2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Copyright 2023 KTRK-TV. 6, resulting in changes to the way the products performand what they emit. WebShortly before 9 a.m. this morning, loud noises disrupted work in a nitric acid unit at the Invista Chemical Plant in Victoria, Texas. Shutterstock As least 10 people were injured in a fire caused by a natural gas explosion in Texas Friday night, officials said. "Once the fire is extinguished, we will be able to determine how much product is left in the cars and work to safely remove them from the site," Wallace said in a statement. Updated on: November 27, 2019 / 9:34 PM This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Download the NBC News app for breaking news, "They have got a lot of people working on it," White said Tuesday evening. It was so loud.. Copyright 2023 KTRK-TV. Seven or eight homes in the "very rural area" are affected, and those residents could be displaced for several days, White said. Environmental and Alaska Native advocates rallied outside the White House ahead of an expected final decision on ConocoPhillips Willow Project. BEIRUT (AP) Scores of protesters Thursday scuffled with riot police in Beirut as they tried to break into the offices of Lebanons judiciary, after the countrys chief prosecutor filed charges against the judge investigating the massive 2020 port explosion and ordered the release of all suspects in the case. Bomb techs with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department responded to reports of an explosion Sunday morning in Palmdale, officials said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. In 2019, an explosion caused a massive blaze in the area that processes polypropylene. When asked directly what type of chemical may have been released from the tanks, company officials told ABC13 they were not sure, and advised to ask Freeport police. Most surrounding homes also sustained damage. Even after it exploded, the asphalt tank was on fire for at least 3 hours, putting out thick, dark, toxic smoke into the community.. Texas SWAT commander killed, 4 officers injured in standoff with gunman; suspect captured, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. She said her windows, air conditioning unit and television started rattling following what she believed was an explosion. We rely on donations from readers like you to keep going. 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. Jefferson County Emergency Management coordinator Mike White told the Beaumont Enterprise that five residents were being treated for minor injuries, mostly related to shattered glass. A gas explosion in an apartment building Saturday killed at least nine people, including four children, on the island of Sakhalin in far eastern Russia, according local authorities. Five days after a home exploded in Westworth Village, Atmos Energy said there was "no evidence" to suggest its system was involved. ABC-7 reported that police and fire officials could not explain the noise. By continuing to use this site, you accept this policy. In this case it is inside Tank #17, Jones wrote, according to court documents. July 21, 2021, 8:49 PM PDT. However, the institutes publication acknowledges that the additives can include lighter hydrocarbons. The explosion happened in Wallis, Texas, about 50 miles west of Houston. BAGHDAD (AP) Three members of the Iraqi security forces were killed in an explosion north of Baghdad on Wednesday, Iraq's military said. One man who lived near the terminal told a local news crew that he heard a loud boom at about 12:49 a.m. and saw that the top of the tank was engulfed by flames. Two foreign residents were injured when they jumped out of windows to escape, said Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government's spokesman. A fire analyst named Ricky Jones, who reviewed the incident, wrote that Chambers description of what happenedthat he had lit his torch, seen a small flame and then the top of Tank #17 blew offwas consistent with the ignition of fugitive vapors from the product within Tank #17.. U.S. Polyco has countered that R-Tex Services, Chambers employer, was at fault. A figure from the Chemical Safety Board report on the West explosion shows an unidentified ammonium nitrate storage facility. 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. The beaches are not closed, but Quintana Island was reportedly closed to all incoming traffic during the afternoon. Firefighters who arrived at the scene managed to contain the flames, Fox affiliate KRIV reported. 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. Port Neches, Texas Two explosions at a chemical plant in Texas put 60,000 people under evacuation orders Wednesday. 