She said fire crews appeared to contain the blaze within a short time, but by around 10 a.m. local time Thursday morning, smoke was still visible. It's about 70 miles south of Houston. Thus, the potential of asphalt additives to influence the formation of pyrophoric materials in an asphalt storage tank cannot be ruled out.. By Jason Murdock On 1/24/20 at 7:14 AM EST. News Houston Texas Explosion. Gasoline is well known to be a volatile liquid and consequently, gasoline vapors are controlled using an internal floating roof to keep oxygen out and the vapors in, averting potential explosions. An 18-wheel truck hit a train carrying chemicals and fuels in Cameron, Texas, early Tuesday, causing a huge explosion and starting a fire that is expected to burn for several days. July 21, 2021, 8:49 PM PDT. It included a section on the role that additives can play in contributing to these kinds of explosions. For decades, companies and regulators assumed that emissions from asphalt and No. I could see the flames from the backyard," Branick said. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. IE 11 is not supported. Every day or once a week, our original stories and digest of the web's top headlines deliver the full story, for free. I was nervous to go to sleep," she said. It wasnt long before sirens began wailing and fire engines arrived on scene. U.S. Polyco has countered that R-Tex Services, Chambers employer, was at fault. Another explosion took place on March 23 in Suffolk County on Long Island. MADISON, Wis. (AP) Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit Monday against a milling company for multiple violations at a plant that was the scene of a fatal explosion five years ago. The hole in the sewer undermined the soil beneath the gas pipes, causing them to sag and then crack open. Thus it was the combination of the two circumstances which caused the disaster. Pulitzer Prize-winning, nonpartisan reporting on the biggest crisis facing our planet. Hours after explosions rocked a Texas chemical plant outside Houston early Wednesday, officials said there is no way to know how long a fire at the site will burn. Even after it exploded, the asphalt tank was on fire for at least 3 hours, putting out thick, dark, toxic smoke into the community.. Most surrounding homes also sustained damage. IE 11 is not supported. "It was like a weird feeling, like a wave and then there was a rumble in my apartment and then the next thing I know, all my pictures in my living room are on the floor. U.S. Polyco later determined it to be operator error, according to court documents, but did not give any details about the incident. The soldiers were traveling in an army vehicle a day earlier in the Makhmour district when an explosive device detonated, the state Iraqi News Agency reported. 6 fuel oilexploded when a worker opened a hatch, allowing oxygen to enter the tank. At least 37 people were injured and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, TOWN OF MAPLE GROVE, Wis. (AP) Authorities investigating a bonfire explosion over the weekend in eastern Wisconsin said Monday that as many as 40 people might have been injured in the blaze, including some who were seriously hurt. Deep inside the asphalt tank, Chambers lay, suffering from third degree burns to his face, back and abdomen and a shattered right leg. The more asphalt is heated, the more hydrogen sulfide is created, and over time, high concentrations can build up. Smoke plumes fill air after 18-wheeler collides with train. On the way to the scene, ABC Houston affiliate KTRK's helicopter noticed the flames could be At least three people were transported to hospital by air ambulance as authorities responded to the "major industrial accident" in Baytown, just over 25 miles east of Houston. Inside Climate News made repeated attempts to speak with Chambers, but messages left on his phone and email and with his family and his attorney were not returned. "They are indicating that it could take up to two or three days to actually extinguish the entire fire.". Harley said she was personally concerned about the potential impact incidents like this one and the fire in 2019 could potentially have on air quality. Colombia plans to send 70 'cocaine hippos' to India and Mexico, How Paul Murdaugh helped solve his own murder, At least 13 people are dead as severe storms sweep across US. These kinds of explosions in asphalt tanks have been documented at least since the 1980s. Even in amounts far less than companies routinely use, the additives can have a dramatic effect on how explosive a product is, research shows. The accident occurred Saturday in the township of Huejutla in Mexicos Gulf coast region known as the Huasteca. MINOT, N.D. (AP) A small explosion and fire disrupted care on the third floor of a Minot hospital. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Officials are assessing water damage at the Ohio Statehouse after a pipe burst during freezing weather, sending water pouring into the Senate chamber, an adjacent lounge for lawmakers, and other areas on Tuesday morning. WebIf you or loved one has been injured in a serious accident in a chemical plant refinery accidents, call our San Antonio Plant & Refinery accidents lawyers today. TOWN OF MAPLE GROVE, Wis. (AP) Sheriff's investigators in Wisconsin are willing to forgo any possible underage drinking violations in order to get more information about a bonfire explosion that injured more than a dozen people, including some critically, officials said Tuesday. But I feel as if this one was louder and bigger than the one in 2019, she said. In some cases workers were injured or killed, and some explosions ignited fires in other, nearby tanks, causing whole neighborhoods to be evacuated. Just months before, in March 2019, another fire had also broken out at the refinery. Vaggelis Kousioras - stringer, AP. Across the street, at the U.S. Polyco plant, Patel saw smoke. ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) An explosion and fire near an illegal oil refinery site in Nigerias Niger Delta region killed at least 12 people Friday, police said, although local residents reported a much higher death toll. BEIRUT (AP) Two soldiers were killed and three were injured in an explosion in northern Iraq, Iraqi state news said Thursday. She graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a bachelors of science in electrical engineering. The recall covers Beetles from the 2015 and 2016 model years. The February explosion had no obvious causeno nearby sparks or fires. In that case, it turned out the refinery had previously stored other, more volatile materials in the tank, and small amounts had remained and mixed in with the carbon black, leading to a build up of vapors inside the tank. An asphalt tank at a plant owned by Rason Asphalt exploded in the early afternoon, causing a loud blast that rattled nearby homes. A car further down the train filled with phosphoric acid solution was unhooked and moved to safety before it could be ignited by the burning fuel cars, and a specialized fire crew sent from BNSF arrived with heavy equipment to extinguish the blaze. Chambers was thrown across the catwalk and about 30 feet down into Tank #18, which held a few feet of cold, hardened asphalt, topped by about eight inches of stagnant water. Fire officials said that of the six people hospitalized, one was extricated from the rubble of the home that exploded and the other five were in a home next door. 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At this time, were still collecting all that information, he said, adding: We will conduct a full and thorough investigation., Several residents in the area described feeling their homes shake after what they said appeared to be an "explosion. Sabrina Shankman is a reporter for InsideClimate News focusing on the Arctic. In 2019, an explosion caused a massive blaze in the area that processes polypropylene. Port Neches, Texas Two explosions at a chemical plant in Texas put 60,000 people under evacuation orders Wednesday. COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) A Swedish prosecutor wants a supplementary crime scene investigation" at the site of explosions that damaged two natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea and said Friday that a preliminary probe concluded the cause was suspected gross sabotage.". TOWN OF MAPLE GROVE, Wis. (AP) Investigators are recommending criminal charges against two teens in connection with a bonfire explosion at a party in northeastern Wisconsin last month that resulted in critical burns to some in attendance. A shelter-in-place order was also issued, affecting around 5,000 people in the area. The plant in Port Neches in southeast Texas, about 80 miles east of Houston, makes chemical and petroleum-based products. An investigation is underway at Freeport LNG in Surfside Beach after reports of an incident Wednesday. Asphalt additives affect the rate and type of chemical reactions during asphalt processing and storage, the article said. he/him. The Associated Press contributed to this report. One of the asphalt tanks at the plant had been damaged and needed to be demolished, and the 32-year-old foreman was part of a five-man crew of contractors charged with getting it done. The impact sent debris flying through the air as frightened homeowners scrambled for cover. Please be aware that there is a mandatory evacuation for everyone within a 1/2 mile of the TPC plant in Port Neches. Texas has seen multiple petrochemical industry blazes this year, including a March fire that burned for days near Houston and another that killed a worker at a plant in nearby Crosby. Numerous residents of the area reported that it "sounded like an earthquake.". Thats where additives come in. COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) There is no indication that either a collision or an explosion caused the 1994 sinking of a ferry in the Baltic Sea in one of Europes deadliest peacetime maritime disasters, the accident investigation boards of Estonia, Finland and Sweden said Monday. But storage tanks for asphalt and No. Those additives have increased the vapor pressure inside the tanks making them more vulnerable to explosion, Rosselot and others said. They were hospitalized but their conditions were not immediately known. The EPA has been aware of problems with the formula since at least 2007, but has not called for its field offices to investigate the emissions or required that companies directly measure and report emissions. "Plano Fire-Rescue is working diligently to determine the cause of the blast. At least three people were transported to hospital by air ambulance as authorities responded to the major industrial accident in Baytown, just over 25 miles east of Houston, officials said. 6 fuel oil. This story has been shared 128,919 times. Gas and electricity was turned off to most of the homes on the street until about 9:30 p.m., when Atmos Energy and Oncor Electric representatives determined it was safe to restore gas and power. A Texas pipeline explosion sparked a fire that could be seen from 30 miles away. An internal, floating roof is used to keep oxygen out and vapors in. The bulletin included several key lessons from those accidents, including avoiding the work if possible, monitoring the atmosphere for gas and identifying any potential hazards prior to starting work. According to the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management, the incident happened in an isolated area in a field. She joined InsideClimate in the fall of 2013, after helping produce documentaries and interactives for the PBS show Frontline since 2010 with 2over10 Media. A section of the five-story building in the town of Tymovskoye collapsed after a gas cylinder exploded in one of the apartments at around 5:30 a.m. NEWFANE, Vt. (AP) A man was found dead in a home explosion and fire in the southern Vermont town of Newfane early Friday morning, state police said.