Chemical Plant explosions and fires

angelburst29

The Living Force
Several fire companies have contained a large blaze following an explosion, which tore through an agricultural chemical plant near the US town of Reedley, California, local media have reported.

Large Fire Breaks Out at Chemical Plant in California - Reports 07.08.2017
https://sputniknews.com/us/201708071056240208-fire-chemical-warehouse-california/

An agricultural chemical plant near the California town of Reedley exploded and caught fire Sunday, sending up a large plume of smoke visible across a wide area and resulting in over $2 million in damages.

The four-alarm fire occurred just before noon and over 100 firefighters were involved in containing the blaze, according to the Fresno Bee.

There are no reported injuries and the cause is under investigation.


A major fire occurred at a chemical plant in Alabama, with part of the burning warehouse collapsing, local media reported on Saturday.

Fire Breaks Out at Chemical Plant in Alabama, US 29.07.2017
https://sputniknews.com/us/201707291055999548-us-fire-chemical-plant/

According to the Fox10 TV channel, citing Atmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks, the fire broke out at around 05:30 a.m. local time (13:30 GMT) at the Tiger-Sul plant in the city of Atmore, engulfing the warehouse on the plant site and bringing as many as a hundred fire tracks to the scene.

​Brooks added that it was sulfur burning in the warehouse, and around 300 local residents were asked to remain inside their houses as a precaution.

The fire was contained to the warehouse, and firefighters continue eliminating spots of burning sulfur, the media added.

No one was injured in the fire, the causes of which are yet unclear.
 
An explosion took place at a chemical facility in the German town of Marl in North Rhine-Westphalia state, according to local media.

Five People Injured in Explosion at Chemical Facility in Northwestern Germany
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201708101056354561-germany-chemicals-explosion/

Five people have been injured in an explosion at a chemical facility in the German town of Marl in North Rhine-Westphalia state, the facility's operating company said Thursday.

On Thursday, August 10, an explosion and fire [originating from the blast] went off at the ISP Marl GmbH acetylene plant. Five employees were slightly injured and are receiving medical treatment… The fire brigade was able to quickly put the fire under control. The authorities are on site. The extent of the damage is not yet known," the statement read.

The Marl Chemical Park is one of the largest chemical sites in Germany. It covers an area of more than six square kilometers (2.3 square miles) and hosts Evonik holding companies, as well as 12 other chemical enterprises with roughly 100 production plants linked in an integrated material and energy network. The companies of the park employ about 10,000 people.
 
One person has been killed and 18 injured in an explosion at Austria’s main gas pipeline hub, according to police. Fire engines, ambulances and a rescue helicopter have reportedly been deployed to the area, and all work has been halted at the site.

Fatal blast at major Austrian gas facility causes disruption in neighboring countries Tuesday 12 Dec, 2017 (Photos - Video)
https://www.rt.com/news/412822-gas-explosion-austria-dead/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-FGoCB5JQE (0:11 min.)

"Eighteen people are injured and one is dead," police chief Markus Haindl said, as quoted by Sputnik. He added that "technical problems" caused the explosion, and that there was "no indication of terrorism."

Austrian emergency services put the number of injured at 21, adding that “employees of contractors from six other countries” were among those slightly injured, Reuters reported.

Several media outlets previously put the number of people injured at around 60.

Gas Connect Austria, which works in partnership with OMV Group, has stated that one person is missing and 12 others injured, while Austrian police have denied that anyone was killed in the blast.

“An explosion occurred at 8:45am (local time), followed by a fire. Things are under control but according to preliminary reports there are several people injured,” police spokesman Edmund Tragschitz told AFP.

The blast occurred near Baumgarten, Gaenserndorf district. The underground pipeline belongs to the Vienna-based OMV group, which has confirmed that there was a gas explosion at the site.

“The [explosion] has created a fire,” Fire Brigade spokesman Franz Resperger said, as quoted by ORF. “There are miles of thick, black clouds of smoke.”

