Explosion At Industrial Park In Valdosta, Ga.

City Continues To Monitor Valdosta Explosion 8-14-13 11pm Valdosta Chemical Plant Explosion, 1 Mile Evacuation Ordered 8-14-13 6pm Video Of Valdosta Explosion 8-14-13 Credit: Jacob Fox Valdosta, GA Fire At Perma-Fix Chemical Plant 8-14-13 5:30pm Valdosta Plant Explosion 8-14-13 5pm Click here to find out more! Press Release: City of Valdosta Valdosta fire fighters remain at the scene tonight of the chemical fire that occurred earlier today at 1612 James P. Rodgers Circle. Fire fighters are monitoring the scene until the investigation can begin in the morning. Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, as well as the Lowndes County Emergency Management Agency Director, are also on site assisting the VFD in evaluating the safety of the area and making sure the area is safe for people to return to work tomorrow. James P. Rodgers Circle and a portion of James Rodgers Drive are currently still closed; however, James P. Rodgers Drive is expected to be open in the morning. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. An update will be provided when more information is available. Press Release: American Red Cross Valdosta—The American Red Cross chapter of south Georgia was asked to be on-site following an explosion this afternoon at PermaFix Co. in an industrial park in Valdosta. The chapter has volunteers from four counties and the chapter’s Emergency Response Vehicle at the site. The chapter’s chair of the board, Renee Parker, said volunteers will continue to be on duty as long as they are needed. Volunteers work under the supervision of the Disaster Services chair, Tommy Miller. Press Release: Valdosta Fire Department The City of Valdosta Fire Department responded to a chemical explosion on August 14 at PermaFix Environmental Services, located at 1622 James Rodgers Circle. The call came in at 2:22 p.m. and within minutes more than 40 firefighters and other first responders were on scene. The fire was under control by 4:30 p.m. with the assistance of the Lowndes County Fire Department and the Moody Air Force Base Fire Department. Also responding with aid were the Valdosta Police Department, Lowndes County Sheriff’s office, the Georgia State Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Due to the nature of the chemicals at the facility, the area was evacuated within a one-mile radius. At least three injuries have been reported, but no fatalities are known at this time. The fire is under investigation. An update will be provided when more information is available. Perma-Fix Statement Ann Smith, Director of Communications, said “All we can confirm is that there was a fire at our Valdosta facility, and the Valdosta Fire Department has responded. We are concerned for the safety of our employees.” Valdosta, GA - A 911 Call came in around 2:30 pm. The fire started at 1612 James Rodger Circle off of Madison Highway. WCTV doesn't know what caused the fire yet. The company Perma-Fix is a chemical disposal company. 10 different chemicals are housed at the facility. There is a one mile evacuation around the facility. The fire is under control now but it is not out. Ambulances were on the scene as well a life-flight helicopter. The helicopter picked up at least one person. We still don't know how many people are injured or the extent of their injuries. WCTV will bring you more information as it becomes available. Valdosta, GA - The Perma Fix plant in Valdosta handles hazardous and non-hazardous materials. There is a one mile evacuation around the facility. August 14, 2013 4:00pm The Valdosta Fire Department reports the fire is under control but not completely out. The fire started around 3pm Wednesday afternoon. There are possible injuries. Valdosta, GA - The Valdosta Fire Chief is reporting a large fire at Industrial Park on Gil Harbin Industrial Boulevard off Madison Hwy. WCTV will bring you more information as it becomes available. More Stories Valdosta Explosion Sends Three To The Hospital Related Links http://www.perma-fix.com/

Survivors of Ore. boat explosion include 2 cats

Aug.5,2013 Survivors of Ore. boat explosion include 2 cats http://news.yahoo.com/survivors-ore-boat-explosion-2-cats-230001015.html

In Venezuela a lightning caused fire in the Puerto La Cruz refinery

En Venezuela Un rayo causó incendio en la refinería de Puerto La Cruz

Disbelief on South Lake Drive; Sunday morning explosion takes life of Du Quoin man, Harold Pundsack, age 83

