Woman arrested in suspected drunk driving crash that injured trooper, Steve Campion reports.
By Jeff Ehling
Monday, September 05, 2016 05:17PM
WEBSTER, TX (KTRK) -- A woman accused of driving drunk is facing charges after an accident on the Gulf Freeway left a DPS trooper seriously injured.
At about 1:45am, Trooper Chad Blackburn was on the shoulder of the road along I-45 near NASA Road 1, possibly monitoring for speeders and drunk drivers, when another vehicle struck the rear of his patrol car.
"A red Mercedes-Benz was traveling at a high rate of speed tried to attempt a lane change to the right on the outside and ran into the back of the state trooper," said DPS Sgt. Richard Standifer.
Trooper Blackburn was first transported to Clear Lake Regional Medical Center and then to Memorial Hermann Hospital Downtown where he is being treated for serious injuries.
The woman, identified as Tuwanna S. Moore, 31, of League City, who was driving the red Mercedes was taken to the hospital to have her blood drawn. Moore was arrested on a charge of intoxication assault causing serious bodily injury to a peace officer, a second degree felony, and was transported to the Harris County Jail. She was treated for injuries at the hospital.
DPS Trooper critically injured after being hit by a suspected drunk driver on the Gulf Frwy
We are told Trooper Blackburn has young children and his family is with him in the hospital. Blackburn is stationed at the DPS Webster office.
I-45 was closed for hours during the investigation.
Unified Command established for Louisiana oil spill response
Sep 6th, 2016
NEW
ORLEANS – The Coast Guard, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office and
ECM Maritime Services have established a unified command to respond to
an oil discharge near Bay Long, Louisiana, Tuesday.
The damaged pipeline is isolated. Response crews are determining the
best way to safely remove the remaining product from the line.
To date, 74 personnel, 21 boats, 8 skimmers, and approximately 10,000
feet of hard-boom have been deployed to contain and recover the
product. Approximately 560 gallons of oily-water mixture have been
recovered.
Aerial assessments are being conducted of the site and surrounding areas to guide response efforts.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has reported two
oiled birds in the area. Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
is conducting shoreline impact assessment. To report impacted wildlife,
call 713-705-5897.
On Monday,
an estimated 5,300 gallons of crude oil was discharged from a Harvest
Pipeline Company pipeline after a Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company
vessel conducting excavation operations struck it.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
=================
Coast Guard responds after dredge strikes pipeline in Louisiana
Sep 5th, 2016
NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard and other agencies are responding to an oil discharge near Bay Long, Louisiana, Monday.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report at 10:09 a.m. that approximately 5,300 gallons of crude oil leaked from a pipeline own by Harvest Pipeline Company after it was struck by a Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company vessel that was conducting excavation operations.
The pipeline is reported as secured.
ECM Maritime Services, an oil spill response organization, has been contracted Great Lakes Dredge and Dock company to manage clean-up operations. An Incident Command Post is being established in Grand Isle to manage response operations.
Environmental Safety & Health has deployed approximately 3,000 feet of hard-boom. OMI Environmental Solutions and Clean Gulf Association are using sorbent material and skimmers to collect the oil. The Coast Guard and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries are also overseeing the response.
Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans aircrews have conducted aerial assessments of the site and surrounding areas.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
=========
Dredge hits coastal Jefferson Parish pipeline, Coast Guard reports
The U.S. Coast Guard reported a dredging company hit a pipeline Monday afternoon (Sept. 5, 2016) in coast Jefferson Parish, leading to the release of about 10 barrels of oil. (Google Maps)
By Maria Clark, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on September 05, 2016 at 5:28 PM, updated September 05, 2016 at 8:59 PM
A pipeline struck by a dredging company Monday afternoon (Sept. 5) about 12 miles from Grand Isle has been secured, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The accident in Bay Long, which is about 12 miles east of Grand Isle, resulted in the spill of about 5,300 gallons of crude oil into the water.
The Illinois-based company, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock, provides marine dredging and engineering services according to their website. There was no immediate response to an email and phone call to the company. The pipeline is owned by the Harvest Pipeline Co.