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. According to Amy Hodges, the plants spokeswoman, no fire broke out and no one was seriously hurt. The asphalt in this case was a combination of asphalt and diesel fuel. Whats more: Chambers was still alive. Our first priority is people in the community and in our facilities, the company said. Harley said the experience was reminiscent of a similar incident in July 2019, when an explosion and fire broke out at the same facility. The employee suffered minor burns, and the tank lid was blown into the air and landed 150 yard away. Shortly after 4 p.m., they declared the situation was under control and contained to the immediate affected area of the plant. Atmos Energy Corporation, one of the largest natural gas distributors in the nation, was helping with the investigation. The fire, in a remote area, was brought under control after about an hour. On Wednesday afternoon, there was a second massive explosion, forcing officials to issue a mandatory evacuation for the four-mile radius surrounding the plant. She spent four years at sea, serving aboard ships based in Honolulu, Hawaii and Key West, Florida, and two years as the military aide to a flag officer in Alameda, California. this week: 4.1 in Mentone , Texas , United States. Captain Josh Slovak, a 15-year veteran of the Ennis Fire Department at the time, was on the second engine to arrive at the plant. It was later revealed that there was in fact a construction site explosion in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. "We're extremely grateful that nobody was killed," he said. Though there were workers at the plant at the time, no one was injured. Do not 'push a slower friend down' if you encounter bear: Park Service, Robbery, shooting occur at same time inside Galleria parking lot: HPD, Family holds vigil for 16-year-old killed while riding his dirt bike. Six days earlier, a similar incident in Stafford, Texas left one man injured and another dead. The company declined to respond to detailed questions sent by Inside Climate News, citing its ongoing lawsuit with Chambers, said Alisa Rhyno, a spokeswoman for the company. ", I was just laying in bed and then all of a sudden I felt. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. While the information contained in these trade publications rarely makes its way to the general public, the threat to homeowners and others in residential neighborhoods is real, given the dispersed location of such tanks throughout the country. In a statement several hours after the fire broke out, ExxonMobil said its emergency response teams were still working to extinguish the fire. All employees have been accounted for, TPC said, confirming two employees and a contractor were injured. Chaos broke out, as flames erupted from one tank and Chambers co-workers were unsure if he was alive inside the other one. this year: 5.4 in Mentone , Texas Several residents on El Paso's eastside heard a loud explosion on the morning of December 30, 2021. The more asphalt is heated, the more hydrogen sulfide is created, and over time, high concentrations can build up. All of the sudden I heard what I thought was my sliding glass door breaking, one neighbor told KTVT. Justin Chambers arrived at the U.S. Polyco plant in Ennis, Texas, on the morning of April 23, 2018, with a job to do. 6 fuel oil, have become more depleted than in the past, making them hard to work with. U.S. Polyco later determined it to be operator error, according to court documents, but did not give any details about the incident. SAN ANTONIO (AP) Authorities on Sunday continued investigating the cause of an explosion that killed three people at a San Antonio construction company. Across the street, at the U.S. Polyco plant, Patel saw smoke. Dan Gearinos habit-forming weekly take on how to understand the energy transformation reshaping our world. Six people were sent to the hospital and four are missing after a Texas pipeline exploded Friday. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. WebIncident at Freeport oil and gas company under control, officials say Explosion rocks neighborhood near Philadelphia, 4 confirmed dead Kansas fire caught on video after TOWN OF MAPLE GROVE, Wis. (AP) Four people remain hospitalized in Wisconsin burn centers with injuries from a bonfire explosion last week during a party in the Town of Maple Grove, authorities said Thursday. 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 he/him. We deliver climate news to your inbox like nobody else. "However, we havent found anything yet. The tanker had brake failure along a major road in the Ofu council area in Kogi state on Thursday night when it collided with a vehicle obstructing the highway, causing a fireball, a police spokesman told The Associated Press. We've received your submission. Smoke billows from a fire following an explosion caused by a crash between a train and an 18-wheeler near Cameron, Texas, on Feb. 23, 2021. 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. The first blast, which blew out the windows and doors of nearby homes, injured three workers. GUTHRIE, Ky. (AP) One worker was killed and four others were injured in an explosion at an industrial facility in western Kentucky, officials said. The accident occurred Saturday in the township of Huejutla in Mexicos Gulf coast region known as the Huasteca. Thus, the potential of asphalt additives to influence the formation of pyrophoric materials in an asphalt storage tank cannot be ruled out.. Pulitzer Prize-winning, nonpartisan reporting on the biggest crisis facing our planet. She joined InsideClimate in the fall of 2013, after helping produce documentaries and interactives for the PBS show Frontline since 2010 with 2over10 Media. Fire officials said they were joined at the scene by members of the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, in addition to Plano police. When my husband pulled into our garage, the roof in our garage had caved in.. (AP) A fiery explosion that injured more than a dozen people at a Maryland condominium building was ignited by a resident who intended to kill himself and died in the blast, police said. 