State Fire Marshal Bruce Dahlem and Du Quoin Fire Chief Bob Shaw may never know the exact cause of an unimaginable explosion at 9:25 a.m. Sunday that leveled the home of Harold Pundsack, 83, on South Lake Drive in the upscale Fair Acres subdivision. The explosion—heard as far away as Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park at Rend Lake—claimed Pundsack's life and carried a 200-foot tall plume of debris over a four-block area. As daughter Debbie Olinger was escorted by friends and firemen up to what was left of her father's home—and there was very little—she somehow found solace in his life well lived as those friends talked of his infectious smile, the fact that he never met a stranger and how he loved to dance. Oh, how he loved to dance. In fact, he was at Derby's Community Center, once the Perry County Senior Center, only last weekend doing what he loves to do—dance. Pundsack was a widower, losing his wife several years ago. It makes no sense that his great life as a veteran of the 101st Airborne Division and 502nd Infantry Division (D Company 3rd Platoon) after WWII should end with military and family photos raining down on the neighborhood that surrounded his brick home. Longtime neighbor Don Barrett—the back of his home faced the side of Pundsack's home—said he and wife Loretta were sitting in their living room during the explosion. "It was like a bomb going off," he said. The explosion blew the glass out of their kitchen and garage windows and damaged the set of patio doors into the living room. "It would have been bad if we had been in the kitchen; there is glass everywhere." Firemen say the explosion blew a window out of a home across the street, hitting the back of a chair that a woman was sitting in. EMTs from the Pinckneyville Ambulance Service painstakingly and very thoughtfully went door-to-door to see if anyone was hurt. Shortly after the blast Barrett moved his wife Loretta to the porch of their backyard shop. Above her, debris from the blast had ripped the blades off of an outside ceiling fan and damaged the wooden ceiling of that porch. To the Barrett's' immediate south on Madison Street, the blast tore out the back door and windows of the Korbar home, bouncing the frame from the foundation. It is heavily damaged. The Bob and Barb Conte home next door on South Lake Drive saw damage, as did the Chuck Smith house across the street. Northeast across the street the Walter Naumer and Mary Lou Morris homes were hit by debris. Read more: http://www.dailyamericannews.com/article/20130812/NEWS/130819968#ixzz2bsmJzf00

Mich. utility agrees to pay after deadly blasts

Mich. utility agrees to pay after deadly blasts Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013/08/12/3143044/mich-utility-agrees-to-create.html#storylink=cpy

3 AUSTRALIAN FFs INJURED IN EXPLOSION

Three firefighters were taken to hospital with minor injuries after battling an intense blaze at Coopers Plains in southern Brisbane overnight. The fire broke out around 11:30pm (AEST) and has gutted a wrecking business. Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) acting inspector Brad Ryan says 40 firefighters were brought in to battle the intense blaze. He says three were taken to hospital. "They injured themselves during the course of the firefighting activities - dragging hose and stepping over obstacles that were unseen to them at the height of the fire," he said. QFRS duty manager Brett Finnis says crews managed to stop it spreading to neighbouring businesses. "This one was a particularly intense fire with multiple explosions, so it made it quite hazardous for our blokes to fight the fire," he said. "We've got extensive damage, I'd expect that the building will be totally destroyed. "We're going to start that fire investigation to work out what caused the fire." The same business was devastated by the Brisbane flood in 2011. http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/news/fullstory/newsid/192797

No one injured after explosion under car in Oliver | The Boundary Sentinel

No one injured after explosion under car in Oliver | The Boundary Sentinel

Explosion blows out wall of mobile home in Cedar Rapids

The cause of an explosion that blew out part of a wall of a mobile home in Cedar Rapids is under investigation. On Monday, August 12, 2013 around 2:30 p.m. an explosion occurred at the Prairie Oaks Manufactured Housing Community, according to a report by KCRG. A neighbor who heard the boom called the fire department to report it. Fire crews found evidence of an explosion and fire inside a mobile home on site. Fire fighters evacuated a handful of people after extinguishing flames in the bathroom. They also moved people back from the area for safety reasons, authorities said. Monday evening, investigators searched the home, finding chemicals and other items, according to police and witnesses. The fire department returned during the search to confirm that there was not another fire hazard, according to KCRG. According to the report, Greg Buelow who works with the Cedar Rapids Fire Department said that the back wall of the mobile home was partially blown out. This area included the master bedroom and bathroom. KCRG reported that a 30-year-old woman and a 7-year-old girl were taken to area hospitals after the explosion. A 34-year-old man and a 12-year-old boy also had reported injuries, but were not taken to the hospital. All four are expected to make a full recovery. According to the Cedar Rapids Fire Department, they are working with the police department’s bomb squad to determine what happened. No arrests have been made, according to the report. http://wqad.com/2013/08/13/explosion-blows-out-wall-of-mobile-home-in-cedar-rapids/