ECM Maritime Services, an oil spill response organization, has been contracted Great Lakes Dredge and Dock company to manage clean-up operations. A command post is being established in Grand Isle to manage response operations.
OMI Environmental Solutions and Clean Gulf Association are using absorbent material and skimmers to collect the oil. A containment boom, which operates as floating barrier, was deployed to stop the spread of the oil. The Coast Guard and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries are also overseeing the response.
The cause of the incident is still under investigation.
This story has been updated with new information on response efforts.
By Tim Fleischer
Monday, September 05, 2016 06:11PM
JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (WABC) -- Several families have been displaced after a fast-moving 3-alarm fire broke out in three buildings, two of which were duplexes in Jersey City.
The fire started shortly after 9 a.m. at 106 Yale Avenue. Residents say they heard two loud noises, like a 'pop', then the fire spread quickly. All of the buildings involved sustained heavy damage, except for 102 Yale Avenue.
Two captains and two firefighters were injured in the fire, and were transported to Jersey City Medical Center-Barnabas Health for treatment.
Firefighters resuscitated a cat affected by the fire.
Photo: @chendolibre
20 adults and five children were displaced as a result of the fire. The Red Cross is working to help the families who were affected.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, however officials believe the preliminary cause is charcoal that was dumped into a canister in the backyard, which may have smoldered and spread to the building.
By Tim Fleischer
Monday, September 05, 2016 04:44PM
NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Quick-moving flames took over multiple buildings in Newark Monday afternoon.
The damage likely could have been worse if not for the work of a Good Samaritan who ran over to warn people.
40 people have been displaced by this fire. It tore through three buildings and fortunately no one was injured.
"Fire was everywhere, was fuming everywhere. People were getting out. Some were a bit trapped," said Noel Soto, fire victim.
That fire was moving quickly through the apartment buildings in North Newark.
Jessica Hernandez saw the flames as she passed by the building with her children and began to alert residents.
"A gentleman came out the window on the third floor and I yelled, 'Get out of your house immediately. There's no way, get out the house now. It's very bad.' And then I saw people coming out the second house," Hernandez said.
"We heard lots of screaming outside, people yelling 'fire!' So we quickly got out of the house. Make sure everyone was fine got the kids," Soto said.
The fire spread to a second building and then to a third apartment building as Newark firefighters began to attack the fire inside.
"They had a heavy volume of fire extending to a second building so it was a matter of deploying firefighters into both buildings and keep it from extending. So it was a labor intensive initial attack," said Chief John Centanni, Newark Fire Department.
Carmen Reyes says the fire was in the apartment next to hers.
"It come out of the apartment next door. We took the kids out and they went downstairs," said Reyes through a translator.
A number of residents were living in the building at the time and everyone escaped safely.
"There were approximately 40 people who are being relocated or with family or in a shelter," Centanni said.
"Very lucky. Because again, if I had not noticed the severity it again I wouldn't even know what to think, what my conscience, knowing that I saw this and didn't react," Hernandez said.
========
NEWARK — More than 50 people are homeless and a fire captain was injured after a four-alarm blaze damaged multiple buildings on Mt. Prospect Avenue.
The fire started in a three-story duplex around 12:30 p.m. Monday and eventually spread to adjacent buildings leaving three uninhabitable, Fire Chief John Centanni told NJ Advance Media.
A fire captain suffered a knee injury but no other injuries were reported in the fire, which firefighters continue to battle Sunday afternoon, NJ Advance Media reported. The cause of the blaze is still being investigated, the article states.
Ahead of court date, Exxon fighting spill fine, mandates
By Debra Hale-Shelton
This article was published today at 3:08 a.m. Updated today at 3:08 a.m.
As Exxon Mobil and a federal regulatory agency prepare for oral arguments before a federal appeals court this fall, the oil giant is challenging the agency's authority to order certain safety measures and to levy much of the $2.6 million fine the company paid earlier this year.
