TRAIN DERAILMENT, NATURAL GAS EXPLOSIONS, TANKER TRUCK AND SEMI-TRAILER TRUCK ACCIDENTS, DEATHS AND FUELS SPILLS
A tanker truck flipped over and spilled diesel
fuel onto Interstate 90, IN Cleveland, OHIO
Updated:
Dec 05, 2014 11:41 AM EST
CLEVELAND - Interstate 90 reopened after being closed for
hours Friday.
A tanker truck flipped over and spilled diesel fuel onto
Interstate 90 at about 2:30 a.m.
The driver of the semi was treated at the scene and suffered
no serious injuries.
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I-40 in Wilson County reopens after early morning tanker crash, spill
LEBANON, Tenn. - Interstate 40 East
in Lebanon has reopened early Wednesday evening after being closed most of the
day after a tanker truck overturned and spilled fuel all over the roadway.
The accident involving an Usher
Transport Inc. truck happened near the State Route 840 exit at mile marker 232
around 6:45 a.m., closing the road until close to 5 p.m. Wednesday.
SLIDESHOW: Tanker truck crash, fuel
spill closes I-40
Officials said the driver possibly
suffered a medical emergency prior to the accident.
The driver was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.
Authorities told News 2 the truck was hauling 8,000 gallons of fuel at the time of the crash.
The driver was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.
Authorities told News 2 the truck was hauling 8,000 gallons of fuel at the time of the crash.
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Posted: Fri 7:18 AM, Dec 05, 2014
It happened around 6:15 p.m. in the area of Water and Indianapolis streets, near Kellogg and Main. Crews arrived to find the semi truck still upright, but the tanker it was hauling had rolled onto its side.
Witnesses say the driver was trying to make a U-turn when the accident occurred.
The tanker was carrying approximately 5,000 gallons of an oil additive that is of low toxicity and didn't pose a danger to the public, said Acting Battalion Chief Chad Winton.
None of the substance spilled, and no injuries were reported.
Traffic was expected to be shut down in the area for a while as crews work to clear the scene.
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I-90 reopens after tanker goes off road, flips over leaking fuel onto freeway
3:30 A.M. - All lanes of I-90 eastbound at West 44th
Street and the left 3 lanes on I-90 westbound at West 44th Street are
currently closed after a tanker truck flips over spilling diesel fuel
onto the roadway.
Police said, it happened around 2:30 a.m. Friday morning. HAZMAT crews have been called to the scene.
According to ODOT, The highway is expected to remain closed through rush hour traffic this morning. Drivers are being asked to use SR2 and I-480 as alternate routes.
Crews are able to detour motorists off at W 44th street and back into I-90 eastbound at West 44th street, however this will quickly back up traffic on I-90 eastbound if motorists do not choose alternate routes.
The driver of the Semi was treated at the scene and suffered no serious injuries.
Police said, it happened around 2:30 a.m. Friday morning. HAZMAT crews have been called to the scene.
According to ODOT, The highway is expected to remain closed through rush hour traffic this morning. Drivers are being asked to use SR2 and I-480 as alternate routes.
Crews are able to detour motorists off at W 44th street and back into I-90 eastbound at West 44th street, however this will quickly back up traffic on I-90 eastbound if motorists do not choose alternate routes.
The driver of the Semi was treated at the scene and suffered no serious injuries.
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Dec 4, 2014, Dunmore,
PA. BREAKING: Gas Leak, House
Explosion, Fire – CORONER HAS BEEN CALLED TO SCENE OF HOUSE EXPLOSION
DUNMORE, LACKAWANNA COUNTY -- One person is unaccounted for
after a gas leak caused a house to explode and another to also catch
fire near the corner of Laurel and Smith streets in Dunmore, Lackawanna County. The coroner has been called to the scene.
The owner of the home where the explosion occurred is
unaccounted for according to authorities. Family members tell Eyewitness News
that they believe an 80-year-old woman was inside at the time of the explosion.
The Lackawanna County coroner has been called to the scene.