No Injuries In Fuel Pipeline Explosion Near Iowa Border

No Injuries In Fuel Pipeline Explosion Near Iowa Border

Lightning strike sparks explosion at SW OKC oil tank battery

Lightning strike sparks explosion at SW OKC oil tank battery

Aftermath of fatal Argentinian building explosion - video

Argentina: Deadly apartment building gas explosion

Explosion then power cut in 2,722 households

HUNDREDS of householders were left without electricity last night (SUN) after an explosion at a sub station.
Firefighters were called to the station at the junction of Elphinstone Road an The Ridge at 8pm after reports of an explosion after residents felt the blast. They spotted fire and smoke on arrival and cordoned off the area.
A total of 2,722 customers lost power in The Ridge area. Engineers worked through the night to restore the supply with 686 back on within half an hour and another 326 by 9.19pm. Another 1,634 were back on 10.11pm. Power returned to the final 76 at 2.43am today.
UK Power Networks spokeswoman Kate Parkin said: “We understand how difficult it can be to be without power and apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
Keith Morris, watch commander at The Ridge Fire Station, said: “When we arrived there was a crowd of people. Residents had come to have a look after hearing an explosion. They said it shook their houses. There was smoke and small fires so we just make the place safe and called in UK Power. Their engineers said the cause was potenital moisture inside the station.”
http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/local/explosion-then-power-cut-in-2-722-households-1-5354778

Man's Leg Severed When Calif. Implosion Goes Awry

2 Hurt After Chlorine, Water Mixture Explodes

Authorities say an unstable mixture of water and chlorine caused an explosion inside a southern New Jersey home, injuring the homeowner and a neighbor who came to his aid.

The Asbury Park Press reports 62-year-old Russell Rocca of Surf City was diluting chlorine with water to be used in his hot tub when the mixture became unstable and exploded.

Rocca's neighbor, 43-year-old John Herrmann, heard the blast and tried to enter Rocca's home. But the intense chemical odor caused Hermann to become light headed and unable to help his neighbor.

Rocca was treated for burns to the face and difficulty breathing, while Herrmann was treated for undisclosed minor injuries.

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/2-Hurt-After-Chlorine-Water-Mixture-Explodes-218284281.html 

Girl, man injured in Spokane car explosion

Spokane police are investigating a car explosion that seriously injured a man and his 3-year-old daughter this afternoon.
The explosion was in a car on West Garland Avenue at Howard Street, in front of Sicilia Chiropractic PS. It happened about 2:17 p.m.
“We have an explosion but are still not sure exactly what transpired,” Lt. Rex Olson said. “We have a couple of people injured – non-life threatening – but they do have substantial injuries.”
The man and girl were rushed to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center with burns, and the father was being prepared to be flown to the UW Medicine Regional Burn Center at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Police and fire investigators are trying to determine what triggered the explosion.
“The information we’re getting from the person is he had some stuff in the front seat,” Olson said.
This story is developing and will be updated.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/aug/04/girl-man-injured-spokane-car-explosion/ 

Train derails in La., about 100 homes evacuated - KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana News Weather & Sports

Train derails in La., about 100 homes evacuated - KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana News Weather & Sports

Railways refuse to reveal toxic cargo

BRUCE BUMSTEAD/BRANDON SUN Enlarge Image

Rail cars sit next to the tracks after a 2010 derailment in Brandon.

On a daily basis some of the most dangerous and toxic chemicals in the world barrel through Brandon on railway tracks just metres from homes, schools, parks and businesses.
But just what chemicals fill those tankers is a difficult question to answer.

A look at some of the train wrecks and derailments in the Westman area
Jan. 1, 2013: A Canadian Pacific Rail freight train derails on New Year's Day in Brandon near the First Street overpass. No one is injured in the three-car derailment.