Oral arguments in the case resulting from the Pegasus pipeline's March 2013 rupture in Mayflower are tentatively scheduled in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans the week of Oct. 31. The court will set a specific date later.
Late last week, Exxon Mobil Pipeline Co., a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corp., filed two documents totaling 159 pages in an effort to persuade the court to overturn the fine and a compliance order levied by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, often called PHMSA.
The safety administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, is due to respond Sept. 16.
Exxon Mobil is especially concerned about a compliance-order requirement directing the company to revise its seam-failure susceptibility process for all pre-1970 electric-resistance-welded pipe in all of the pipelines it operates. Such pipe is no longer made, and industry experts have known for decades that it is prone to manufacturing defects, or hook cracks.
Exxon Mobil has said it operates more than 1,000 miles of pipeline that is similar in condition to the Pegasus, built in 1947-48, and that is subject to the federal agency's safety regulations. In its newly filed documents, the company said the same kind of pipe is used in 25 percent of the nation's oil pipelines.
Such cracks caused the Pegasus to break open in Mayflower's Northwoods subdivision on a Good Friday afternoon and send tens of thousands of gallons of thick crude into the neighborhood, drainage ditches and a cove of Lake Conway.
"[Exxon Mobil] complied with the [safety administration's integrity-management program] regulations. In fact, it did more than it was required to do," the company argued.
But Exxon Mobil said the safety administration has reinterpreted its own regulations since the pipeline accident and "now claims that [a pipeline] operator must take specific actions in order to comply" with the agency's integrity-management program. "Yet the regulations do not state what those actions are," Exxon Mobil said.
"PHMSA issued a Compliance Order in this case, requiring that [the company] assess seams at least every five years, regardless of risk, on all [low-frequency, electric-resistance-welded pipe] in the Company's system, not just the pipeline involved in this incident," the company added.
"The regulations require no such actions, and the Agency has not asked any other operator in the industry to take such steps," Exxon Mobil said. "Further, the Pipeline Safety Act and PHMSA's own rules limit the scope of Compliance Orders to violations found, and the entire Compliance Order far exceeds that limit." Exxon Mobil argued that the federal case against it is largely based on a 2005-06 water-pressure test the company had done on the Pegasus. That test revealed 11 seam failures in the pipeline.
"PHMSA -- and its counsel -- would have this Court believe that [Exxon Mobil] simply ignored that test data," the company said. "This is incorrect."
"PHMSA found violations in this case only after a release occurred," Exxon Mobil wrote. "Over the preceding decade, the Agency failed to raise any objection about [the company's] engineering analyses that the Pegasus Pipeline was not susceptible to seam failure. The Agency also knew a ... seam/crack tool run just months before the incident did not identify the defect that caused the Mayflower release, even though the tool run results were reviewed after the incident when they were under significant scrutiny.
"Finally, the Agency was well aware that a study commissioned by PHMSA ... had recently concluded that at present there is no [in-line inspection] tool available that can reliably and perfectly detect all [low-frequency, electric-resistance-welded] seam failure anomalies."
Exxon Mobil said Congress has given the safety administration the authority to take enforcement action against a company based on a violation of a federal statute or rule. But Congress has not given the agency the power to take such action based solely on an incident such as an oil spill.
Even if the court finds the federal agency acted within its authority, the company said the civil penalty is too high.
"Any 'related series of violations' cannot exceed $1 million," Exxon Mobil argued.
The company paid the fine, which totaled $2,630,400, earlier this year.
In July, Exxon Mobil Corp. reported its weakest quarterly profit in nearly 17 years but still earned $1.7 billion in the second quarter. That was down 59 percent from a year earlier.
Residents evacuated 22 homes on a long-term basis, and many never moved back. Exxon Mobil has since bought more than half of the subdivision's 62 homes, demolished two because of oil beneath them, and sold more than 20 of the homes it bought.
Government attorneys have said the accident caused more than $57 million in property damage.
The roughly 650-mile section of the Pegasus, running from Patoka, Ill., to Corsicana, Texas, has been shut down since the accident. Only the remaining 211-mile section in Texas has resumed service.