The house explosion occurred around 3:45 AM in the 600 block of
Smith Street. No other serious injuries have been reported, however one
firefighter was taken away by ambulance. We don't know his condition.
The incident began around 2:15 AM with a water main break near
that intersection. The water main break may have caused a gas leak. About 20-30
residents were evacuated from that immediate area following the water main
break. They've been taken to the Dunmore Community Center.
After the explosion a second home next door also caught fire.
Both homes are a total loss.
Residents all over Dunmore say they felt the explosion.
Stay with Eyewitness News for the latest on this developing
story.
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DUNMORE — Emergency crews are at the scene of a house explosion
and fire in Lackawanna County.
Firefighters said they were called to a home on Smith Street in
Dunmore for a water main break and gas leak just before 2:30 a.m. Thursday.
Officials said the gas leak sparked the house explosion around
4 a.m. while also destroying an apartment building next to it.
American Red Cross officials said they opened a warming center
at the Dunmore Community Center for more than 30 people that have been
evacuated from their homes.
Newswatch 16 has a crew on scene and will keep you updated with
the latest information.
UPDATE – 8:00 AM – 12-4-2014
DUNMORE — Officials say the coroner has been called to the
scene of a house explosion and fire in Lackawanna County.
Chicago
Fire Dept., Peoples Gas investigating cause of home explosion
December 2, 2014
No deaths or
injuries are reported in a two-alarm fire and Level 1 Hazmat following
a natural gas explosion on Chicago’s Far South Side.
The Chicago Fire
Department tells WGN that at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, they received calls that
there was a smell of gas in the area of 2100 block of West 107th Street, which
is on the border of Morgan Park and Beverly.
Peoples Gas and the
city water department were doing work in an area nearby and also called the
fire department.
The
fire department evacuated the area. Within the next hour, a home in
the area exploded.
No one was in the
house when it happened. But it appears that a family pet was lost in the
explosion and fire.
An account was set
up Tuesday at Beverly Bank to help benefit the family. Anyone interested in
supporting can make a donation at Beverly Bank & Trust (10258 S. Western
Ave.). The account is under Benefit of the Sheahan Family.
This is a developing
story. Please check back for details.
Another reporting
of the same gas explosion:
GAS MAIN LEAK AND EXPLOSION 107TH PL
NEAR HOYNE AVE, CHICAGO -- LEVEL 2 HAZMAT/STILL AND BOX
TUE DEC 02 2014 ~8:32
AM
CHICAGO FIRE DEPARTMENT
GAS EXPLOSION/STILL AND BOX ALARM/LEVEL 2 HAZMAT
2148 W 107TH PL CHICAGO, IL
HAZMAT LEVEL 1 FOR A GAS LEAK AT 8:32 AM FOLLOWED BY A GAS EXPLOSION AT 9:30 AM.
BC21 REPORTS A CITY WATER CREW BROKE A MEDIUM PRESSURE GAS LINE AND REQUESTS A LEVEL I HAZMAT. CHECKING NEIGHBORHOOD. PRECAUTIONARY LINE SETUP BY E120 AT 8:32 AM.
BC21 REPORTS A SMALL FIRE UNDER THE FURNACE WAS EXTINGUISHED BY E120. THE WAS APPARENTLY CAUSED BY ELEVATED GAS PRESSURE UNDER THE FURNACE AT 8:32 AM. BC21 REPORTS THEY HAVE A FIRE AT THE SCENE AT 8:29 AM.
CHICAGO FIRE DEPARTMENT
GAS EXPLOSION/STILL AND BOX ALARM/LEVEL 2 HAZMAT
2148 W 107TH PL CHICAGO, IL
HAZMAT LEVEL 1 FOR A GAS LEAK AT 8:32 AM FOLLOWED BY A GAS EXPLOSION AT 9:30 AM.
BC21 REPORTS A CITY WATER CREW BROKE A MEDIUM PRESSURE GAS LINE AND REQUESTS A LEVEL I HAZMAT. CHECKING NEIGHBORHOOD. PRECAUTIONARY LINE SETUP BY E120 AT 8:32 AM.
