TWO PEOPLE ARE DEAD AND UP TO EIGHT MORE ARE INJURED AFTER AN EXPLOSION AT GALLERIA SHOPPING CENTER IN MORLEY, IN PERTH’S NORTHEAST IN AUSTRALIA. THE CAUSE AND ORIGIN INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING.
February
3, 2015
Morley, Perth, Australia:
Witnesses say they saw people “burning from head to toe” as
they ran from the blast.
It is believed that a transformer exploded near a Woolworths
at about 9.30am, although police said the cause of the explosion is unknown.
Three men were taken to Royal Perth Hospital with serious
burns, with one suffering burns to 80 per cent of his body. Two of the men
remain in critical condition.
St John Ambulance said half a dozen people were treated at
the scene for smoke inhalation and shock. Some of the injured were electrical
contractors who had been inside the Woolworths.
A woman who was trying to assist the injured was taken to
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital for smoke inhalation.
A spokesperson for the ambulance service said the man with
burns to 80 per cent of his body was conscious and breathing when paramedics
arrived. “All of these people are in for a long stint in hospital,” the
spokesman added.
One witness, Christine Saarinsen, told Perth Now she had
seen “a wall of flames’’ coming out of the side of the Morley Galleria and at
least three people on fire. She said she heard an expolsion like a gas bottle
going off.
“We ran out and saw the flames coming out of the building,”
she said. “We saw these three guys burning, one guy was trying to strip his
clothes off, another was rolling on the ground.
“Another ran and collapsed under a tree on his stomach. Some
of the doctors ran out with blankets. The guy under the tree was screaming his
head off. It was not a nice sight.”
Police commissioner Karl O’Callaghan also told Fairfax radio
that police received a report that two people were on fire.
WA Police said in a statement: “One person is confirmed
deceased, and three others are being treated for injuries they received, one of
which is in a critical condition. It is believed all four persons were working
in an area near the electrical transformer.
“The cause of the explosion is unknown and WA Police will be
working with WorkSafe and EnergySafety personnel as part of the investigation.
A report will be prepared for the Coroner.”