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. 6 fuel oil, another heavy oil, have exploded at asphalt plants or terminals around the United States, according to news reports and filings from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Shrapnel from the tanker tore into residential buildings and into the soccer pitch. NASA has officially confirmed that a loud explosion felt and heard in South Texas Wednesday evening came from a 1,000-pound meteor that crashed near McAllen, Texas at approximately 5:23 p.m. Courtney Wallace, a BNSF spokesperson, confirmed that an investigation is underway and said 13 of the train's 110 cars derailed, 10 of which continued to burn Tuesday evening. This is the second in a series of articles. She has also reported for ProPublica, the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press. Smoke rises from trains as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision near Larissa city, Greece, early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. She graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a bachelors of science in electrical engineering. BAGHDAD (AP) The death toll from a heating gas tank that exploded in a residential complex in northern Iraq has risen to 15, an civil defense official said Friday. Speaking at a news conference at around 5:30 a.m. I didnt want there to be an evacuation and I wouldnt know because I was sleeping.. 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. The personnel were killed when an explosive device detonated during a security operation in the Khan area of the Tarmiyah district. It wasnt long before sirens began wailing and fire engines arrived on scene. 6 fuel oil has a lower flash pointcompanies list it between 140F and 200Fand is stored around 130F. When vapors above a certain concentration come into contact with an ignition source, Rosselot said, thats when explosions can happen. At least one house was damaged in the blast, and residents were evacuated from the area, according to the outlet. Plano Fire GAITHERSBURG, Md. On Nov. 19, 2014, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, an employee used a torch to heat a clogged valve, igniting flammable vapors in a mostly empty asphalt tank and causing it to explode. QUINTANA, Texas (KTRK) -- No injuries were reported Wednesday after what police initially described as an explosion at a liquefied natural gas terminal near Freeport. CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) Authorities in Moldova said Sunday that specialist teams have carried out controlled detonations of explosives that were discovered in parts of rocket debris that border officials found in a northern village near the countrys border with Ukraine. Police brought in an explosives detecting dog, though the dog did not discover any explosives or hazardous materials, and police determined that the site was not a crime scene. And thats what brought Chambers to the site that Spring morning. In states that do require that emissions be reported, companies estimate them, typically using a formula developed by the petroleum industry that is often wrong and leads to underestimates of vapor pressure and the levels of air pollution the tanks are emitting. 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. One womanshared a video from her Ring camerathat she believed may have captured the noise. Though that is closer to the flash point, it still allows for a buffer. 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. There were lightning storms in the area on Monday afternoon. BERLIN (AP) Nine men suspected of involvement in blowing up dozens of cash machines in Germany and stealing some 5.2 million euros (nearly $5.7 million) have been arrested in the Netherlands and Belgium, German authorities said Thursday. Officer Kyle Tranovich of the Caernarvon Township police department said a skeleton crew of only six people was working in the TIMET Morgantown plant due to the holiday before the 2:30 p.m. GRASS VALLEY, Ore. (AP) A small town in central Oregon was evacuated and five people were hurt due to a hemp manufacturing plant fire Sunday. BEIRUT (AP) Two soldiers were killed and three were injured in an explosion in northern Iraq, Iraqi state news said Thursday. As least 10 people were injured in a fire caused by a natural gas explosion in Texas Friday night, officials said. 6 fuel, because their emissions were thought to be negligible, are vented, allowing oxygen in and vapors out. A massive explosion and fire occurred at one of the nations largest ExxonMobil refineries in Baytown, Texas, early Thursday morning, sending several workers to a local hospital. Those additives have increased the vapor pressure inside the tanks making them more vulnerable to explosion, Rosselot and others said. The incident investigation will continue," said the company, one of the largest U.S. exporters of liquefied natural gas, or LNG. She worked as a co-producer, field producer or associate producer on the Frontline films League of Denial (2013); Money, Power and Wall Street (2012); A Perfect Terrorist (2011); Dr. Hotspots (2011) and Law and Disorder (2010). In some states, regulators do not require reporting, based on an incorrect assumption that there are no emissions to report. The recall covers Beetles from the 2015 and 2016 model years. Freeport police said to ask the city manager, who then told ABC13 he was not aware of any release. 