Vacant home explodes in St. Louis, MO

ST. LOUIS, MO
  

An explosion in a vacant home that rocked the Baden neighborhood Wednesday injured no one on the street, despite the shards of glass, window casings and chunks of rubble sent flying at a normally busy time of day, a fire captain said.

“It’s miraculous for 8:30 in the morning, not to have any injuries, no one walking by,” said Capt. Garon Mosby of the St. Louis Fire Department. “It’s a good day for us.”


The brick bungalow in the 8600 block of Oriole Avenue was flattened. The cause of the blast is under investigation, but the leading theory is that it was a gas explosion.

Firefighters believe the home had been vacant, and a search by the St. Louis Fire Department’s Collapse Rescue Task Force found no evidence that anyone had been hurt. Mosby said the task force used a sensitive listening device that could detect the faintest of movements and sounds.

Crews worried about a potential gas leak evacuated neighbors on the block. Firefighters first to arrive were unable to shut off the gas at the curb, so they dug through the rubble to turn it off from inside the leveled home.

The brick homes on either side sustained moderate damage, including a few blown-out windows. Part of the roof of the home that exploded fell onto the roofs of the adjacent homes. One of those adjacent homes was occupied at the time of the explosion, Mosby said.

Debris was blown as far as across the street.


David West lives eight or nine houses away. “I heard it and felt it,” West said of the explosion. “It was like North Korea had dropped a bomb on us.”

West thought something had happened to his own home, so he scrambled into the attic, fully expecting to see something caved in. Then, he looked outside and saw a neighbor pointing up the alley. West said he then went up the street and saw neighbors approach the debris, trying to see if anyone was trapped.

West said he didn’t smell anything that might signal a natural gas leak as he got close. He said the home had been undergoing rehab.

Mosby said the fire department, the St. Louis Regional Bomb and Arson Squad and Laclede Gas all were investigating the blast.

But he said investigators were looking at a gas explosion as a likely culprit.

“It’s not really the fault of the gas company,” Mosby said. “We have a vacant-structure challenge in the city. This could be a gas leak or ... people take pipes, and if somebody takes a pipe and it’s gas piping, that could lead to issues as well.”

Mosby said the fire department gets calls frequently for gas leaks due to missing pipes.

The theory is that someone could have broken into the home and stolen a pipe to sell as scrap metal. Mosby urged city residents to report anything suspicious in their neighborhoods, such as someone going in and out of a vacant home. He said he had heard of no reports of such crimes on Oriole.

Anadarko Petroleum Co. has shut down 3,000 wells in Firestone, Colorado after the fatal explosion of a home 200 feet from one of its old wells that killed two and injured another

Mark and Erin Martinez.




Possible link between Anadarko-operated gas well and fatal Firestone home explosion


Oil and gas giant Anadarko has shut down some 3,000 wells in northern Colorado in the aftermath of the fatal explosion of a home some 200 feet from one of its old wells. 

Susan Greene
April 26, 2017 Environment/Energy

Despite suggestions that plumbing work may have led to last week’s fatal house explosion in Firestone, it looks as though a leak related to a nearby gas well may have been the cause.

In a statement this afternoon, oil and gas giant Anadarko acknowledged that it operates a vertical well that’s about 200 feet from the newly built house on Twilight Avenue that exploded April 17, killing brothers-in-law Mark Martinez and Joseph William Irwin III, both 42, and severely injuring Erin Martinez, Mark’s wife. A GoFundMe page has been created for the family.

The Frederick-Firestone Fire Protection District and the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) are investigating the cause of the blast.

A source has told The Independent that personnel and trucks bearing Anadarko’s logo responded soon after the explosion, and that company personnel at and near the scene over the following days came in unmarked vehicles and clothes. They were apparently paying special attention to a feeder line that may have been severed near the home.

Anadarko spokesman John Christiansen wouldn’t respond to that report, nor to questions on other aspects of his company’s possible involvement.

“There’s a lot that we don’t know and I’m not going to comment other than what’s in the press release,” said Christensen, who’s based in Texas but is in Colorado this week.


The company says the nearby vertical well was drilled in 1993 by what it noted in its statement was “a previous operator.”

As a result of the explosion, Anadarko has shut down some 3,000 wells in northern Colorado in what it calls “an abundance of caution.”

Firestone is in Weld County, about 30 miles north of Denver. Housing tracts are being built in on the heavily-drilled land there.