BC21 REPORTS A SMALL FIRE UNDER THE FURNACE WAS EXTINGUISHED BY E120. THE WAS APPARENTLY CAUSED BY ELEVATED GAS PRESSURE UNDER THE FURNACE AT 8:32 AM. BC21 REPORTS THEY HAVE A FIRE AT THE SCENE AT 8:29 AM.
- See more at:
http://www.chicagofiremap.net/2014/12/gas-main-leak-and-explosion-107th-pl.html#sthash.8YSRYC70.dpuf
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Walnut
Shade man dies in tractor trailer accident, and fuel spill
POSTED: 07:50 AM CST Nov 30, 2014
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -
A man from Walnut Shade has died after
an accident involving his fuel tanker truck-- spilling gasoline all over the
highway.
Darrell Kirkland, 52, of Walnut Shade,
Missouri, was killed in the crash.
His tanker flipped onto its side.
It slowed traffic late Saturday night near Brookline, and caused several
households to have to be evacuated from their houses as the gasoline spill was
cleaned up.
Hazmat crews were still on the scene Sunday morning, working to clean up the mess along MM Highway.
Hazmat crews were still on the scene Sunday morning, working to clean up the mess along MM Highway.
About 15 residents in that area were
able to go back to their houses several hours after the spill.
The road is now open.
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Tractor-trailer
crashes into medical building in Carlisle Updated: Tuesday, December 2 2014, 10:19 AM EST
Reported By: Michael Gorsegner SOUTH MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- One man is dead
after the tractor-trailer he was driving ran off Interstate 81 and slammed into
a building in Cumberland County. The crash led to a hazmat situation, mostly
because of what was inside this medical building. The building is home to
Carlisle Regional Medical Center and houses an MRI machine. The truck slammed
into the building, went through the walls and hit the MRI machine, making
conditions unsafe for firefighters to get in and cut the victim out. The
crashed happened just after 11 p.m. Monday in South Middleton Township. Police
said the tanker truck from Clouse Trucking lost control on Interstate 81
northbound, ran off the road and crashed into the building along Jennifer
Court. The truck driver, David Shew, 61, of Chambersburg, died at the scene.
The truck went deep into the building,
deep enough to make contact with an off, but active MRI machine. The MRI is
highly magnetic and when fire crews went inside to try and rescue Shew, the
magnet sucked the tool out of the firefighters' hands. At that point, fire
crews backed out and waited for a company to deactivate the machine. "It's
a very strong magnet. If you go in there with metal, you are going to get
sucked into the machine," said Jon Bruetsch, Cumberland County Public
Information Officer. "They are playing it safe.
They don't know what type of damage the
machine has sustained, get it deactivated totally." Eventually, crews were
able to begin working around the truck and start cutting steel to try and
remove the truck from inside the building. Fire crews also have to be very
delicate because the building itself is not stable due to the damage. Fire
crews spent hours at the scene and continued to cut the truck out and work
around some of this specialized MRI equipment. Fire officials said it doesn't
look like there were any skid marks along the interstate, but police were
continuing to investigate what may have caused the crash. The medical building
will remain closed until further notice.
Read More at: http://www.local21news.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/tractortrailer-crashes-into-medical-building-carlisle-13764.shtml
Read More at: http://www.local21news.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/tractortrailer-crashes-into-medical-building-carlisle-13764.shtml
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School
evacuated, road shut after Ashland fuel spill
Route 135 reopens after
gas spill
UPDATED 12:00 PM EST Dec 02, 2014
Ashland Police
ASHLAND, Mass. —A gasoline leak forced
officials to evacuate an Ashland middle
The spill happened on Route 135 at 7:30
a.m., according to Ashland fire officials.
Traffic was diverted around the area,
and the state hazmat team was called.
The roadway reopened at around 10:30
a.m.
The school was evacuated as a precaution,
and no injuries were reported.