“Due to the enormous heat... cars are melted in the parking lot,” Resperger said.

Police have cordoned off the site and are asking people to avoid the area.

A total of 14 fire engines with more than 150 personnel are at the site, along with 10 ambulances, two emergency physicians, and a rescue helicopter, according to ORF.

“The fire brigade, the rescue service and the police have been set up in coordinated coordination with the district headquarters, the Red Cross and the state police headquarters, with the focus now on rescue... the police helicopter is in action to provide a comprehensive picture of the situation," Lower Austrian Provincial Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner said, as quoted by Heute.

All work has been halted at the site, which has been completely shut down, according to Gas Connect Austria.

Italian industry minister Carlo Calenda has announced that his country will declare a state of emergency for its energy supplies following the blast, stating that Italy has a "serious gas supply problem." ." He took it as an opportunity to stress Italy's need for the controversial Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which has been protested by environmentalists. "If we had had the TAP, we would not have to declare a state of emergency,” Calenda told reporters, as quoted by Reuters.

A state of emergency would give Rome the right to use a series of extraordinary measures to maintain the energy supply, such as allowing dated coal and oil power plants to run at full capacity. (Article continues.)


An explosion and fire that ripped through Austria’s main gas pipeline hub on Tuesday killed one person and injured at least 18 others, prompting Italy to declare a state of emergency as flows from the strategic site were cut off.

Deadly explosion at Austria’s main gas plant forces Italy to declare state of emergency (Photos - Video)
https://globalnews.ca/news/3911533/explosion-austria-gas-plant-italy-state-of-emergency/

The Baumgarten site in eastern Austria, near Slovakia, is a major regional transfer node, taking natural gas from as far away as Russia and pumping it towards neighbours including Germany and Italy, its biggest recipient.

News of the blast sent gas prices in Europe soaring on fears it would restrict supply as winter sets in.

Gas Connect Austria, which operates site, said the hub had been shut down but the blaze had been brought under control. The cause appeared to be a technical fault, it said.

“An explosion occurred this morning before 9:00 a.m. on the grounds of the Baumgarten Natural Gas Station,” the company said. “The explosion caused a serious fire that has been contained to several small fires.”

Footage on social and other media showed a column of fire in the distance rising from a flat landscape. A wide area around the site was cordoned off.

The fire brigade, police and Gas Connect Austria said one person had been killed. A fire brigade spokesman said 18 people were injured, one of them seriously, while a police spokesman put the number of injured at 21.

Gas Connect Austria said its deliveries to Austria’s southern and southeastern borders were affected by the blast until further notice. Those pipelines supply Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia but also Baumgarten’s biggest recipient, Italy.


An explosion yesterday forced operator Gas Connect Austria to shut down a major European gas hub at Baumgarten, taking one life and injuring 21 others. Italy depends on gas deliveries via Baumgarten and declared a state of emergency – although gas supplies are expected to be guaranteed by storage for the time being. Nonetheless, Italian gas price almost doubled to Eur45/MWh following the blast.

Gas Explosion in Austria, Crack in North Sea Pipeline – UK Gas and Oil Price Jumps December 14, 2017
http://truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/gas-explosion-austria-crack-north-sea-pipeline-uk-gas-oil-price-jumps/

The fatal accident in Austria follows Monday’s shutdown of the key North Sea Forties Pipeline System (FPS) after the discovery of a widening crack.
UK gas prices rose immediately and the price for Brent crude oil jumped over $65/barrel – its highest level in more than two years. The FPS was recently bought by Ineos, and feeds the company’s Grangemouth, Scotland petrochemical plant. Ineos transports fracked gas liquids from the United States to produce plastic.

Both incidents feed new fears about the energy security supply of Europe and rising gas prices in the middle of a winter that has just begun.

In response, Food & Water Watch and Food & Water Europe Executive Director Wenonah Hauter issued the following statement:

“The explosion at Europe’s gas hub in Austria and the shutdown of the Forties Pipeline System in the North Sea shows Europe’s true vulnerability – it’s strong and systemic fossil fuel addition. The only way to gain its independence and to guarantee access to abundant clean energy for Europe’s citizens is to swiftly move off of fossil fuels and finally put major investment and public money into 100% renewables and energy efficiency measures.