'Explosion' at Baytown, Texas ExxonMobil oil refinery leaves several injured U.S. news Several people injured after fire at ExxonMobil oil refinery in Texas At least three A meteor fell in Mission, Texas today around 5-5:30 pm, making a loud bang, shaking house in a 10 mile radius. Officials added that it's not yet clear when the evacuation order will be lifted. PLANO, Texas The explosion that destroyed a house in suburban Dallas and heavily damaged the two next door, injuring six people, may not have been an accident, LOS ANGELES (AP) A Southern California trucking company owner who ordered the illegal repair of a tanker that led to a deadly explosion was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison. Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to a 10:21 a.m. call of a natural gas odor at 5726 Highland Hills Road in South Dallas, officials there said Wednesday. The February explosion had no obvious causeno nearby sparks or fires. MEXICO CITY (AP) Authorities in the Mexican Gulf coast state of Veracruz said 19 people were injured where a pipeline carrying ethane gas exploded. Officials said the blast could be felt up to 30 miles away, and that by sunrise, toxic plumes could be seen for miles. The first explosion occurred just after 1 a.m. Wednesday. In some cases workers were injured or killed, and some explosions ignited fires in other, nearby tanks, causing whole neighborhoods to be evacuated. The blast was so powerful that it sent the 12-foot diameter lid of the tank flying, before it landed on an employees car. Were asking all of you to keep the victims in your prayers.. News Houston Texas Explosion. An internal, floating roof is used to keep oxygen out and vapors in. Blast from rail cars carrying gasoline, coal and petroleum product ignited a fire that could take days to put out. Carl Bradley Johansson, 64, of Newport Beach also was sentenced for tax evasion and for using fraud to receive more than $954,000 in COVID-19 relief money, according to the U.S. MORGANTOWN, Pa. (AP) A furnace explosion damaged the roof of a titanium plant in southeastern Pennsylvania on Thanksgiving Day, but no one was injured, authorities said. "We have multiple calls reporting a loud boom and we have multiple units investigating at all the different locations callers reported," Enrique Dueas-Aguilar with the El Paso Fire Department told The US Sun. The explosion happened in Wallis, Texas, about 50 miles west of Houston. 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. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. But a 1997 study found that in several cases, fires and explosions had happened in materials like asphalt and No. But I feel as if this one was louder and bigger than the one in 2019, she said. Inside a tank, asphalt is often heated to about 300F, meaning that technically, it should be well below the point at which it could light on fire. (AP) Twelve people were injured, two of them critically, in an explosion and fire at a Maryland apartment building Wednesday and the residents of one unit have not been accounted for, a fire official said. It asked residents to avoid the area following the blaze, which broke out at around 1 a.m. local time (2 a.m. Fort Bend County Judge KP George said that residents surrounding the area were evacuated as a precaution. 6 fuel oil were negligible because of the heavy nature of the products. Around 1 a.m. on 12/23/2021, a fire occurred at our facility. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) A popular Indianapolis museum was closed for a second straight day Tuesday after recent frigid temperatures caused a pipe to burst, flooding part of the museum, officials said. The Juarez news outletEl Diarioreported the blast took place on a hill along Camino Real. Former Mexican President Vincent Fox expects cannabis bill Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, Buster Murdaugh got 'very drunk' with dad 2 months after mom, brother murdered: source, I'm a professional cleaner ditch these 4 household products immediately, Tom Sandoval speaks out on Raquel Leviss affair: I deserve your anger, Shoeless Ariana Madix awkwardly tries to avoid cheating Tom Sandoval, Prince Harry was scared to lose Meghan Markle after fight that led to therapy, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant allegedly flashes gun at a strip club, Tom Sizemore And The Dangerous Burden of Desperation, Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval have awkward moment amid cheating scandal. "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. FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas -- Emergency crews brought the flames from a pipeline explosion in Texas under control about an hour after the blaze occurred. Prior to attending Berkeley, Julia served as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. News Exxon Texas Explosion. (AP) A body was found in a Maryland garden-style apartment building a day after an explosion and fire there and investigators are looking into the possibility of a criminal, intentional act, officials announced late Thursday.