UPDATE: State police identify man who died in fiery accident Saturday on I-81 near Christiansburg
By Web Staff |
Posted: Sat 12:27 PM, Sep 03, 2016 |
Updated: Sun 11:29 AM, Sep 04, 2016
CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (WDBJ7) State police have identified the man who died in Saturday's fiery crash on Interstate 81 near Christiansburg.
Photo: Casey Taylor
Jeffery Curtis Pritchard was 62. He lived in Pulaski.
The accident tied up traffic for several hours.
At 11:31 am on September
3, Pritchard was traveling south on Interstate 81 in the right lane,
three tenths of a mile south of Route 8 in Montgomery County. The
tractor trailer lost control, ran off the left side of the roadway and
overturned in the median. The tractor trailer and its contents caught
fire fully engulfing the tractor trailer.
ORIGINAL STORY
Neighbors say they heard a tire blow which is normal, but it's the second explosion that caught them off guard.
Carol Love said, "I never saw anything burn like that in my life… I jumped out of my chair and ran to the kitchen window, looked out and saw the fire and black smoke."
The truck was headed southbound around 11:30 when it overturned near mile marker 114.
"That's when my house shook,” she said. “It felt just like an earthquake going off.
All this led to I-81 completely shutting down for about three hours.
"Next thing I know the traffic was backing up everywhere, and we had another explosion and it kept exploding,” said Love.
She says the fuel truck exploded about three times, sending a dark cloud that could be seen as far as Virginia Tech's campus.
"That black smoke? It looked like the smoke was all the way up to the clouds,” she said.
Love's house sits 230 feet away from the interstate. Saturday, she found out how close that really is.
She said, "And the heat you could feel it all the way up to the back of my house back there."
It's a sight Carol Love will never forget, and one she never wants to see again.
"Just pray for that man that was in that truck,” she said.
UPDATE
One lane of I-81 North and South are back open following a tractor-trailer accident.
Virginia State Police have confirmed that a person died in the accident.
There are still delays in the area, so drivers should find alternate routes if possible.
UPDATE
VDOT will be opening the shoulder on both the northbound and southbound sides of I-81 near Christiansburg in order to get the traffic moving.
It will still be a while before the accident is cleared.
The 2003 International tractor-trailer was hauling fuel. The tractor-trailer was the only vehicle involved.
ORIGINAL STORY
A 2003 International tractor-trailer that overturned and caught on fire on Interstate 81 near Christiansburg has closed the interstate.
Just after 11:30 a.m. Saturday, an International tractor-trailer was driving south on I-81. After overturning, the tractor-trailer and its contents caught fire and fully engulfed the tractor-trailer.
The 2003 International tractor-trailer was driven by Jeffery Pritchard, 62, of Pulaski. Pritchard was wearing his seatbelt and died at the scene.
The tractor-trailer was hauling diesel fuel and was the only vehicle involved in the crash.
The Virginia Department of Transportation closed several lanes while the cleanup was conducted to evaluate the damage to the roadway.
The fire occurred near mile marker 114.
The crash remains under investigation.
Here is more information from state police:
Interstate 81 at the 113.8 Northbound, there is a tractor trailer which has overturned in the median and is on fire. It is fully engulfed and the fire unit and police are on scene. Traffic has been stopped in order to let fire units deal with the fire. Both north and south bound lanes are shut down.
=============
VSP identifies man killed in tanker fire on Interstate-81
By Rachel Lucas - Virginia Today Weekend Anchor Published: September 3, 2016, 12:07 pm Updated: September 4, 2016, 10:24 am
5:00 A.M UPDATE (WSLS 10) – Virginia State Police confirm the name of the man who was killed in a tanker crash Saturday on Interstate-81.
Jeffery Curtis Pritchard, 62 of Pulaski died in the crash. Curtis was driving a 2003 International tractor trailer. According to Virginia State Police, he was wearing his seat belt and died at the scene.
