday after what police initially described as an explosion at a liquefied natural gas terminal near Freeport. According to the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management, the incident happened in an isolated area in a field. Though each accident had different particulars, all resulted from a flammable vapor coming in contact with an ignition source created by welding or cutting that was performed in, on, or near tanks that contained flammables.. But I feel as if this one was louder and bigger than the one in 2019, she said. An unexpectedly high concentration of vapors emitted by the heavy oils is likely to play a role in both types of explosions, these experts say. PLANO, Texas The explosion that destroyed a house in suburban Dallas and heavily damaged the two next The tripwire set off the explosive device that was placed near a fence at 8:32 p.m. Sunday, police said. White said the driver of an 18-wheel flatbed truck lost control of his vehicle, was unable to stop, swerved around a parked vehicle and into a rail crossing, where his truck struck a passing BNSF train. "Plano Fire-Rescue is working diligently to determine the cause of the blast. Inside a tank, asphalt is often heated to about 300F, meaning that technically, it should be well below the point at which it could light on fire.
