MEC&F Expert Engineers : 03/08/15

Sunday, March 8, 2015

PICKUP TRUCK CROSSED THE CENTER LINE ON STATE ROUTE 507 AND HIT AN SUV HEAD-ON, KILLING THE SUV DRIVER; 4 INJURED





MARCH 8, 2015

PANAWAY, WASHINGTON

The Washington State Patrol says a Tacoma man has died in a fiery crash near Spanaway and a driver who ran from the scene has been arrested.

The patrol says 50-year-old Todd Morose was killed Saturday night when a pickup truck crossed the center line on State Route 507 and hit his SUV head-on. The pickup truck rolled and caught fire.

Trooper Guy Gill says a detective found a man "hiding in the woods" several hours after the collision and he admitted to running from the scene.

Matthew Haygood, of Roy, was booked into Pierce County Jail Sunday morning on investigation of vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, hit-and-run and driving under the influence.

He was injured in the crash, along with Morose's three passengers, a 50-year-old woman and two children.

CN CRUDE OIL TRAIN DERAILMENT IN GOGAMA, ONT., ‘VERY CONCERNING,’ TRANSPORTATION MINISTER SAYS. THE CARS INVOLVED IN THIS INCIDENT ARE NEW MODELS, COMPLIANT WITH THE LATEST FEDERAL REGULATIONS, YET THEY STILL FAILED TO PREVENT THIS INCIDENT. SO UNTIL SOMETHING DRAMATIC IS DONE, WE’RE GOING TO SEE THESE DERAILMENTS AND EXPLOSIONS CONTINUING OVER AND OVER AGAIN







MARCH 8, 2015

GOGAMA, ONTARIO

Another train derailment in northern Ontario has added new fuel to the ongoing debate over whether rail is a safe way of transporting crude oil.  We believe that it is beyond ridiculous to even have this discussion, because all the US and Canadian derailments show very conclusively that:

  1. it is intrinsically unsafe to transport the oil/ethanol this way;
  2. the latest and greatest tank car designs do explode and/or catch fire and they are not much safer than the DOT-111 cars.


First Nations and environmentalists are among those expressing alarm over Saturday’s derailment of a CN Rail train that caused numerous tank cars carrying crude oil to catch fire and spill into a local river system.


THE CANADIAN PRESS / Handout / OPPSmoke rises in the distance after a train derailment near Gogama, Ont., Saturday, March 7, 2015.


THE CANADIAN PRESS / Handout / OPPFirefighters arrive near the scene after a train derailment near Gogama, Ont., Saturday, March 7, 2015. 

CN said Sunday there were 94 cars on the train, all carrying Alberta crude to Eastern Canada when approximately 30 of them derailed near Gogama, Ont., about 80 km south of Timmins. Some of the cars caught fire and some crude entered the Mattagami River System.

Chief Walter Naveau of the Mattagami First Nation says his community does not feel safe after the third CN derailment in northern Ontario in less than a month. There are concerns over the effects of smoke inhalation and environmental damage, he said.

“People in the community were feeling the affects of the toxins in the air — respiratory problems, they could feel it in their chests and their breathing,” Naveau said in a phone interview.

CN said Sunday residents will likely see smoke rising from the derailment site but that this poses no threat to people or the environment.

“They may say those things but why should I trust them?” asked Naveau, adding his community is also concerned that the river also leads into the community’s main spawning grounds for fish, in addition to habitats for other wildlife.

CN said Sunday it’s taken measures to contain any spilled oil and will work to stop it from spreading into the local river system.



“Anywhere you’re going to see a major spill of oil and chemicals onto the ground you’re going to see permanent contamination of the ecosystem nearby,” said Adam Scott, Climate and Energy Program Manager for Environmental Defence.
“They almost never are able to clean up all of the oil released in a spill like this and it’s much worse even when there’s a direct spill into a river because the oil gets moved down the river and the chemicals can spread.”

Last month a CN derailment occurred in the same area, when 29 cars loaded with crude oil and petroleum distillates derailed and caused a fire.

The Transportation Safety Board sent investigators to Saturday’s spill, which they say is about 37 kilometres from the location of last month’s derailment, but have not been able to reach the site yet as a fire is still burning.

CN said the cars in Saturday’s derailment met the newer, improved standard, which have enhanced shielding and harder steel.

The TSB said last month the Class 111 tank cars involved in that derailment also met the upgraded standards, but it says the cars still “performed similarly” to those involved in the deadly derailment in Lac-Megantic, Que., two years ago, which predated the changes.

The agency said last month’s incident “demonstrates the inadequacy” of the new standards and is urging Transport Canada to quickly beef up protection standards.
Transport Canada says it is currently working with the U.S. to develop a next generation standard of tank car for transporting flammable liquids that they say would be “more robust” than the current standards.