At 11:31 am on September 3, Pritchard was traveling south on Interstate 81 in the right lane, three tenths of a mile south of Route 8 in Montgomery County. The tractor trailer lost control, ran off the left side of the roadway and overturned in the median. The tractor trailer and its contents caught fire fully engulfing the tractor trailer.
The tractor trailer was hauling diesel fuel and was the only vehicle involved in the crash.
VDOT closed several lanes while the clean-up was conducted to evaluate the damage to the roadway.
The crash remains under investigation.
———————
MONTGOMERY COUNTY (WSLS 10) – Virginia State Police are investigating a fatal crash. According to police, a tanker truck caught fire after crashing on Interstate-81 at mile marker 113. 
Photo Courtesy of Billie Jean Hilton Photo Courtesy Billie Jean Hilton
Smoke can be seen for miles from the blaze. According to Virginia State Police, at 11:31 Saturday morning a tractor trailer was traveling south on Interstate 81 in the right lane, just south of the 114 exit when the driver lost control, ran off the right side of the roadway. The vehicle attempted to correct, came back into the roadway and overturned in the median then caught fire said authorities. The tractor trailer and the contents of the tanker caught fire fully engulfing the tractor trailer.
The truck was the only vehicle involved in the incident and the only injury was to the driver of the tractor trailer.
State Police are working at this time to identify the driver and more information will follow when the identity of the driver and notification have been made.
No word yet on a cause of the crash or if anyone has been injured.
According to VDOT, drivers can expect major delays due to the tractor trailer accident. Both north and south lanes are closed.Traffic backups are approximately 3.0 miles.
There is 3 miles of Southbound congestion at this time. Southbound traffic is being diverted off at Exit 114.
WSLS 10 will continue following this developing story.
L&I investigating beverage company after two ammonia leaks this week
By Nina Culver ninac@spokesman.com
The
Washington Department of Labor and Industries has launched an
investigation into the Johanna Beverage Company at 5625 W. Thorpe Road
after two ammonia leaks this week sparked evacuations.
An
inspector was on site at Thursday afternoon, said L&I spokeswoman
Elaine Fischer, but a complete report could take two months to complete.
Johanna Beverage does not have any previous safety complaints on file,
she said.
The first leak was reported Saturday evening and
caused fire crews to evacuate homes and businesses within a third of a
mile. Eight employees were sickened and one was taken to the hospital.
The
second leak Wednesday evening was much larger and people as far north
as Sunset Boulevard and as far east as Highway 195 were told to evacuate
or shelter in place. Interstate 90 was shut down for nearly an hour.
Only minor symptoms were reported and none required treatment, according
to fire personnel on scene.
The facility makes juices sold
under the Earth Wise, Washington Natural, Tree Ripe, Ssips and Citrus
Sunshine brands, according to the company’s web site. A company
representative declined to comment Thursday afternoon.
Staff , KREM 6:34 PM. PDT September 01, 2016
SPOKANE,
Wash. --- Fire officials confirmed Thursday an ammonia leak from a
commercial refrigeration system forced officials to temporarily close
Interstate 90 on Wednesday night.
The leak shut down parts of the freeway for a few hours after an ammonia cloud was spotted near Geiger.
Officials
said this was the second chemical leak at Johanna Beverage in the last
week. A leak on Saturday sent one person to the hospital and forced the
building to evacuate.
Officials from Fire District 10 said the
first leak on Saturday released between 700 to 1000 lbs. of anhydrous
ammonia. The second leak on Wednesday released between 300 and 600 lbs.
of the chemical.
Fire officials said in a release that both leaks
were due to malfunctioning equipment contained in the refrigeration
room at the plant. They said the Wednesday release happened as repair
technicians were beginning to start the refrigeration unit backup after
making repairs related to the Saturday leak.
The company and Fire
District 10 said they are working together on prevention measures.
Joanna Beverage reportedly is installing a temporary, non-ammonia
refrigeration unit while repairs are being made to the existing system.
Chlorine gas leak leaves damage, lawsuits ahead in West Virginia
September 5, 2016
By MILES LAYTON and CASEY JUNKINS , The Intelligencer
NEW MARTINSVILLE - Bob Heslep guided his forklift Thursday morning to unload a truck filled with fresh mums delivered to the Hannibal Garden Center.