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Crash backs up traffic on I-78 in New
Jersey Author: 69 News , follow: @69news, news@wfmz.com Published: Dec 02 2014
07:33:58 AM EST Updated: 17 MIN. AGO Share on pinterest_share Share on email
Share on print More Sharing Services I-78 crash snarls traffic POHATCONG TWP.,
N.J. - If you're headed to New Jersey or New York Tuesday morning, you'll want
to find another route other than Interstate 78. Two tractor trailers collided
at mile marker 1 just inside the New Jersey state line in Pohatcong Township,
Warren County, around 6 a.m. One person was taken to the hospital with minor
injuries, police said. Quick Clicks The right lane is closed, but traffic is
getting by in the center and left lanes, according to NJ State Police. One of
the trucks spilled a paint-related material and hazmat crews were on the scene
to clean up the spill properly, police said, but there was no hazard, nothing
toxic. Traffic is backed up more than six miles into Pennsylvania.
Read more from WFMZ.com at: http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-newjersey/crash-backs-up-traffic-on-i78-in-new-jersey/30014794
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Tractor
Trailer Rolls Over at Thruway Exit, Causing Delays
By: TWC
News Staff
Updated 11/29/2014
06:54 PM
SCHODACK,
N.Y. -- A tractor trailer going too fast around a ramp at Exit B1 of the
Thruway caused traffic delays throughout the day Saturday.
According
to state police, the truck, which was carrying 11,000 gallons of gasoline, was
heading east toward Massachusetts when it flipped around 9 a.m. Saturday.
Police
said an unknown amount of gasoline spilled from the trailer, so HazMat and fire
teams were called in.
The
driver was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries described as not
life-threatening.
The
highway was cleared up by 6 p.m. Saturday.
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Tanker
crash shuts down Eastbound Route 50 in Landover for hours
(Photo:
College Park Volunteer Fire Department)
LANDOVER,
Md. (WUSA9) -- Eastbound Route 50 in Landover was shut down for almost twelve
hours on Sunday after a tanker truck crash, fire officials said.
The
tanker ran off the road and into a ditch near Route 202 around 5:50 a.m. fire
officials said. The driver was taken to a trauma center, officials said.
Hazmat
officials spent hours cleaning up 22 hundred gallons of fuel that spilled onto
the road during the incident. The road reopened just after 5 p.m.
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UPDATED:
Train derailment closes Highway 90, FL
By Staff Reporters on
November 30, 2014
Highway
90 is now closed between Jeff Ates Road and SA Jones Road, according to a release
from the Santa Rosa County public information office.
According
to the release, CSX train derailed near the Santa Rosa Industrial Park in
Milton. Approximately 20 of the 84 cars were impacted. Two cars
were carrying phosphoric acid , but no leak has been found. A 150-foot
isolation area has been put in place for safety measures, but no evacuations
were needed.
Highway
90 between Highway 87 to the Okaloosa line is currently closed for
response and cleanup. Emergency communications received the call at 8:54 a.m.
and crews from the Florida Department of Transportation, Harold, East Milton,
Whiting Filed, and the HAZMAT team from NAS Pensacola fire departments are
responding.
The
detour is Interstate 10.
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St. Francis wreck spills chemicals
Posted: November
25, 2014 - 7:44am
JC Cortez / Amarillo Globe-News A HAZMAT team was called to
clean up a spill after two tractor-trailers were involved in an accident about
7 a.m. on St. Francis Avenue near Eastern Street in northeast Amarillo.
jc.cortez@amarillo.com
A wreck involving two tractor-trailers left a chemical mess and
backed up commuter traffic in northeast Amarillo about 7 a.m. Tuesday.
Both tractor-trailers were traveling west on St. Francis Avenue
near Eastern Street when the accident occurred, said Senior Trooper Chris Ray,
spokesman for Texas Department of Public Safety.
A tractor-trailer carrying drums of an unkown corrosive
substance, possibly paint thinner, had just passed a tractor-trailer carrying
an empty fuel tank when the accident happened.
The driver of the passing tractor-trailer moved back into the
righthand lane when he noticed a vehicle in front of him that he had not seen
while making the pass, Ray said.