April 30, 2011: Twenty-three cars left the CN track about 48 kilometres southeast of St. Lazare. In total, 41 containers were involved in the derailment, 11 of which were loaded with unidentified but "non-dangerous" cargo while the other 30 were empty.
No one was injured and there were no environmental issues.

Aug. 24, 2010: Five cars -- two loaded with grain and three holding sodium chlorite -- derailed in Brandon under the Eighth Street Bridge. No one was injured in the derailment and no cargo was spilled.

Feb. 11, 2010: Fifty-seven cars carrying potash to the U.S. came off the tracks in the RM of Daly about 16 km west of Rivers. Trevor Peters, who works at a grain elevator near the derailment, said: "It sounded like the train was actually coming into the elevator," as the cars piled up.

Sept. 4, 2009: Grain cars and locomotives lay in a twisted wreck after a train derailed south of Carberry. The derailment was caused by a semi trailer hitting the train. No one was injured in the accident, which crushed the second rig of the double-long semi.

Oct. 22, 2008: Four cars containing anhydrous ammonia were among train cars that left the track in Brandon. There were no leaks but students at six nearby schools and area residents were told to stay indoors. The derailment forced the city to re-examine its emergency plan.

Dec. 2, 2005: A CN train derailed about five kilometres west of Brandon. There were no injuries when the train of approximately 50 cars left the tracks.

Nov. 7, 2002: No one was injured in a CPR derailment that saw 18 boxcars careen off the rails, tearing up about 300 metres of track in the process in Newdale.
The 52-car train was carrying only grain. Several boxcars flew off the rails landing side-by-side, shredded and spilling barley.

May 2, 2002: A large fire engulfed five derailed tank cars carrying dangerous goods after a train collided with a tractor-trailer and came off the tracks near Firdale. Four of the five cars suffered punctures and released products forcing a total of 156 people to be evacuated for two days from the area of the derailed train, which was 21 freight cars in length. There were no significant injuries.

Oct. 1, 2001: Nine cars, including two loaded tank cars of methanol and one loaded with vinyl acetate, derailed near Kemnay. As a precaution, 69 people were evacuated from Kemnay because of the hazardous goods. No injuries or release of product occurred in the derailment.

According to Canadian Pacific Rail spokesman Andy Cummings, it's a delicate issue.
"That is a sensitive question and for security reasons we aren't going to be able to provide you with the specifics that you are looking for," Cummings said when asked to provide a list of what hazardous goods go through Brandon on CPR track.
The Canadian Railway Association recently estimated as many as 140,000 carloads of crude oil are expected to travel over the nation's tracks this year, up from only 500 carloads in 2009.
Some of that oil will come from a new facility in Cromer, where a facility will be designed to handle 30,000 barrels of crude per day, with plans to expand to 60,000 barrels per day.
Cummings said there is a plan in place in the event of a derailment.
"There is a process in place in which our railway ensures local officials and emergency responders have access to that information and we do work directly with them."
CN spokesman Mark Hallman felt equally compelled to keep the information out of the public's hands, choosing not to provide a list of dangerous goods.
"CN shares with responsible authorities, including municipal officials and responders, information on what commodities are handled through their jurisdiction," Hallman said.
"This is done to assist municipal emergency planners and responders in developing effective and realistic emergency response plans."
The information is only provided to emergency responders, however, if they acknowledge making the list public would be a security risk and they sign a document stating the list will only be used for emergency planning.
While the information is available, it isn't in municipal or police leaders' hands in Brandon.
Allison Collins, the city's communications director, confirmed the city has not been provided "with any list of dangerous goods by the rail companies."
Const. Ron Burgess, with the Brandon Police Service, said they aren't provided any dangerous goods list from the rail companies either.
A representative from the Brandon Fire Department said they aren't provided a list. At times, the department is made aware if a hazardous chemical is going to be stored in Brandon, but there is no list of potentially dangerous goods on the rail line.
Brandon Mayor Shari Decter Hirst told the Brandon Sun she hoped to get "a deeper understanding of the kinds of goods being transported through the city" during a meeting with a dangerous goods official from CN.
-- Brandon Sun http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/railways-refuse-to-reveal-toxic-cargo-218196472.html

Army man killed in explosion in Ladakh

Army man killed in explosion in Ladakh

Fatal car ‘explosion’ closes A1(M)

