MEC&F Expert Engineers : 01/25/15

Sunday, January 25, 2015

1 YEAR AFTER MASSIVE AND CATASTROPHIC EXPLOSION, JNS BIOFUELS PLANT IN NEW ALBANY, MISSISSIPPI HAS PERMITS TO REOPEN



 1 YEAR AFTER MASSIVE AND CATASTROPHIC EXPLOSION, JNS BIOFUELS PLANT IN NEW ALBANY, MISSISSIPPI HAS PERMITS TO REOPEN




January 25, 2015

NEW ALBANY, Miss. — A year after an explosion ripped apart the JNS Biofuel plant, the rebuilt plant in New Albany has all the permits it needs to reopen. However, state and local officials don't know when that will happen.

TJN Biofuel LLC's president and owner, Steve Bolin, has not given official notice yet. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports (http://bit.ly/1wwe6G4) that he did not respond to texts or messages left at the plant or his business in Arkansas.

Union County Board of Supervisors president Danny Jordan said he speaks regularly to Bolin but hasn't gotten an indication from him.

"Our emergency management director keeps a good eye on what's going on, and MDEQ says they've met the requirements to open," Jordan said.

The plant has all three permits needed to start operating but officials don't know when it will do so, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality said.
The explosion and fire on Jan. 22, 2013, all but leveled the plant, which converted chicken fat into biodiesel. Nobody was hurt.

The estimated damage to property and contents was $3.5 million.
The state fire marshal ruled the incident an accident, though there was so much damage that investigators could not pinpoint the cause.

A five-page report in April said it probably started in an oil heater or pump.
Bolin said afterward that he would rebuild the plant even though his insurance would cover only the cleanup.


Before the fire, the plant could store 8,000 gallons of methanol, 37,000 gallons of glycerin, 46,000 gallons of feedstock oil, 8,000 gallons of sodium methylate and 2,000 gallons of fuel oil.

The equipment list for the new plant states that it can store more than 12,000 gallons of methanol, more than 60,000 gallons of glycerin; 130,000 gallons of feedstock oil; 9,000 gallons of sodium methylate and 1,850 gallons of diesel fuel.
It also has a 130,000 gallon biodiesel fuel tank and has a 17,000-gallon finished biodiesel tank.

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MISSISSIPPI BIODIESEL PLANT FIRE IN JANUARY RULED ACCIDENT.  THE JNS BIOFUELS PLANT USED CHICKEN FAT, SOYBEAN OILS AND OTHER OILS TO PRODUCE B100 BIODIESEL.  THE LIKELY CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT WAS A PROBLEM WITH A THERMAL OIL HEATER OR PUMP USED IN THE DISTILLATION PROCESS TO PRODUCE BIODIESEL.

April 4, 2014

NEW ALBANY, MISS.:

The state fire marshal’s has ruled as an accident the January fire and explosion at JNS Biofuels plant near New Albany.

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported the fire marshal found the likely cause of the incident was a problem with a thermal oil heater or pump used in the distillation process to produce biodiesel.

However, investigators couldn’t determine an exact cause for the fire and subsequent explosions because of extensive damage to the area of the blast.

The estimated damage to property and contents was $3.5 million.
Most of the damaged equipment has been removed from the site, and crews have been seen working there.


The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality says it has had discussions with JNS, “but they have not applied” for permits to resume production, said spokesman Robbie Wilbur.
“In addition, we would need specifics on the facility to determine what permits would be needed,” Wilbur said.

The JNS Biofuels plant used chicken fat, soybean oils and other oils to produce B100 biodiesel. It was equipped to store 8,000 gallons of methanol, 37,000 gallons of glycerin, 46,000 gallons of feedstock oil, 8,000 gallons of sodium methylate and 2,000 gallons of fuel oil.

According to the fire marshal’s report, JNS employee Jimmy Clowers walked out to take a sample from one of the chicken fat container tanks. Clowers heard a hissing sound around 5:45 a.m. and saw an orange glow from one of the chicken fat tanks.

While he didn’t see a fire, he told investigators he knew the glow was a fire. He then ran to a trailer where another JNS employee, James Rhodes, was sleeping and woke him up. As they ran, the plant exploded.

The men were not injured and no other injuries were reported. The fire spread to the other tanks, and two explosions later followed the initial blast.

DRIVER ARRESTED AFTER CRASHING INTO WESTBROOK, CT HOME, CAUSING FIRE. HE WAS CHARGED WITH TRAVELING TOO FAST, DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL AND CRIMINAL MISCHIEF.



DRIVER ARRESTED AFTER CRASHING INTO WESTBROOK, CT HOME, CAUSING FIRE.  HE WAS CHARGED WITH TRAVELING TOO FAST, DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL AND CRIMINAL MISCHIEF.






Sunday, Jan 25, 2015




WESTBROOK, CT




One man is in custody after crashing his car into a home in Westbrook and causing a fire early Sunday morning.




The fire broke out after Rodrigo Sousa, 23 of Old Saybrook, crashed his car into the vacant home on Boston Post Road just before 4:30 a.m., according to the fire department.



A neighbor was awoken by the sound of the car hitting the home, followed by a loud bang and what sounded like an explosion.