The driver slammed on the brakes and his tractor-trailer was
rear-ended by the big rig hauling the empty fuel tank.
Emergency responders closed a portion of the right lane on West
St. Francis for several hours to clear the wreck.
A HAZMAT team was called in as a precautionary measure, Ray
said, but the company hauling the chemicals was responsible for cleaning the
spill. The spill posed no danger to people in the area, Ray said.
No one was injured in the accident, Ray said. ________________________________________________________________
San Jose gas leak capped after 2,500 people evacuated
PG&E: Contractor hit 4-inch gas line
UPDATED 5:39 PM PST Nov 07, 2014
A gas leak that prompted the evacuation of 2,500 people and a shelter-in-place order for 2,500 more Friday in downtown San Jose has been capped, San Jose fire officials said.
PG&E crews dug into the roadway at the intersection of South Market and West Santa Clara streets to repair the leaking natural gas pipe using a "safety cage" to hold up the sides of the trench and underground wiring there, Van Elgort said.
About 2,500 people were evacuated from office buildings on a two-block area of Market, First and San Pedro streets and the 2,500 people who were told to shelter in place were allowed to go home, the fire captain said.
Fire crews began evacuating workers from buildings in the area of the leak at 1 S. Market St. after it was reported at 11:07 a.m., according to fire officials.
Hazmat personnel will remain on scene for as long as needed to test the buildings affected by the leak for any pockets of flammable gas that could remain inside, Van Elgort said.
Until the tests are completed, no one will be allowed to access the buildings, which mostly house offices with daytime hours.
According to PG&E, a non-utility construction crew was using digging equipment this morning when it ruptured the 4-inch pipe and gas started to escape.
Traffic has been diverted from Santa Clara Street to as far south as Park Avenue to other routes, Van Elgort said.
The Valley Transportation Authority Downtown Customer Service Center is among the evacuated buildings and bus lines 22, 522 and 68 have been rerouted, VTA officials said
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Homes Evacuated After Md. Gas Leak
November 6, 2014 2:14 PM
UPDATED: November 6, 2014 4:30 p.m.
LANHAM, Md. (WNEW) — Montgomery County Fire and Rescue has evacuated some Gaithersburg homes and closed off streets after a gas leak in Gaithersburg.
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Reston Whole Foods Reopened Tuesday After Gas Leak Investigation
Officials were on the scene of a possible gas leak and evacuated several businesses in the area.
---
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue teams are on the scene Tuesday morning of a possible gas leak at the Reston Whole Foods at 11660 Plaza America in Reston.
A Fairfax County hazmat team is reportedly on the scene Tuesday morning to repair a natural gas line struck. Officials are working to fix the 4-inch natural gas line that was struck.
Employees of surrounding local businesses say the store and other businesses were evacuated Tuesday morning.
Officials responded to the scene at about 9 a.m. Tuesday. An employee at a nearby business said that numerous fire trucks and officials are on the scene.
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Gas leak forces evacuations in Little Italy
SAN DIEGO — A natural gas leak forced evacuations in Little Italy Wednesday.
The non-injury mishap occurred shortly after 11 a.m., when a construction crew accidentally ruptured an underground line while digging at the intersection of India and West Date streets, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
Emergency personnel cleared everyone out of businesses and restaurants along half-block stretches of both roads while utility crews worked to fix the problem, SDFRD Capt. Joe Amador said.
The evacuations remained in effect in the mid-afternoon, the captain said.
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UPDATED: Pentagon City Hotel Evacuated Due to Large Gas Leak
(Updated at 6:00 p.m.) The Doubletree hotel at 300 Army Navy Drive in Pentagon City was evacuated this afternoon due to a large gas leak.
The gas leak was said to be in the hotel’s parking garage. Firefighters at the scene reported strong odor of natural gas inside and outside the hotel. Guests and employees were evacuated from the hotel.
An Arlington County hazmat team and Washington Gas crews responded to the scene. Police shut down down Army Navy Drive between Eads and 12th Streets to accommodate the large emergency response.
