Fresno County Fire crews are on the scene of a fire at a strip mall in Huron. (KFSN)
By Brian Johnson
Updated 1 hr 34 mins ago
HURON, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno County Fire crews were able to keep a fire at a strip mall limited to one business.
The fire was discovered just after 7 a.m. Tuesday on Lassen near 4th Street in Huron. The fire is now under control and was limited to a work and western clothing store.
"If this would have started on the other end of the strip mall, with the wind blowing from the north as it is, we probably would end up burning a lot more of these buildings. That it did start on this side and there was open parking lot next to it, there were no other exposures to be damaged from this," said Jeremiah Wittwer, Fresno County Fire PIO.
The damage to the clothing store is estimated to be $500,000. The son of the owners said this store has been there for 26 years.
Fresno County Fire crews are on the scene of a fire at a strip mall in Huron.
At least two
people died and six were severely injured on Monday in an explosion and
fire at chemicals maker BASF's biggest production site in Germany, the
company said.
Two people are still missing, BASF said.
The
explosion occurred on a supply line connecting a harbor and a tank
depot on the Ludwigshafen site at around 1120 local time (0920 GMT),
according to BASF, the world's biggest chemicals company.
A
fire that broke out following the blast sent up plumes of smoke for
hours, prompting BASF and the city of Ludwigshafen to urge residents in
the surrounding area to avoid going outside and to keep their windows
and doors shut.
Measurements taken in the area so far have indicated no risk from toxic fumes, BASF said.
"We
deeply regret that employees died and several people were injured. Our
sympathy is with the affected people and their families," the
Ludwigshafen site's chief, Uwe Liebelt, said in a statement.
The
company said it was unclear so far what caused the explosion. BASF also
said it could not say what financial impact the explosion might have.
It
shut down 14 facilities, including its two steam crackers, large units
that make basic chemical components, for safety reasons and because the
supply of raw materials was disrupted by the blast.
The
Ludwigshafen site, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Frankfurt,
is the world's largest chemical complex, covering an area of 10 square
kilometers (four square miles) and employing 39,000 workers, according
to BASF. It is located on the Rhine river and receives many of its raw
materials by ship.
The harbor at which the explosion occurred is
a terminal for combustible fluids such as naphtha and methanol that are
important for BASF's supply of raw materials.
News
of the explosion came less than two hours after BASF said four people
were injured in a gas explosion at its Lampertheim facility, a plant
near Ludwigshafen that makes additives for plastics.
=========== One worker dies following explosion and large fire at BASF By PRW
Photo by @Jaaanik/Twitter Residents near the plant had apparently been advised to keep windows and doors shut.
A BASF worker has died following an explosion and fire at the German chemical giant's facility in Ludwigshafen.
Initial reports had quoted the German chemicals giant as saying the fire followed an explosion, the cause of which had not been determined, which took place at a riverside harbour.
It then confirmed that an explosion at at the North Harbor during work on a pipeline, which resulted in fires. Several people were injured, and some were reported missing.
In the latest update, BASF confirmed an employee had died.
"According to the latest information we have, one person died as a result of today’s fire in the North Harbor at BASF in Ludwigshafen," the group said.
Six people had suffered serious injuries, several others received light injuries, it added. The injured were being treated in local hospitals.
Six other people were still missing.
“We are deeply saddened that one employee has died and several have been injured. Our deepest sympathy lies with the affected people and their families,” said Uwe Liebelt, BASF site manager Ludwigshafen.
Logistics employees and truck drivers were evacuated at Gate 15 and brought to a safe location in the Ebert Hall, the firm said.
"Gate 15 is closed. Gate 3 is currently not manned and therefore closed to vehicular traffic. The turnstiles are available as well as all other gates. The normal shift change will happen as planned.
"There is visible smoke. The surrounding towns are recommending to residents in the affected areas of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim, until further notice, to stay indoors and close doors and windows," it added.
BASF and the City of Ludwigshafen held a press conference at 16:00 local time, and the chemicals firm said more information would follow.
Photos on social media showed a thick plume of smoke rising from the fire site.