“But instead of identifying centralized, big fossil fuel infrastructure as a security problem, EU policy makers are going all out for gas, with around 90 new gas infrastructure projects planned. Some of this gas is being exported from fracked communities in the United States. This is taking both continents in the wrong direction at a time when climate chaos lingers at our doorsteps.”

Food & Water Watch champions healthy food and clean water for all. We stand up to corporations that put profits before people, and advocate for a democracy that improves people’s lives and protects our environment. Food & Water Europe is the European program of Food & Water Watch.
 
10:05 04 may 2019
Four people were transported to area hospitals after an explosion at the AB Speciality Silicone plant in Waukegan late Friday night.


Steve Lenzi, spokesman for the Waukegan Fire Department, said officials were working with a plant manager to determine how many people were working in the Sunset Avenue factory when the explosion happened.

Speaking around midnight, Lenzi added officials did not know what caused the explosion.

"We have fire and structural damage indicative of an explosion," Lenzi said at the scene. "There is very heavy damage.”
 
June 1, 2019 - Scores injured in blasts at Russian military plant
A still image, taken from a video footage, shows smoke rising from the site of blasts at an explosives plant in the town of Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod Region, Russia June 1, 2019. Elena Sorokina via REUTERS

A still image, taken from a video footage, shows smoke rising from the site of blasts at an explosives plant in the town of Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod Region, Russia June 1, 2019. Elena Sorokina via REUTERS

Seventy-nine people were injured when several blasts at the explosives plant Kristall shook the central Russian town of Dzerzhinsk on Saturday, the Russian health ministry said.

The blasts, around midday (0900 GMT) were heard all over the town of more than 230,000 residents and shock waves smashed or damaged windows in around 180 buildings, city authorities told TASS news agency.

Russian state TV Rossiya 24 showed footage of a plume of smoke rising over the explosives factory.

The Kristall plant said that it's director had been fired "literally a day before" the blasts for violating industrial safety rules earlier in the year, Interfax reported. He was blamed for an explosion that occurred in April and also destroyed a section of the plant.

Thirty-eight of the injured were at the plant when the blasts occurred but 41 local residents from outside the factory, many hit by broken glass, also requested medical help.

Dzerzhinsk is close to the city of Nizhny Novgorod, about 400 km (250 miles) east of Moscow. Founded in Soviet times, the Kristall scientific institute is one of the major Russian developers of explosives technology for military and civilian use. The plant is part of Russia’s Rostec, a state conglomerate which has been affected by Western sanctions over Russian policy toward Ukraine.

Number of injured in Dzerzhinsk blasts totals 89, say authorities

44 of them are the plant's employees and 45 - inhabitants of adjacent territories.
1222360.jpg

© Michael Solunin/TASS

"According to the updated numbers, all in all 89 people requested medical assistance following the emergency in Dzerzhinsk. Forty four of them are the plant’s employees and 45 - inhabitants of adjacent territories," the statement said.

Earlier reports said referring to the data provided by Russia’s Health Ministry that 85 requested medical assistance following the blasts. As of now, 16 people are in hospitals, one of them is in a grave condition.

On Saturday, several blasts took place at the Kristall explosives factory, which were followed by a fire. The authorities declared an emergency in Dzerzhinsk, the neighboring communities of Pyra and Zhelnino and the Lesnoi cordon. As of now the emergency rescue operation has been completed.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said that those were man-made explosions. A criminal case has been opened under Part 1 Section 217 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Violation of industrial safety requirements at production facilities").