News stories after the explosion reported that Irwin, a master plumber, was helping Mark Martinez install a hot water heater, apparently at or near the time of the explosion. The insinuation was that their work may have led to their deaths.

But that narrative sounded immediately curious to those who knew Irwin and his work, and became less plausible when Colorado’s Public Utilities Commission passed the investigation on to the COGCC, which regulates the oil and gas industry.

In a statement, the COGCC said that it has been investigating the incident since Friday, April 18. The investigation includes “directing environmental sampling and inspecting oil and gas wells in the vicinity, including an Anadarko oil and gas operation located approximately 170 feet southeast of the property, and reviewing their history.” The Commission says it is also evaluating additional steps to review activities in the region.

The 170-foot distance the COGCC cited is less than the 200-foot estimate Anadarko cited in its statement.

“While the well in the vicinity is one aspect of the investigation, this is a complex investigation and the origin and cause of the fire have not been determined,” Theodore Poszywak, Firestone’s fire chief, said in a statement that indicated his department is continuing to gather and analyze evidence to determine the cause of the blast. The department says it will release the findings to the public “without delay” when they are complete.

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Anadarko Petroleum Issues Statement Regarding Colorado Operations

 

HOUSTON, TEXAS, April 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: APC) provided the following statement regarding the tragic home explosion and fire in Firestone, Colo., that occurred on April 17.
"This terrible tragedy has left all of us with heavy hearts, and the families and their loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers," said Al Walker, Anadarko Chairman, President and CEO. "Words cannot express how saddened we are that this occurred in a community where many of our employees, their families, and friends live and work. We share the community's gratitude for the courageous response of neighbors and nearby construction crews who quickly came to the aid of the family, as well as the first responders and others who made sure surrounding homes were kept safe."

While there is still much that is not yet known regarding the potential contributing factors, Anadarko operates an older vertical well that was drilled by a previous operator in 1993 and is located approximately 200 feet from where the home was recently built. As such, the company has been working cooperatively with fire officials and state regulatory agencies in their investigations since the time of the accident. 

While these events remain under active investigation and much remains to be determined, in an abundance of caution, since the company operates more than 3,000 producing vertical wells of the same vintage, it has taken proactive measures to shut in all vertical wells across the counties in northeast Colorado where it operates. The wells will remain shut in until the company's field personnel can conduct additional inspections and testing of the associated equipment, such as facilities and underground lines associated with each wellhead. Particular focus is being placed on areas where housing and commercial developments are occurring in close proximity to existing infrastructure. The wells will not be restarted until each has undergone and passed these additional inspections. Anadarko currently anticipates the process will take two to four weeks, depending on weather. The wells currently account for total production of about 13,000 net barrels of oil equivalent per day. 

"Our teams will remain actively engaged with residents in the Firestone community," said Brad Holly, Anadarko Sr. Vice President, U.S. Onshore Exploration and Production. "Colorado residents must feel safe in their own homes, and I want to be clear that we are committed to understanding all that we can about this tragedy as we work with each investigating agency until causes can be determined."

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Anadarko believes that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions. No assurance, however, can be given that such expectations will prove to have been correct. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the projections, anticipated results or other expectations expressed in this news release, including the timing of operational activities and determinations or other factors related to investigatory efforts. See "Risk Factors" in the company's 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other public filings and press releases. Anadarko undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.


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Oil-gas wells shut down after Colorado home explosion
Originally published April 26, 2017 at 4:48 pm Updated April 26, 2017 at 6:06 pm




In this April 18, 2017, photo, an investigator with the Firestone Police places evidence markers on debris near a house that was destroyed in a deadly explosion in Firestone, Colo., on April 17.... (Matthew Jonas/The Daily Times Call via AP) More


By
DAN ELLIOTT
The Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — Oil field crews are shutting down and inspecting more than 3,000 Colorado oil and gas wells as a precaution after a house explosion killed two people, but investigators haven’t determined whether a well caused the blast, officials said Wednesday.

Anadarko Petroleum said it operated a 24-year-old well about 200 feet (60 meters) from the site of the April 17 explosion and fire in the town of Firestone.

Fire department investigators said the well is part of their inquiry but they haven’t determined the cause of the explosion.

The blast killed Mark Martinez and Joseph William Irwin III. Erin Martinez, who was married to Mark Martinez, was badly burned. Irwin was her brother.