=====
Cause of deadly explosion at BASF chemical plant in Ludwigshafen remains unclear
Investigators in the western German town of Ludwigshafen are still trying to determine the cause of the explosion at the BASF chemical plant. Two people were killed, one remains missing and six were severely injured.
Following the severe explosion at the BASF chemical plant in Ludwigshafen on Monday, German authorities continued on Tuesday to investigate the cause of the blast which killed at least two people. Officials said terrorism has been ruled out.
At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Ludwigshafen fire service chief Peter Friedrich said fire services had not yet been able to reach the site of the accident.
"There's still a thick layer of foam on the pipeline where the explosion happened," Friedrich said, adding that the pipes would have to cool down before the site can be accessed.
Employees still missing
The two people known to have died in the accident were both members of BASF's own fire brigade.
One person, thought also to be a member of the fire service, was still unaccounted for on Tuesday, while another six people remained in intensive care. Fire Chief Friedrich said the missing person is believed to be in the harbor. Divers, however, hadn't yet been able to enter the waters. A second person, who earlier in the day had also been reported as missing, has since been identified at a local hospital where they were receiving treatment.
The explosion and fire on Monday occurred at around 11:30 a.m. local time (0930 UTC) at a river harbor, used to unload flammable liquids and liquid gas.
It took firefighters 10 hours to extinguish the resulting blaze. During the incident, BASF was forced to shut down 20 facilities, including two steam crackers, which produce basic hydrocarbon chemicals used to manufacture a wide range of plastics and other chemicals.
Following the explosion, a pipeline that was undergoing repairs began spewing soot, BASF plant manager Uwe Liebelt told reporters. Several witnesses also posted videos on social media in which huge flames and plumes of thick black smoke were seen billowing from the plant.
The city of Ludwigshafen reported on Twitter that residents located near the plant were complaining of "respiratory irritation."
BASF confirmed at Tuesday's press conference that the substances that burned in the subsequent blaze included ethylene - used in producing solvents and insulation - and propylene, used in producing car paint and adhesives.
A day on since the explosion, residents in Ludwigshafen and the nearby city of Mannheim were told by authorities to continue to keep all doors and windows closed. No increases of harmful substances had been reported, however.
Damage levels unclear
As a safety precaution, BASF also shut down 14 other production plants on Monday and erected water barriers between the northern inland port and the Rhine.
The economic consequences and the damage levels remain unclear.
The incident on Monday came just two years after Ludwigshafen was shaken by a devastating gas explosion, close to the BASF chemical plant. Gas transport company Gascade had been digging around a buried pipeline at the time of the blast. One excavation worker was killed and 20 other people were injured. Nearby houses and trees were burned to charcoal, leaving an entire neighborhood devastated.
Authorities in Ludwigshafen have shared a telephone hotline for those directly affected by Monday's explosion: +49 62 157 086 000.
A mechanic was fatally injured when he was struck-by a CAT 950H front-end loader.
The CAT operator thought he heard someone calling for him while he was driving forward; he then proceeded to drive in reverse to the area where the call may have come from.
During this time the mechanic entered the work area, but was not seen by the CAT operator due to the inherent blind spots of the equipment and physical
obstructions in the area.
Neither employee was trained on the equipment’s blind spots and there was no written procedure as to how foot traffic should make contact with the operator.
Recommendations to Prevent Recurrence:
- Apply the Hierarchy of Controls to eliminate/separate mobile equipment from foot traffic. For example: use a different type of truck or conveyors where possible, barrier guards/knock-down markers/designated (painted) walkways with gates, eliminate blind spots, widen passageways, limit material storage height and install proper signage “No Foot Traffic.”
- Identify unavoidable blind spots and their distances to assist in designating the right equipment for the task - see NIOSH Highway Work Zone Safety Publication.
- Install and maintain safety devices: backup cameras/sensors/mirrors & alarms that can be heard above ambient noise, install lighting/traffic mirrors, motion activated lights/gates, position co-workers to act as spotters, use/maintain radios and more.