Glenn Thibeault, the member of the Ontario legislature who represents the area, said Saturday’s accident is another reason the federal government must do more to strengthen rail safety regulations.

“The cars involved in this incident are new models, compliant with the latest federal regulations, yet they still failed to prevent this incident.”

Ontario Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca said in a statement that the derailment is “very concerning” and that he will be raising the matter with his federal counterpart Lisa Raitt and the railways.



“It’s basically guaranteed to happen again, this is not an isolated incident we seen several of these kinds of derailments a month now,” said Scott. “So until something dramatic is done, we’re going to see this continuing over and over again.”
Source: news.nationalpost.com

VACUUM CLEANER EXPLOSION IGNITES FIRE, DESTROYS WAITE, MAINE HOME. VACUUM CLEANER WAS USED TO MOP UP FUEL FROM THE GARAGE FLOOR




Firefighters from six towns try to save a log cabin home on Old Mill Stream Road in Waite on Sunday

MARCH 8, 2015

WAITE, MAINE

An exploding vacuum cleaner ignited a fire that destroyed a log cabin on Old Mill Road on Sunday despite the efforts of firefighters from six towns. No injuries were reported, but the house is a total loss, officials said.

Indian Township firefighters called in mutual aid from the Alexander, Baileyville, Calais, Danforth and Princeton fire departments when the call came in from a man at the cabin at about 10:40 a.m., Indian Township dispatcher Carl Nicholas said.

The first firefighters to arrive, from Indian Township about eight miles away, quickly doused the flames in the garage where the vacuum was located.  But the fire had already spread through a breezeway into the 2 ½-story cabin’s first and second floors and then the roof, said Indian Township Fire Chief David Nicholas, whose cousin is Carl Nicholas.

Heavy smoke and fire damage occurred on the first and second floors of the cabin, and about three-quarters of the roof is gone. A lack of available water forced firefighters to shuttle it from the Indian Township station, but that didn’t really impede their efforts, David Nicholas said.

“There were four or five trucks bringing water back and forth so we didn’t have any problems,” David Nicholas said.

No one interviewed knew why the vacuum exploded. Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office investigators will visit the site on Monday. David Nicholas said he saw nothing suspicious in the fire’s origins.

Firefighters left the scene at about 4:30 p.m. They stayed that long to try to ensure that the fire wouldn’t reignite, David Nicholas said.

Since the vacuum cleaner was in the garage, it is possible that it was used to pick up flammable materials (such as gasoline or fuel oil) that ignited inside the vacuum, causing the explosion.  The blower inside the vacuum cleaner is not explosion-proof, meaning that a spark inside the blower will not be contained, creating an explosion.

In an explosion-proof/dust ignition-proof vacuum, everything from the outer shell to the internal mechanics, including the motor, switches, filters and inner chambers are grounded and constructed of non-sparking materials such as stainless steel. Be aware that some industrial vacuum companies offer basic models dressed up with a few anti-static accessories and describe them as suitable for explosive material. These imposters can still create arcs, sparks or heat that can cause overheating and ignition of the exterior atmosphere  that can ignite dust blanketing the vacuum.

It is also possible that the vacuum cleaner was used to clean combustible dust. 
Source:bangordailynews.com

A WATER HEATER IGNITED SPRAY PAINT FUMES FROM A CRAFT PROJECT IN AN UNVENTILATED AREA OF A HOME IN FRANKLIN, WI, LEADING TO AN EXPLOSION AND FIRE THAT INJURED A WOMAN AND CAUSED MORE THAN $100,000 IN DAMAGE




MARCH 5, 2015

FRANKLIN, WISCONSIN

Franklin Fire Department responded to a house fire near the intersection of S. 122nd Street and W. Elmwood Drive around 3:44 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, March 5th.

A water heater is suspected of igniting spray paint fumes from a craft project for her daughter’s birthday in a home in Franklin on Thursday, leading to an explosion and fire that injured a woman and caused more than $100,000 in damage, fire department officials said.

The fire, reported shortly after 4 p.m. in the 12100 block of Elmwood Road, also singed the hair of the woman's two daughters, ages 5 and 8, according to a news release from the Franklin Fire Department.

According to the release, the 45-year-old woman, who was using the spray paint in an enclosed area of the home's basement, suffered minor burns to her hands.

Her 16-year-old son who was upstairs escaped injury and no one was taken to a hospital.

Because there are no fire hydrants in the area, firefighters from Franklin, Greendale, Greenfield, Hales Corners, Oak Creek, Raymond, New Berlin, Tess Corners and the Wisconsin Air National Guard 128th Air Refueling Wing had to use water tankers to battle the blaze, according to the release.

Everytime you use aerosol canisters, please use them in a well-ventilated area and away from any fire or source of ignition, including the pilot lights of the water heaters, etc.