Located near Hannibal, Ohio, the popular garden center along Ohio 7 between Wheeling and Parkersburg was affected by the Aug. 27 chlorine gas leak at the Axiall Corp's chemical plant in southern Marshall County. A chemical cloud from the plant headed south toward New Martinsville and across the Ohio River.
"Thousands of our mums were destroyed by the chlorine gas," said Heslep, owner/manager of the garden center. "We're just going to have to throw them out."
Article Photos
Photo by Miles Layton
Bob Heslep, owner/manager of the Hannibal Garden Center, unloads fresh mums that were delivered Thursday morning. Heslep said thousands of mums and other plants are being replaced at the garden center after they came into contact with a toxic gas cloud Aug. 27 that occurred after a train car leaked chlorine at the Axiall Corp.’s plant near Proctor.
Portions of W.Va. 2 and Ohio 7 were closed for several hours after thousands of gallons of liquid chlorine leaked from a railcar inside Axiall's Natrium plant near Proctor. The incident forced many residents in both Marshall and Wetzel counties to evacuate their homes for several hours, while two workers were hospitalized at the site and released.
Heslep said local fire departments advised him and his employees to immediately evacuate from the garden center. Heslep shook his head as he said, "We were working that morning - we had to leave."
The garden center has since reopened and restocked many of the damaged plants and flowers.
When chlorine gas combines with water, Heslep said, it becomes hydrochloric acid - which is toxic to plants, animals and people. Every so often, motorists can spot trees or plants along the river that appear a little more brown than they should at the outset of fall. Plants that may have had a light coating of morning dew were more affected than those that had been in the sunlight.
Heslep said the garden center's mums, annuals and perennials that were affected by the chlorine may take too long to recover and bloom again, so they are being thrown out and/or turned into compost.
Those forced from their homes for several hours by the chlorine gas cloud are now suing the chemical producer.
Jim Bordas, of Bordas & Bordas, filed the complaint in Marshall County Circuit Court on behalf of Proctor area residents Tim and Rhonda Bohrer and Roy and Darlene Yoho. Bordas said he hopes Circuit Judge Jeffrey Cramer certifies the case as a class-action lawsuit so others affected by the situation can join.
"A tree could be worth $10,000 to $12,000, according to some estimates," Bordas said. "We'll see how many people have issues. They could have dead trees, dead grass, dead shrubs or damaged cars."
The resulting gas cloud forced emergency officials on both sides of the Ohio River to evacuate numerous homes and close portions of Ohio 7 and W.Va. 2.
"These people were forced from their homes and their property was damaged," Bordas said.
There are several counts in the complaint, including negligence, trespassing, private nuisance and public nuisance. The plaintiffs do not seek a specific amount of monetary compensation, but are demanding a jury trial.
"Axiall chose to use a dangerous chemical, liquid chlorine, in its operations at the Proctor plant, which created an abnormally dangerous activity," Bordas asserts in the complaint.
Bordas also maintains Axiall "is strictly liable to the affected residents because of the dangerous nature of the chemical used in its Marshall County operations, which the company allowed to escape."
Bordas said there are no claims of personal injury at this point, but did not rule out the possibility.
On Wednesday, Westlake Chemical Corp. completed its previously announced $3.8 billion acquisition of Axiall.
"Typically, when one company buys another company, they set aside a fund for liabilities," Bordas said.
Officials with Westlake did not respond to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit. However, by acquiring Axiall, company leaders believe the firm will be the third-largest chlor-alkali producer and the second-largest PVC producer in North America.
Axiall formed in early 2013 when PPG Industries sold its chemical business to the former Georgia Gulf Corp., with the combined firm taking the Axiall name. Pittsburgh-based PPG remains a Fortune 500 company manufacturing paint and glass.
Employing several hundred workers at the site along the Ohio River, the Natrium plant has manufactured chemicals, primarily chlorine, but also caustic soda, muriatic acid and calcium hypochlorite.