- Ensure that operators, other employees and contractors are adequately trained and evaluated on the specific equipment and operations used at the workplace, including a distance rule and approach procedures to mobile equipment. (The USW provides a wide range of health and safety training including mobile equipment).
- Wear work zone safety clothing that meets ANSI A107
- NOTE: The workplace above did not have a joint labor/management health, safety & environment committee, instead the employer implemented a behavior based safety program. This is one deadly reason why the USW is opposed to blame-the-worker safety programs.
A paper worker was killed and four others were sent to the emergency room for treatment when an overheated air compressor ignited oil vapors inside the compressor and air receiver tank.
Prior to the explosion and resulting warehouse fire, a paper machine and supporting equipment were shut down to replace a leaking 3-inch ‘mill’ water line valve.
The shut down of the well water pump caused a decrease in water flow to the air compressors. (There were five, rotary screw, 400 horsepower Gardner Denver Electra-Saver Stationary Base Mounted Compressors with two 16’ tall and 7’ in diameter 7,500-gallon receiver air tanks, manufactured by Wheeler Tank Manufacturing Company and two chiller units located above the compressors.)
These compressors were changed from air-cooled to water-cooled approximately two years before the accident.
Prior to the accident, three of the five compressors were in operation. Two of them tripped out due to high temperatures; one continued to run.
When the operating compressor’s internal temperature exceeded 300-degrees Fahrenheit, it caught on fire. Within seconds, the receiver tank catastrophically ruptured due to an explosion of oil vapors inside of the tank. (The flash point of the oil is 210-degrees Fahrenheit).
The explosion and fire damage was so severe and extensive that the paper mill has been shut down permanently with the loss of 259 jobs.
Recommendations to Prevent Recurrence:
- Make certain that thermal protection shut down devices are operational and cause a default shut down of the equipment in accordance with the manufactur-er’s instructions and specifications.
- Maintain proper cooling water supply (flow rates) required by the manufacturer.
- Ensure proper care, use and maintenance of the compressor and supporting equipment on a maintenance log per the manufacturer’s directions.
- Compressor control screens need to have alarms for high oil temperatures.
- Conduct a Management of Change before modifying equipment, operating practices and Comprehensive Job Safety Analysis before non-routine maintenance.
- Develop, document and utilize effective hazardous energy control procedures (Lockout/Tagout/Verify) for the control of potentially hazardous energy when maintenance and service work is being performed on equipment.
- Provide effective education/training to employees (including non-routine tasks).
Houston Health Clinic Owner, Rosemary Cisnero Phelan, 57, Pleads Guilty to Insurance Fraud
By WorkersCompensation.com 7 hours 36 minutes ago
Austin, TX (WorkersCompensation.com) - The owner of a Houston health clinic pled guilty to insurance fraud after billing for medical services – often provided to injured employees – despite having no licensed medical staff at the clinic. Instead, investigators found that the clinic was using foreign medical students to provide care.
Rosemary Phelan, the owner of Rose’s Houston Healthcare Clinic, entered a guilty plea in Harris County Court and was sentenced to seven years deferred adjudication and ordered to pay $88,000 in restitution.
A joint investigation by the Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation and Texas Mutual Insurance Company revealed that Phelan’s clinic had no licensed medical providers on staff yet continued to accept patients. She would then file fraudulent workers’ compensation claims to collect from insurers.
According to investigators, the clinic had a licensed doctor on staff at one time. When that doctor left in 2012, Phelan began hiring foreign medical students to act as doctors and treat patients.
Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Ryan Brannan said this case was particularly egregious. “Someone filing false claims is bad enough,” he said. “But this scam put people’s health at risk. It’s unconscionable.”
Phelan submitted $166,843 in fraudulent workers’ compensation claims, representing more than 50 injured employees, claiming they had been treated by the clinic’s previous doctor.
Phelan pled guilty to second degree insurance fraud and a felony charge of practicing medicine without a license. The investigation found that her clinic was supplying narcotics to patients using the credentials of doctors and physician assistants who no longer worked at the clinic without their knowledge.
Fresno County Fire crews are on the scene of a fire at a strip mall in Huron.