Firefighters and gas company crews managed to shut off the gas after about an hour. Army Navy Drive reopened just after 5:30, and people are being allowed back into the hotel.
No injuries have been reported.
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Lower Richland High School gas leak fixed after brief evacuation
hcahill@thestate.comNovember 19, 2014
RICHLAND COUNTY, SC — Students and faculty at Lower Richland High School were evacuated briefly after reports of a gas leak at the school.
Brick Lewis, a Columbia Fire Department spokesman, said firefighters and SCE&G workers responded to a call of a natural gas leak at the school at 7:15 a.m.
Lewis said there was no rupture in any gas lines, but SCE&G workers did have to secure a valve at the rear of the school’s structure to stop the leak. Firefighters began running ventilation to clear out any residual gas fumes from the building.
Lewis said gas levels in the school are no longer dangerous for students and faculty, and they will be returning to the building shortly.
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Hazmat Responding to Gas Leak in Des Moines
Posted 6:57 am, November 19, 2014DES MOINES, Iowa – Hazmat crews were called to a natural gas leak in Des Moines Wednesday morning.
Crews were at the corner of Scott and South East 26th Court.
The fire department, paramedics and police were also on hand.
They got the call at about 4:30 a.m. about a possible leak.
Police communications shows MidAmerican Energy was called in to check out the problem.
There’s no word yet on how bad the leak may be.
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SO
MANY NATURAL GAS EXPLOSIONS HAVE TAKEN LIVES AND DESTROYED PROPERTIES.
WITH THE SIGNIFICANT INCREASE in THE NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION AND
DISTRIBUTION over the next 20 years, EXPECT MORE OF THE SAME, unless the
safety is increased.
Just during the last month we have viewed dozens of gas leaks and fires and explosions throughout the united states. Here is the link that provides some of these explosions and fires:
Dec 4, 2014, Dunmore, PA. BREAKING: Gas Leak, House Explosion, Fire – CORONER HAS BEEN CALLED TO SCENE OF HOUSE EXPLOSION - a woman died
Just during the last month we have viewed dozens of gas leaks and fires and explosions throughout the united states. Here is the link that provides some of these explosions and fires:
TRAIN
DERAILMENT, NATURAL GAS EXPLOSIONS, TANKER TRUCK AND SEMI-TRAILER TRUCK
ACCIDENTS, DEATHS AND FUELS SPILLS
Dec 4, 2014, Dunmore, PA. BREAKING: Gas Leak, House Explosion, Fire – CORONER HAS BEEN CALLED TO SCENE OF HOUSE EXPLOSION - a woman died
DUNMORE, LACKAWANNA COUNTY -- One person is unaccounted for
after a gas leak caused a house to explode and another to also catch
fire near the corner of Laurel and Smith streets in Dunmore, Lackawanna County. The coroner has been called to the scene.
The owner of the home where the explosion occurred is
unaccounted for according to authorities. Family members tell Eyewitness News
that they believe an 80-year-old woman was inside at the time of the explosion.
The Lackawanna County coroner has been called to the scene.
The house explosion occurred around 3:45 AM in the 600 block of
Smith Street. No other serious injuries have been reported, however one
firefighter was taken away by ambulance. We don't know his condition.
The incident began around 2:15 AM with a water main break near
that intersection. The water main break may have caused a gas leak. About 20-30
residents were evacuated from that immediate area following the water main
break. They've been taken to the Dunmore Community Center.
After the explosion a second home next door also caught fire.
Both homes are a total loss.
Residents all over Dunmore say they felt the explosion.
Stay with Eyewitness News for the latest on this developing
story.
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DUNMORE — Emergency crews are at the scene of a house explosion
and fire in Lackawanna County.
Firefighters said they were called to a home on Smith Street in
Dunmore for a water main break and gas leak just before 2:30 a.m. Thursday.
Officials said the gas leak sparked the house explosion around
4 a.m. while also destroying an apartment building next to it.
American Red Cross officials said they opened a warming center
at the Dunmore Community Center for more than 30 people that have been
evacuated from their homes.
Newswatch 16 has a crew on scene and will keep you updated with
the latest information.