===============
Coast Guard closes Ohio River due to chlorine spill
Aug 27th, 2016
NEW
ORLEANS – Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley closed the Ohio River from
mile marker 118 to mile marker 130 near Proctor, West Virginia,
Saturday.
A release of liquid chlorine was reported from a rail
car at the Axiall Corporation Facility. An unknown amount of product has
been released into the ground and air creating a plume that is
traveling south down the river.
The West Virginia State Department of Environmental Protection is currently investigating the release.
================
Chlorine Leak From Railcar Closes Axiall Corp. Chemical Facility in West Virginia
Nearby communities in the state and in Ohio evacuated, while local roads closed
By
George Stahl Aug. 27, 2016 2:58 p.m. ET
A chlorine leak at an Axiall Corp.
chemical plant in West Virginia caused a shutdown of the facility, the
evacuation of nearby communities and the closure of local roads, the
chemical company said on Saturday.
The leak has been closed off,
Axiall said, and emergency crews are evaluating the area of the
discharge. One Axiall employee and a contract worker were transported to
nearby hospitals for treatment. Others were treated at an on-site
health facility.
Axiall said a rail tanker car loaded with
liquid chlorine developed the leak on Saturday morning inside its
Natrium chemical facility, which is located in Marshall County near
Proctor, W.Va. The railcar is no longer leaking, but the plant was
evacuated and is closed down.
Nearby communities in Proctor;
Kent, Ohio; and northern New Martinsville, W.Va., were evacuated, the
company said, and state highway 7 in Ohio and highway 2 in West
Virginia, as well as the Ohio River, were closed to vehicular traffic.
In addition, Axiall said, nearby industrial plants were ordered to have
their employees shelter in place.
In June, Westlake Chemical Corp. agreed to buy Axiall for about $2.33 billion, ending a months-long takeover battle between the two companies.
Axiall’s
plant in Natrium has had other accidents in the past, according to
local reports. In 2014, one worker died after a chemical explosion, and
in December, a steam release injured 11 workers.
================
Axiall Statement: Chlorine Railcar Leak at Natrium Plant
August 27, 2016 01:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Axiall Corporation (NYSE:AXLL) statement: At approximately 8:40
a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016, a rail tanker car loaded with liquid
chlorine developed a leak inside the Axiall Natrium chemical facility,
which is located in Marshall County near Proctor, W.Va. The rail car is
no longer leaking. Hazmat crews are on site and are evaluating the
railcar and area of the leak. The Natrium plant was evacuated and is
currently shut down.
Nearby communities in Proctor and Kent,
Ohio, and northern New Martinsville, W.Va. were evacuated and state
highway 7 in Ohio and highway 2 in West Virginia, as well as the Ohio
River, were closed to vehicle traffic. Nearby industrial plants were
ordered to have their employees shelter in place.
One Axiall
employee and a contract worker were transported to offsite hospitals for
treatment; others were treated at an onsite health facility.
About Axiall
Axiall Corporation is a leading integrated chemicals and building
products company. Headquartered in Atlanta, Axiall has manufacturing
facilities located throughout North America and in Asia to provide
industry-leading materials and services to customers. For more
information, visit www.axiall.com.
Contacts
Axiall Corporation
Chip Swearngan
corpcommunications@axiall.com =====================
Two
people have been transported to the hospital for inhalation injuries
and others are being treated at the site of a reported chlorine leak in
Marshall County. Officials from Axiall say a rail tanker car loaded with
liquid chlorine developed a leak Saturday morning inside the company's
facility near Proctor, W.Va.
Updated at 1:50 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27
Statement released from Atlanta-based Axiall Corporation:
At
approximately 8:40 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016, a rail tanker car
loaded with liquid chlorine developed a leak inside the Axiall Natrium
chemical facility, which is located in Marshall County near Proctor,
W.Va. The rail car is no longer leaking. Hazmat crews are on site and
are evaluating the railcar and area of the leak. The Natrium plant was
evacuated and is currently shut down.