Details are unclear at the moment but The Highways Agency believes a vehicle caught alight near the Coreys Mill roundabout in Stevenage and pulled over to the hard shoulder, it then exploded.
A spokesman said: “There was only one vehicle involved and it has been confirmed that one person died in the accident.
“It looks like there was a car fire followed by an explosion, it closed the A1(M) southbound.”
The accident happened at 1.50pm, with both lanes closed roughly 45 minutes later, one lane reopened at 4.12pm.
Firefighters, police officers and ambulance crews from across Hertfordshire attended.
Ambulance service spokesman Gary Sanderson was at the scene and hit out at voyeurs who filmed the carnage.
He tweeted: “I have just returned from serious RTC along the A1(M) in Stevenage and cannot believe people were filming the crash driving past #norespect.
“Not only disrespectful to those involved but risking their lives and the ‘blue light’ crews dealing with the incident!”
http://www.whtimes.co.uk/news/fatal_car_explosion_closes_a1_m_1_1963448

Mexico blast blamed on explosive mix

2 August 2013
Last updated at 21:00 ET

Emergency services dug for days and used sniffer dogs in search for survivors

An official inquest says the explosion that killed 37 people in January at the headquarters of state oil firm Pemex, in Mexico City, was caused by a mix of methane gas and solvent vapours.

The gas build-up in the basement rose from the soil and combined with the vapour of solvents used in maintenance.
The initial spark was caused by an electrical or mechanical source, experts say.
They also blamed faulty building design for the basement’s poor ventilation.
The methane is believed to have come up from the soil underneath.
‘Oil spills’

The 54-floor Pemex building is 214m (702 ft) tall

“[The gas came] either from oil spills by the Huasteca Petroleum Company, which occupied the site until the 1930s, or from the gas storage warehouse from Mexico City’s administration, a building which also was located there,” the report reads.
The experts say the methane would not have built up in the basement if the building had had proper ventilation.
Several lower floors collapsed in the blast, injuring more than 100 people.
Many were trapped in rubble at the base of the 54-storey tower after the explosion, that happened as shifts were changing in the afternoon.
After six months of investigation, experts found objects which could have sparked the blast: a light cable extension, a lamp and a plug.
Pemex has experienced a number of fatal accidents in recent years.
Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto is expected to propose a shake-up of Pemex in his energy bill.
The reform is expected to be presented to the Mexican Congress next week.

Via: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23558278#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Aquarium helps put out Sandy house fire after explosion - KPTV - FOX 12

Aquarium helps put out Sandy house fire after explosion - KPTV - FOX 12

Crews find possible meth making chemicals at Mt. Auburn fire - FOX19.com-Cincinnati News, Weather & Sports

Crews find possible meth making chemicals at Mt. Auburn fire - FOX19.com-Cincinnati News, Weather & Sports

Electrical issue likely cause of fire that killed 19 horses

Investigators have ruled out foul play as the cause of a barn fire that left 19 horses dead in Haughton Thursday evening.
State Fire Marshal and Bossier Sheriff’s Office officials believe the fire originated with an electrical issue with an air conditioning unit or breaker box. The investigation into the exact cause is ongoing.
The horses were stalled at River Point Racing and Equestrian Center and were racing or in training. The facility is owned by Alan Fox and is adjacent to Louisiana Downs.
Fox notified the nine owners Thursday night.
The horses were valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars and removed from the barn today for burial.
“We want to thank the fire and police for everything they did and working through the night,” Fox said.
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20130803/NEWS01/308030013/Electrical-issue-likely-cause-fire-killed-19-horses

Explosions, fire destroy Lower Windsor Township maintenance building

Aug. 1, 2013-

Firefighters hose down the remains of the Lower Windsor Township municipal maintenance building on Thursday, August 1, 2013. The blaze, according to Lower Windsor Township Police Chief Tim Caldwell destroyed the building and its contents. (DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS -- JASON PLOTKIN)