UPDATE – 8:00 AM – 12-4-2014
DUNMORE — Officials say the coroner has been called to the
scene of a house explosion and fire in Lackawanna County.
http://wnep.com/2014/12/04/breaking-gas-leak-causes-house-explosion/
UPDATE
DUNMORE — The scene of a deadly house explosion and fire is still busy more than nine hours after emergency responders were called and an evacuation began.
Firefighters told Newswatch16 they were first called to a home on Smith Street in Dunmore for a water main break and gas leak just before 2:30 a.m., and started evacuating residents.
Officials said the gas leak sparked the explosion around 4 a.m., and as one building burned, one was already gone.
“I am just glad I got out honestly,” said Amanda Burke, fire victim.
Burke had gone to bed for the very first time in her new apartment when police told her to get out.
“We heard the bang and got off the bus because I saw flames and I thought my house was on fire, at first, and it was the house next door, and not long after my house caught on fire. I just moved in,” said Burke.
The explosion was so powerful it blew the windows out of cars and buildings nearby.
Throughout the night people held on to the hope that everyone had made it out, but as day broke the coroner was called to the scene.
Family members said the victim was Madlyn Mecca, a woman in her late 80’s, who lived alone.
“She was very independent. Very independent, the last snowstorm she was out shoveling, we couldn’t get her to stop,” said Carmel Biko the victim’s cousin.
Witnesses said the victim actually left during the evacuation, but while she was waiting for a ride she appeared to go back to her home, possibly doing something to spark the fire like turning on a light.
Investigators will try to determine if that is what sparked the explosion and fire.
They are also looking into the whether the water main break and the gas leak are connected.
Despite all that was lost, residents applaud the efforts of first responders to evacuate the area.
“I tell you being a first-hand witness, they saved a lot of lives in this area,” said Charles Mecca, neighbor.
According to utility crews, some homes in the area do not have water, heat, or electricity.
The Lackawanna County Head Start preschool program is canceled for Thursday because a warming center has been set up at the Dunmore Community Center.
American Red Cross officials said more than 30 people were evacuated from their homes, and are being assisted at the center.
UPDATE
Explosion and Fire, One Woman Dead, Buildings Destroyed
DUNMORE — The scene of a deadly house explosion and fire is still busy more than nine hours after emergency responders were called and an evacuation began.
Firefighters told Newswatch16 they were first called to a home on Smith Street in Dunmore for a water main break and gas leak just before 2:30 a.m., and started evacuating residents.
Officials said the gas leak sparked the explosion around 4 a.m., and as one building burned, one was already gone.
“I am just glad I got out honestly,” said Amanda Burke, fire victim.
Burke had gone to bed for the very first time in her new apartment when police told her to get out.
“We heard the bang and got off the bus because I saw flames and I thought my house was on fire, at first, and it was the house next door, and not long after my house caught on fire. I just moved in,” said Burke.
The explosion was so powerful it blew the windows out of cars and buildings nearby.
Throughout the night people held on to the hope that everyone had made it out, but as day broke the coroner was called to the scene.
Family members said the victim was Madlyn Mecca, a woman in her late 80’s, who lived alone.
“She was very independent. Very independent, the last snowstorm she was out shoveling, we couldn’t get her to stop,” said Carmel Biko the victim’s cousin.
Witnesses said the victim actually left during the evacuation, but while she was waiting for a ride she appeared to go back to her home, possibly doing something to spark the fire like turning on a light.
Investigators will try to determine if that is what sparked the explosion and fire.
They are also looking into the whether the water main break and the gas leak are connected.
Despite all that was lost, residents applaud the efforts of first responders to evacuate the area.
“I tell you being a first-hand witness, they saved a lot of lives in this area,” said Charles Mecca, neighbor.
According to utility crews, some homes in the area do not have water, heat, or electricity.
The Lackawanna County Head Start preschool program is canceled for Thursday because a warming center has been set up at the Dunmore Community Center.
American Red Cross officials said more than 30 people were evacuated from their homes, and are being assisted at the center.