Nearby communities in
Proctor and Kent, Ohio, and northern New Martinsville, W.Va. were
evacuated and state highway 7 in Ohio and highway 2 in West Virginia, as
well as the Ohio River, were closed to vehicle traffic. Nearby
industrial plants were ordered to have their employees shelter in place.
One Axiall employee and a contract worker were transported to
offsite hospitals for treatment; others were treated at an onsite health
facility.
Updated at 12:50 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27
Two
people have been transported to the hospital for inhalation injuries;
four or five are being treated on-site, according to Kelley Gillenwater
at the state's Department of Environmental Protection.
A rail
car at the Axiall site in Marshall County has been reported as the the
leak. DEP reports the capacity of the car is estimated to be about
30,000 gallons of pressurized liquid chlorine. The leak was reported at
8:30 a.m. Saturday, but how much chlorine was released is still unclear.
Marshall County emergency officials are reporting a chlorine
leak in the northern panhandle along the Ohio River is under control,
but a cloud of that resulted from the leak is still moving south toward
New Martinsville. Communities continue to be evacuated, but state
emergency officials say the cloud is dissipating.
Updated at 11:16 a.m. Saturday, August 27
On Ohio side - state route 7 is shut down; voluntary evacuation, according to Monroe County Sheriff Department.
Original Post:
Law
enforcement officials in Marshall County say there’s an uncontrolled
chlorine leak at the Axiall plant along Route 2. The leak is about 26
miles south of Wheeling. Route 2 has been shut down and communities to
the south, including Kent, West Virginia, are being evacuated. We’ll
have more updates as we receive them.
==================
Gas leak contained, roads still closed
Aug 27, 2016
Miles Layton
For The Times Leader
NEW
MARTINSVILLE — A chlorine leak this morning at the Axiall plant in
southern Marshall County is now under control, emergency officials said.
The leak was first reported around 8:45 a.m. today, when
Marshall County 911 said a chemical cloud from the plant was heading
south. Axiall issued a press release that said a rail tanker car loaded
with liquid chlorine developed a leak inside the company’s Natrium
chemical facility near Proctor.
The company said the rail car is
no longer leaking. The company said one of its employees and a contract
worker were transported to area hospitals for treatment; others were
treated at an onsite health facility.
The company said Hazmat
crews are evaluating the railcar and area of the leak that authorities
estimated to be 26 miles long. The Natrium plant was evacuated and is
currently shut down. W.Va. 2 was closed in that area and the Kent
neighborhood was evacuated.
River traffic was restricted in that area. The evacuation order remains in place.
Ohio
Route 7 between Clarington and Hannibal was shut down as a precaution
in Monroe County. Evacuation in that area is voluntary, according to the
Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.
Washington Lands’ Volunteer
Fire Department and Washington Lands Elementary School are open for
people needing some place to go during this event, according to Marshall
County 911.
This is not the first industrial accident to affect
residents in Kent, as an explosion at the nearby Blue Racer Midstream
natural gas processing plant in 2013 sent residents from their home.
In
Wetzel County, the New Martinsville Bridge across the Ohio River was
closed and residents in the Steelton area — Orchard Drive — and north
were evacuated, according to emergency officials. Magnolia High School
is being used as a shelter.
New Martinsville Police issued an alert around noon.
“If
you smell chlorine, then it would be in your best interest to evacuate
immediately rather than waiting on emergency services to come to you. We
are working as fast as we can to notify everyone,” the NMPD’s alert
said.
Marshall Emergency Management Agency said multiple first responders including Wetzel County fire departments are on scene.
After
the chemical leak was reported, Sistersville Mayor Bill Rice and the
cityás Water Plant Operator Craig Surface contacted the proper
authorities to determine if there was any threat to the city’s water
supply from the Ohio River.
“At this time, there is no imminent
threat,” according to the city. “The chemicals were released into the
air as opposed to directly into the water. While river traffic through
the area has been closed, Sistersville’s water supply is unaffected as
of this time.”
According to the Axiall’s website, the company is
a leading integrated chemicals and building products company.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Axiall has manufacturing facilities located
throughout North America and in Asia.