"I heard a large boom. I thought it was my furnace, and I looked out the window and I could see the flames on the house next door," Damien Ranelli said.




When he came outside, he said it "looked like it had collided with a gas main" that "ruptured and exploded" at the front corner of the unoccupied house.




As a result, crews from four area fire departments spent more than four hours putting out the fire on the property, dousing the gas main with water to keep the house from completely going up in flames. The house itself took minutes to contain and the car also caught fire.




"The gas company, we had to wait for them to arrive on scene, then bring a backhoe in, which took an extended period of time, then to find the actual shutoff it was underneath the car, so we had to actually move the car," Westbrook Fire Chief Michael Jenkins said.




The home was structurally damaged on the side and there was also a lot of water damage, Jenkins said.




Ranelli said that he thought someone was still inside the car when he got to the scene, but "thankfully no one was."




The home was built a couple years ago as part of a project to replicate a historic home that used to sit on the property, according to the neighbor.




Sousa was arrested and charged with traveling too fast, driving under the influence of alcohol and criminal mischief. 




Officials did not say whether Sousa was injured.




Sousa is scheduled to appear in court on February 13.




There were no injuries reported.

NO INJURIES REPORTED AFTER EXPLOSION AND FIRE IN COAL-HANDLING SILO AT WE ENERGIES’ OAK CREEK POWER PLANT IN OAK CREEK, WISCONSIN



NO INJURIES REPORTED AFTER EXPLOSION AND FIRE IN COAL-HANDLING SILO AT WE ENERGIES’ OAK CREEK POWER PLANT IN OAK CREEK, WISCONSIN



January 25, 2015

OAK CREEK (WITI) — A We Energies spokesman tells FOX6 News no injuries were reported after a fire Sunday, January 25th at the Oak Creek Power Plant.
Fire officials say the call came in just before 2:00 p.m.

We’re told there was a fire that has been extinguished. A battalion chief with the Oak Creek Fire Department couldn’t confirm the initial report of an explosion. A We Energies spokesman says the fire started in a coal-handling silo that feeds the newest generators on the north side of the power plant’s campus.



The power plant is a coal-based plant that operates 24 hours a day.

Fire officials take these types of incidents seriously because of the large volume of combustible materials inside. About a half-dozen departments were called in for backup.

Fire protection vents opened during the blaze as designed to help contain the fire.

“Anytime we’re dealing with coal — coal is a fuel. There is a hazard associated with it, with the fire fight. As far as it being up — at an elevated level, you have to grab your equipment, you have to fight that fire from an elevated area. There’s some techniques associated with that,” Oak Creek Fire Battalion Chief Joe Pulvermacher said.

A We Energies’ spokesman says there was no disruption of service to customers during this incident.

2 KILLED IN CRASH BETWEEN A MOTORCYCLE AND A TRUCK ON HIGHWAY 119 IN BLACK HAWK, COLORADO



2 KILLED IN CRASH BETWEEN A MOTORCYCLE AND A TRUCK ON HIGHWAY 119 IN BLACK HAWK, COLORADO

2 EMU STUDENTS, INCLUDING WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER, KILLED IN OVERNIGHT YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, MI HEAD-ON COLLISION. SPEED IS CONSIDERED A FACTOR IN THE CRASH.



2 EMU STUDENTS, INCLUDING WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER, KILLED IN OVERNIGHT YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, MI HEAD-ON COLLISION.  SPEED IS CONSIDERED A FACTOR IN THE CRASH.




January 25, 2015

 YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, MI

Eastern Michigan University has identified two students as the individuals killed in a head-on crash overnight in Ypsilanti Township. 

Shannise Heady, 21, from Hazel Crest, Ill., and Jordan Hopkins, 23, of Dexter were killed in a crash shortly before 1 a.m. Jan. 25 on Hewitt Road near Midvale, the university said in a press release.

Heady was a health care administration junior and a forward of the women's basketball team, according to the university. Hopkins was a psychology major senior.
Police continue to investigate the crash which closed down the road for several hours early Sunday. 

The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office said the two students were traveling northbound on Hewitt when the vehicle they were in crossed the center line and struck another vehicle head on. Heady was driving the vehicle, the sheriff's office indicated in the press release.

The two were pronounced dead at the scene, and the 22-year-old Ann Arbor man in the southbound vehicle was taken to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Speed is considered a factor in the crash, said Derrick Jackson of the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office. 


Heady transferred to Eastern Michigan after playing one season for Seton Hall. She led the Eagles in assists and blocks and was ranked fourth on the team in shooting.

"Obviously this is one of our toughest days as a program and for the entire Eagle Nation as we mourn the loss of Shannise," said EMU Head Women's Basketball Coach Tory Verdi. 

"No words can describe the feelings right now as we are truly devastated to learn of her passing," he said. "Shannise was not only an inspiration to all of us, but she brought energy and liveliness to our team. She was a true joy to coach and has left an everlasting impression not only on me but the rest of our team as well. She will be missed greatly."

Athletic director Heather Lyke also expressed deep sadness an empathy for the victims' families. "Our prayers for peace are with them. Shannise lit up the room with her personality and smile and will be missed in our locker room and the department."