Emergency rescue operation on site of explosion in Dzerzhinsk completed
1222352.jpg

© Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations/TASS

Head of the Main Directorate for the Nizhny Novgorod Region of the Russian Emergencies Ministry Valery Sinkov said that about 800 square meters were scorched by fire and damaged

People injured in blasts in Dzerzhinsk to receive $2,300 each as compensation - governor
1222354.jpg

© Mikhail Solunin/TASS

MOSCOW, June 2, 2019 - The people injured in explosions at the Kristall explosives factory in the town of Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod, will receive compensations of 100,000 rubles ($1,530) from the regional budget and 50,000 rubles ($765) from the town budget each, Nizhny Novgorod Region Governor Gleb Nikitin’s press service reported, citing the governor.

"We will allocate the necessary funds to remove the effects of the emergency situation. It is also necessary to support those who are currently staying in the hospital. The hospitalized people will receive material help in the amount of 100,000 rubles [$1,530] from the regional budget and 50,000 rubles [$765] from Dzerzhinsk’s budget," the press service quoted Nikitin as saying
 
September 28th, 2019
Nine seafarers were injured when fire broke out on two vessels following an explosion this morning on chemical tanker Stolt Groenland.
The fire that broke out after the explosion spread to another chemical tanker, Bow Dalian, which was moored alongside the Stolt vessel.

It was reported that the two vessels were conducting a ship-to-ship transfer when the explosion occurred.

Stolt Groenland is owned by Stolt Tankers, while Bow Dalian is owned by Odfjell.

Yonhap reports that all 25 crew onboard the Stolt Groenland and 21 crew onboard the Bow Dalian have been accounted for. Nine of the crew have sustained injuries however, with one said to be serious.

Stolt Tankers confirmed tag the fire has now been put out, and their ship remains stable, with no cargo or fuel reported as released into the water.
 
A new video obtained by Tradewinds shows the moment a Stolt tanker exploded while preparing for a ship-to-ship cargo transfer in Busan, South Korea over the weekend.

As we reported, about a dozen people suffered only minor injuries when the explosion rocked the cargo section of the 25,000 dwt chemical tanker Stolt Groenland.

Stolt Tankers said the occurred as the ship was berthed at Yeompo Quay in the port of Ulsan, South Korea.
Another tanker, the Bow Dolian, was alongside at the time of blast. Its operator Odfjell said the ships were preparing for ship-to-ship cargo transfer from Stolt Groenland to Bow Dalian and cargo operations had not yet commenced when the explosion occurred.

A video of the blast filmed from a car on the bridge overlooking the incident went viral on socia
 
Hmm Texas, again...🧐

Yes. From what I heard there were at least two big explosions and it could be felt up to 50 Kilometers away. On satellite footage the heat of the explosion and the fire afterwards were also apparently noticeable. People described it in terms of it feeling/sounding like a bomb. Windows were broken too.
 
Whoo Ah, you think "they" would?

Snip:
Concerns about air quality lingered Wednesday following a major early morning explosion at a chemical plant in Port Neches, Texas that shot a fireball into the sky.

The disaster at the TPC Group-owned facility roughly 94 miles west of Houston took place a week after the Trump administration rolled back safety rules meant to protect workers and people who live near chemical plants. In light of the timing, Catherine Fraser, Environment Texas’s clean air associate, called Wednesday’s explosion “a timely warning that state and federal officials need to do more to keep communities safe.”
“It shook our house twice,” Shawn Dunlap, who lives in neighboring Nederland, told NBC News. “It was just like a bomb going off.” Twitter user @souljaslim52 put itanother way: “shit blew tf up.”
According to a statement from TPC Group, the incident occurred at 1:00am local time. The company said it “cannot speak to the cause of the incident or the extent of damage.” The Port Neches Police Department, in a statement posted to Facebook, said, “There’s extensive damage throughout the city.”

Area residents reported damaged homes, with some suffering shattered glass and blown-off doors. Three workers at the plant also suffered minor injuries, the company said.

“Throughout the morning more booms could be heard in the area as firefighters attempted to control the blaze,” reported Beaumont’s KBMT.

Local ABC affiliate KTRK reported that the chemical burning is butadiene, which the EPA classifies as carcinogenic.
 
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