The proximity of subdivisions and wells is a source of contention in Colorado, where fast-growing cities sometimes overlap with lucrative oil and gas fields.

Conflicts have generated lawsuits and attempts to overhaul state rules, and the Legislature killed a proposal this year that would have increased the minimum distance between schools and new oil and gas facilities.

Anadarko said the well near the explosion was drilled in 1993 and that the house was built recently, but the year of construction wasn’t immediately available. The company said the well was drilled by another operator, which it did not identify.

Firestone, a community of about 10,000 people 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Denver, is in an oilfield.

Anadarko called the explosion a tragedy and expressed sympathy for the victims and their families. The company said it is cooperating with fire investigators and state regulators.

Anadarko said it will lose the equivalent of 13,000 barrels of oil a day while its 3,000 wells are turned off. A barrel is 42 gallons (151 liters).

Anadarko spokesman John Christiansen declined to disclose the estimated value of the product.

The company said the wells won’t resume operating until they are checked, and the process will take two to four weeks.

The wells being shut down and the one near the site of the explosion are all vertical, Anadarko said. Newer technology allows drilling rigs to bore vertically and then horizontally to reach oil or gas some distance away.

All the wells being shut down are about the same age as the one near the home, the company said.

Construction worker Derrick Douglas, 41, died, another injured after the boom lift they were working in tipped over at the Wellington Point Apartments in Smyrna, Georgia

Norman Strozier Jr., 36, of Atlanta. Injured

 
Construction worker killed after boom lift tips over in Smyrna, GA

Jon Gargis

A construction worker died Tuesday after the boom lift he was working in tipped over, Cobb authorities said Wednesday.

Derrick Douglas, 41, of College Park was killed in the incident at the Wellington Point Apartments, 50 Maner Terrace in Smyrna, which saw Douglas ejected from the bucket of the boom lift when it tipped over, according to Officer Alicia Chilton, spokesperson for Cobb Police.

The incident also critically injured another worker, who, along with Douglas, was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, where Douglas was pronounced dead.

An incident report provided to the MDJ by Cobb Police just before press time Wednesday identified the second victim as Norman Strozier Jr., 36, of Atlanta. Strozier suffered possible internal injuries and his right lower leg was broken, according to the report. Authorities did not update his condition Wednesday.

Lt. Dan Dupree, spokesperson for Cobb Fire, said Tuesday’s incident occurred at about 2:23 p.m.

The Cobb County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit responded to the scene of the incident and found no criminal activity, Chilton said, adding that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would be conducting an investigation.

OSHA spokesperson Michael D’Aquino confirmed Wednesday that the agency was investigating the incident, but could provide no further details.



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One person died and another was critically injured in a construction accident at a Cobb County apartment complex, a police spokeswoman said Wednesday.

The incident was reported about 2:20 p.m. Tuesday at the Wellington Point Apartments on Maner Terrace.

Derrick Douglas, 41, was in the bucket of a boom lift machine when the machine tipped over, Cobb police Officer Alicia Chilton said. Douglas, who was working on a construction project at the apartment complex at the time of the accident, was ejected from the bucket along with a coworker.

They were taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, Chilton said. Douglas was pronounced dead. The other worker, whose name was not released, was listed in critical condition, she said.

“The Cobb County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit responded to the scene and found no criminal activity,” Chilton said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident.

No other details were released.

Union Pacific train car carrying used Lithium Ion batteries explodes and catches fire near downtown Houston, Texas

A train explosion on Sunday evening blew out windows and sent a chemical stench across downtown Houston.

The shock from the blast could be felt as far as a mile and a half away.

Houston Independent School District board member Diana Dávila had just finished watching the Rockets playoff game with her family when they heard the loud boom.


About two minutes later, she could smell something acrid.

"We didn't let my nieces and nephews play basketball outside afterward," Dávila said. "Not until we knew what it was, and the smell was gone."

When Houston firefighters arrived at the scene, the Union Pacific conductor told them the materials on the car were "nothing hazardous," according to Capt. Ruy Lozano.

Thirty minutes later, Union Pacific explained that the car held lithium ion batteries on the way to San Antonio for recycling. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

Union Pacific spokesman Jeff DeGraff said the batteries are not hazardous, and air monitoring after the incident found nothing toxic. But safety data says lithium fumes are irritants to lungs, eyes and throats.