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PROPANE GAS
EXPLOSIONS IN JACKSON HOLE, WY AT AMERIGAS PROPANE COMPANY
November 20, 2014.
JACKSON – Multiple explosions at the AmeriGas facility in southwest
Jackson were reported early this afternoon by Teton County Emergency Management.
The facility, located off High School Road, as well as businesses within a
one-block radius are under a mandatory evacuation order. So far, no injuries
have been reported.
Regarding the explosion incident at AmeriGas on High
School Rd, all evacuation orders have been lifted by emergency services.
Residents of Eagle Village Townhomes, however, will be asked to refrain
from entering their homes until Lower Valley Energy has safely restored natural
gas services to them, which is estimated to be around 7pm. Smith’s
grocery store has just reopened to the public.
All businesses in the area except for Bell Fitness and AmeriGas
will be open tomorrow as usual. All schools will also be open as normal
tomorrow.
The Jackson Hole News&Guide reported that the AmeriGas building exploded at around 12:45 p.m. and that one of the businesses adjacent to it, Bell Fitness, was on fire. Vehicles in the parking lot were also burning, according to reports.
A man who works in a nearby office who didn’t want to be named said he was worried for the people in Bell Fitness who would have been there during lunch hour to work out.
“They were there,” he said. “They were a piece of tin and a little bit of insulation away from it all.”
Jackson Hole High School, Middle School, Colter Elementary and Summit High School a little farther away were asked to shelter in place, while the Jackson Hole Community School was asked to evacuate. Police cordoned off the roads and nearby parking lots and even a bike path that runs through the area, all while warning bystanders of toxic fumes.
Other businesses impacted by the evacuation order are Smith's Food Plaza and the Flat Creek Business Center. Sweet Peas day care and the Teton Literacy Center are both located inside the Flat Creek Business Center, and students from both have been evacuated to the Colter school gym.
Paul Perry, ironically the owner of AmeriGas’s former building where he runs Canvas Unlimited, a party tent rental company, said his building is just across from AmeriGas’s newest facility in a phone interview. The explosion rained ash down on his parking lot and sent his insurance agent scrambling proactively to say she would check out the damage when the area was secured.
“One big explosion rocked it pretty hard” and two more came soon after, he said. “We thought it was, say, an earthquake. We went outside and there was a massive column of flames. I knew the propane company was having some bad times over there.”
He and his employees moved away from their building, leaving lights and computers on. He added that he could easily feel the heat from the flames.
“We were probably 100 feet away and it was raging,” Perry said.
Another large explosion came about 10 minutes later, prompting him to move even farther from the AmeriGas facility.
“There was nothing the fire department could do as each of the tanks exploded until it burnt out,” Perry said. “They were spraying water quite a ways to get to the lot because they didn’t want to get too close either.”
Water soon arced through the air as fire fighters fought the blaze from a distance. One fire truck parked by the Smith’s near the AmeriGas facility sent a fire fighter up in the scoop to rain down on the flames after the gas had burned out.
The worker, who had been evacuated and was hoping for the all clear to get back to work, also gave an account of what happened from a little farther away.
“I was sitting at my desk working away and all the sudden I hear the windows shaking like 10 bodies upstairs had jumped up and down on the floor above me,” he said. “It happened the second time … and I saw the flames just flying through the air.”
He said from where he was it wasn’t that loud.
“You could hear things booming – like, kind of boom!” he said. “And those were probably the smaller propane tanks. What was loud, though, was when we opened the door and you could hear the gas being pushed out of the bigger tanks and it was like a wind rushing through a canyon. Really loud.”
Continuing coverage by the News&Guide quoted law enforcement officials at the scene as saying that one 10,000 gallon propane tank at AmeriGas is in range of the fire, and if it explodes it could take much of a nearby Smith’s grocery store with it.
“When it was booming that was probably when the most danger was,” the man said. “Now that they’re up there spraying the water down, I don’t think that big tank … is gonna go.”
By 2:17 p.m. the fire was "diminished but not out" Incident Commander Kathy Clay told the News&Guide.