Fire destroyed a Lower Windsor Township municipal maintenance building and its contents Thursday morning, according to York County 911 and reports from the scene.
As of 10:35 a.m., Craley Fire Chief Jesse Frantz said the fire was under control, but it would take three to four hours before firefighters could leave the scene. Frantz said one firefighter was taken to York Hospital, possibly due to heat exhaustion.
The blaze, called out around 8 a.m., destroyed the building on Walnut Valley Court near Hakes Hollow Road, according to Lower Windsor Township Police Chief Tim Caldwell.
Caldwell said the building and its contents are a complete loss. Two municipal trucks and lawnmowers that were in use at the time were saved, but everything that was inside the building -- such as dump trucks, lawn mowers and pickups -- was destroyed.
The building also housed the Eastern York Area Recreational Commission, which runs a preschool, Lower Windsor Township Manager Maureen Hartman said. No one from the school was inside when the fire started, she said.
Explosions could be heard as fuel and other items caught fire inside the building, Caldwell said.
The cause of the fire is unknown. A state police fire marshal is investigating.
Dozens of crews were called to the scene from across the county and as far south as Harford County, Md.
A dark column of smoke was visible rising from the scene and could be seen from miles away.
http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_23772711/911-crews-responding-structure-fire-lower-windsor-township 

Ventura Firefighters Investigating Cause Of Fire, Explosion At Business

Aug. 1, 2013-Investigators are trying to figure out what led to a fire outside of a Ventura business which triggered an explosion as firefighters battled the blaze.
It happened at around 10 last night, on the 4000 block of Transport Street.  Ventura firefighters called to the scene by reports of a fire found a boat, a dumpster, a forklift, and two 55 gallon barrels on fire.  One of the barrels exploded, created a stream of an unknown burning liquid.
Firefighters used foam to control the barrel blaze, and were able to stop the rest of the fire before it spread inside of the commercial building.  No one was hurt.
 http://www.kclu.org/2013/08/01/ventura-firefighters-investigating-cause-of-commerical-fire-explosion/

Lightning At Fort Carson Leaves 12 Soldiers Hurt « CBS Denver

Lightning At Fort Carson Leaves 12 Soldiers Hurt « CBS Denver

Explosions at NW Portland condo building

July 30, 2013- At 2:19pm Portland Fire & Rescue crews were dispatched to the report of several explosions, fire and smoke coming from an upper floor of a seven story condo building at NW 9th and Hoyt. When crews responded they found that the condo building was under renovation and had scaffolding wrapped in plastic covering one entire side of the building.
Ladder Truck 3 raised it's aerial ladder to the affected section of the building while several additional crews took equipment directly to the seventh floor via an interior stairwell. When they arrived they found that several aerosolized cans of glue had apparently exploded punching holes in the exterior plastic covering the outside of the building. The explosions did not cause extensive damage. Investigators were being called to the scene to look at what may have ignited the cans. No injuries were reported.
http://www.oregonherald.com/oregon/local.cfm?id=4235