No shelter in place was issued to nearby residents, and no notifications were sent to the public about what happened.

Dávila and her family didn't know details until her nephew pulled up some news on social media 40 minutes later.

Air Alliance Houston is backing a bill in the state legislature to create a system of push alerts to mobile phones during any chemical incident that would "substantially endanger human health or the environment."

Right now, the decision on when to alert the public in the immediate aftermath is left to local agencies. Federal regulations require companies to report toxic releases over certain amounts to the appropriate agency but do not mandate immediate public disclosure in an emergency.

"It's going to happen again," Air Alliance outreach director Leticia Ablaza said. "We just feel like we're in the dark on the companies utilizing the railroad and what materials are being shipped."

A Houston Chronicle investigation last year found that city officials have no idea what's being transported through Houston, as no government agency tracks what's coming and going on the highways and rails.


The city also has no control over when and where hazardous materials are transported on rail routes.

Federal regulations leave that decision to rail carriers.

"We do have the discretion to select the most efficient route," DeGraff said. "The other option is putting it on trucks going on 610, I-10, and all around. Rail is the safest way to carry it."

When rail companies do move hazardous materials, they are under no obligation to notify authorities. Air Alliance Houston is urging people to seek medical attention if they have symptoms. Union Pacific is asking those affected by the explosion to call 281-350-7390 to make a claim



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HOUSTON - KHOU 11 found cleanup crews on the 1200 block of Chapman Monday afternoon picking up the debris from a train car explosion.

Inside of the nearly half dozen industrial-sized dumpster containers were the remnants of the burned shipment of recycled lithium-ion batteries, electronics and laptop computers.

The fire smoldered for hours after the blast, filling the air with noxious smells and smokes, which KHOU-11 has learned can be a potential health hazard.

Neighbors living near the railroad tracks and environmental advocates say the incident has left them with unanswered questions.


“What information we’re trying to get is what was it that caused the explosion,” executive director Air Alliance Houston Bakeyah Nelson said.

A Union Pacific spokesman said investigators were making the rounds near the scene of the blast, speaking with neighbors and local businesses to assess the damage to their properties. He said nobody was injured and a direct phone line has been established for those wishing to file claims related specifically to this incident: 281-350-7390.

Neighbors fear this sort of incident could happen again and that they have no idea what hazardous material or chemicals may be passing through their neighborhoods. The scene of the explosion was eight blocks from an elementary school.

“One of the things about this incident last night is that there was no notification by Alert Houston about what was going on,” Public Citizen’s Stephanie Thomas said. “People didn’t know if they needed to shelter in place or if they were OK.”

Lithium-ion battery fires should not be extinguished with water, however, HFD fire crews hosed the blaze for nearly one hour after the explosion. KHOU 11 is still attempting to identify the line of communication between the railroad and fire crews shortly after the blast.

The Union Pacific spokesman says he was unsure if a particular decal is dedicated to cargo shipments containing masses of lithium-ion batteries and did not know if the train car involved in Sunday’s explosion had one that fire crews would have seen.

An Houston Fire Department spokesman said the responding crews to the explosion operated off of information given them by Union Pacific at the time, stating there were no hazardous materials involved in that specific train car.

Union Pacific says it does not consider lithium-ion batteries to be hazardous material.  Is this a joke?





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HOUSTON - A train car carrying lithium batteries heading to recycling exploded just north of downtown Houston on Sunday.

The blast was so strong, it broke windows in nearby homes.

"The moment that I got into the threshold and got inside an explosion went off and it threw me into the other side of the door, so there was a tremendous amount of force – I had no idea what was happening." said Tashi Garcia, who lives nearby the railroad tracks.

After the ringing in his ears subsided, he said he checked out the damage to his home. There were broken windows and cracks along the walls.

"It looks like someone's just gone through, throwing stuff." he said.

A Union Pacific spokesman said the train's conductor noticed smoke coming from one of the train cars and stopped the train.

When he went to inspect it, he saw one of the cars was on fire.

The spokesman said the car was carrying a load of lithium ion batteries and was heading to a recycling center.

He said the batteries aren't considered hazardous material.

There were no reports of injuries after the blast.

Anyone who was affected by the blast can call 888-877-7267 to file a claim with Union Pacific.