Explosion levels vacant South Side home; gas still on

Aug. 1, 2013-Residents from all over the neighborhood flocked Wednesday morning to the scene. Some who live a mile away, taking pictures of the destruction with their cell phones, said the blast rocked their homes and knocked items off their walls.
Pieces of the home were scattered over a half-block area, as were bits of glass, charred insulation,large wood frames and other pieces of lumber and even parts of the basement.
Fire officials say the house at 535 W. Cohasset Drive was vacant but still had natural gas service. No one was injured. Chief Fire Investigator Capt. Alvin Ware said Wednesday an official cause has not been determined. He said Dominion East Ohio will do tests to make sure a faulty gas line did not cause the explosion, and investigators are also trying to find out whether perhaps someone stealing gas appliances or copper pipes is to blame. Ware said the gas stove is missing, and a refrigerator was taken a couple of months ago.
The explosion wrecked a home next door at 539 Cohasset Ave., where an elderly couple was rescued. The 539 Cohasset Ave. home had almost all its windows knocked out, warped siding, and it appeared to be leaning.
John Mack III of 539 Cohasset said he was sleeping and was awakened “by glass falling into the bed.”
A neighbor helped Mack and his wife, Wanda, from the house. She was being treated for minor injuries. The couple has lived there for 41 years.
The 535 house has been abandoned for a while, Mack said. “But somebody broke into that house last night. I heard someone in there about 1 a.m.,” he said.
Scott Holley of Boardman was in the area to do home maintenance work on nearby Regent Street.
“I heard a loud boom. I was in my car when I heard it. Some neighbors came outside, and I said, ‘Where did that sound come from?’ and they said down the street, so I came down here. I saw the flames and smoke.
“I got out of the car and asked the neighbors if anyone lived in the house that had exploded. They said no,” but added that a couple was stuck in the adjacent house, Holley added.
Holley, formerly a firefighter in Orange County, N.Y., said he grabbed a fire extinguisher from his car, and then he and several other men entered the house and helped the Macks get out.
“We had to just clear the glass away from the steps so he could come down the stairs,” after the rescuers helped the man put his shoes on, Holley said.
Betty Croft, who lives across the street, said she saw someone from the gas company read the meter there Tuesday.
“He wasn’t shutting off the gas. He was just checking the meter there as he was going through the neighborhood,” Croft said.
At least four homes across the street, including Croft’s, had broken windows. Debris included a large amount of glass all over the street and in neighbors’ yards more than 100 feet away.
“I was inside the house, sitting right there, watching TV, and next thing, you know, I heard this big boom,” said Carrie Weaver of 540 Cohasset, directly across the street. The explosion broke all the windows while she was in her dining room.
The occupants of 535 Cohasset moved out about six months ago, but returned periodically after moving out, she said.
Weaver’s husband, Rodney who works the midnight shift, was in an upstairs front bedroom. “It scared me,” he said. “It woke me straight up. I’m like: ‘Oh my God, what happened?,’ and then I flew downstairs,” he said.
Also in the Weaver residence were a 4-year-old, a 14-year-old and two 16-year-olds. All evacuated through a back door.
Inez Neely lives on Rosedale about two houses up. She said the explosion and fire were unreal.
“I never heard anything like that explosion in all my life,” Neely said.
Rosie Bunkley and her husband Johnny Traylor live at West Warren and Rosedale avenues, which is behind the house, and also own a vacant home across the street. They said they were getting ready to go out when they heard a loud boom.
“I thought it was a car when it went off. It scared me,” Traylor said.
Bunkley said she heard an explosion and saw debris everywhere.
“I turn around, and I see things flying through the air,” Bunkley said.
http://www.vindy.com/news/2013/aug/01/explosion-levels-vacant-south-side-home-gas-still/?newswatch

Kerosene explosions kill three in Ebonyi, fuel station sealed

Ebonyi State government has closed down a filling station, Minsters Energy, believed to have sold adulterated kerosene that killed one Miss Chidera Nwoba at Mbukobe in Abakaliki.
The 11-year-old girl was killed by an explosion from a kerosene product allegedly purchased from the filling station located in Abakaliki urban.
Incidents of kerosene explosion were also reported to have burnt beyond recognition two other victims, Chibueze Ugorji, 8, and Uche Kalueze, 6, from Akaeze in Ivo Local Government Area of the state.
Addressing newsmen in Abakaliki on Wednesday, Special Adviser to Governor Martin Elechi on Petroleum Product Pricing and Distribution, Chidi Ejem, explained that the filling station was closed down because its product did not meet the required standards for public usage.
He said the filling station would remain closed until its management is seen to have conducted itself within the confines of the regulations about kerosene transactions and incidents of kerosene explosion in the country.
He warned that if the families of the victims were not properly compensated by the owners of the filling station, as well meet other conditionalties on petroleum product distribution, the station would remain closed for a long time.
“When the explosion happened, we took our time to investigate the source. All the affected families we talked with, pointed towards the filling station under investigation.
“They said they bought the product from there. When we got to the filling station, there was no product. But, I managed to get a little quantity from their desktop.
“When the sample was tested at the NNPC depot laboratory, the manager confirmed to me that the product that caused the explosion was contaminated; or rather, I will say that the product did not meet the required specification.
“It was flashing at room temperature, which does not meet NNPC specification and can cause such explosion if not properly used.
“That’s why the station is still under lock and key. I have written my report to DPR and PPMC and they have their own action to take.
”Petroleum issue is not just for the state to take action alone; we are concerned about the safety of the lives of our citizens
“The filling station under investigation never passed through NNPC depot specification laboratory because they have their own depot.
“Assuming they passed through NNPC depot, they would have been able to find out where the problem is from before distribution to the general public”.
http://dailyindependentnig.com/2013/08/kerosene-explosions-kill-three-in-ebonyi-fuel-station-sealed/