Hazmat situation at the death scene of homebrewer and stoner Zachary Padove in Hyde Park, Illinois due to strange odor

HYDE PARK, ILLINOIS — A man was found dead in his Hyde Park apartment early Wednesday in a situation that required a hazardous materials team to respond.

Zachary Padove was found in his apartment when police arrived at 2:30 a.m. at the building in the 1200 block of East 53rd Street, authorities said.

Police noticed an unusual smell, and the Chicago Fire Department brought in a hazmat team to manage a potentially toxic situation.

Larry Langford, a spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department, said Padove's mother called the police when she found him unconscious.

The Chicago Medical Examiner's Office identified Padove, though it could not immediately confirm his age. Padove was a veterinary technician assistant at the nearby Hyde Park Animal Clinic since 2008, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Padove, according to his personal website and homebrewers forums, was interested in brewing beer in his home, as well as in fermented foods like Korean kimchi and kombucha.

"There were other things going on in there," Langford said.

He said police were treating the apartment as a crime scene, and state agencies were being called in to help investigate.

"If anyone goes back in there, they will probably be masked up and suited up," Langford said.

He declined to say what the specific danger was, but said the other tenants in the building were never in any danger and likely would be able to re-enter the building.

The Chicago Fire Department was wrapping up its investigation at 10 a.m., with a single sample of possibly illegal substances from the apartment being analyzed by firefighters and police, according to Langford.

Padove's body remained in the apartment, and police were expected to continue their investigation into the afternoon.



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CHICAGO (CBS) — Someone might have been making methamphetamine in a Hyde Park apartment building where a man was found dead early Wednesday, prompting a hazardous materials response, according to sources.

Police said drugs might have been manufactured in an apartment near 53rd and Woodlawn. Sources said meth might have been inside the apartment where the 25-year-old man was found dead, along with several items that could have been used to make the drug.

The man’s mother called 911 when she found him unresponsive in their apartment shortly after 2 a.m.

Paramedics found items they thought needed a closer look. Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said there was a funny smell in the apartment, and items that might be illegal. Langford said he could not identify the items that were found.

“That’ll be for the Police Department to do,” he said.


Sources said the items paramedics found possibly were related to drug making in the apartment. Langford said crews initiated a hazardous materials response, and evacuated the building.

Firefighters donned decontamination suits and oxygen masks to go into the apartment to collect air samples. The Police Bomb and Arson Unit also was called in to assist, and at least six bags of evidence were collected from the apartment.

The man found dead inside has been identified as 25-year-old Zackary Padove, who works as a veterinary technician at a nearby animal clinic.

What happened to Padove was unclear.

“He died shortly before we got there. I mean, it’s not like he’s been there for days,” he said.

Langford declined to comment when asked if there might have been a meth lab in the apartment, but said it’s “very possible” the items removed from the apartment were what killed Padove.

Area Central Detectives were conducting a death investigation.

As far as exactly what was found in the apartment, and any possible threat to public safety, officials said there is nothing environmentally hazardous to the public in the area.



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Wednesday, April 26, 2017 01:18PM
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A death investigation was underway Wednesday after a man was found unresponsive in an apartment building on Chicago's South Side. A suspicious odor forced evacuations and brought hazardous materials crews to the scene.

Authorities sounded the all clear around 10 a.m., after firefighters and hazmat crews determined there was no environmental threat to people in the 1200-block of East 53rd Street in the city's Hyde Park neighborhood.

Area Central detectives led the death investigation and at least one FBI agent was spotted at the scene.

Emergency responders were called to the three-story building around 2:30 a.m. A mother had found her 25-year-old son unconscious and not breathing in their apartment.

Paramedics tried to revive the man, identified to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office as Zackary D. Padove, but couldn't. Police said he was dead at the scene.

Around 4:30 a.m., first responders noticed a strange smell in the apartment and sensed things seemed out of place. That's when hazmat crews were called in and at least six residents were evacuated from the building.

Neighbors, like Tanya Scruggsford, watched the situation unfold and was troubled by the investigation.

"Me and my child, we kind of walk to the park on this block. We're always passing by this building. To hear that someone has lost their life, it's really concerning for me as a parent," Scruggsford said. "We are a close-knit community here. If anything happens we want to make sure that our friends and family in the area are OK and they're safe."

The medical examiner has yet to determine the manner and cause of death. There were apparently no obvious signs of trauma.

Neighbors were expected to be let back into their apartments Wednesday.