By Ben Nuckols and David Dishneau The Associated Press ROSEDALE, Md. — Train operator CSX Transportation on Wednesday pointed to a hazardous chemical in a rail car as the source of an explosion on a derailed train near Baltimore that sparked a fire, rattled homes and damaged buildings. A company spokesman said officials still weren't sure what caused the sodium chlorate to explode in the first ...
CSX: Md. train explosion caused by chemical cargo
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Boiler room explosion rattles Calif. school
The Associated Press SANTA ANA, Calif. — An explosion Tuesday in the boiler room of a high school gymnasium was so powerful it lifted the building's roof and caused heavy damage inside but no serious injuries. The blast around 7:30 a.m. at Valley High School in Santa Ana was in a girls' locker room and happened before classes began, although some students already were on campus. Security ...
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Pa. railway fire caused by faulty motor
Lancaster Online RAPHO TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A failing electric motor sparked a fire that was burning fuel from a railway car in Rapho Township Tuesday, a company official said. An employee suffered butane burns in the two-alarm fire at Lancaster Propane Gas, 55 Maibach Lane, just off Route 230 near Mount Joy, according to CEO Paul Wheaton. One person was injured during the fire, he said. The propane ...
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Death toll to 5 in Canada oil train explosion, fire
The Associated Press LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec — As firefighters doused still burning oil tanker cars, more bodies were recovered Sunday in this devastated town in eastern Quebec, raising the death toll to five after a runaway train derailed, igniting explosions and fires that destroyed the downtown district. With dozens of people reported missing, authorities feared they could find more bodies once ...
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Rail boss points finger at firefighters in deadly runaway train explosion
The Associated Press LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec — Blackened debris, twisted metal and gas leaks hampered rescue workers' search for perhaps dozens of bodies Tuesday, three days after a runaway oil train smashed into this small lakeside town and incinerated much of its downtown. Thirteen people were confirmed dead and nearly 40 others were still missing in a catastrophe that raised questions about ...
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Lessons from a runaway-train disaster
I know we all extend our thoughts and prayers to the survivors of, and responders to, this tragic incident in Canada. While we know it's much too soon, in advance of what promises to be an exhaustive investigation, to identify all the factors leading up to this horrific crash, it's interesting that the involved railroad is already raising questions about whether the local fire department's ...
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3 firefighters hurt after Tenn. chemical plant fire
The Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Two firefighters and two employees of a chemical plant were injured Thursday in a fire at the facility in north Memphis, authorities said. Firefighters from a station near Pollution Control Industries began battling the blaze at about 4:30 p.m. CDT, Shelby County Fire Department spokesman Brent Perkins said. By 6:30 p.m., there was no visible smoke or flames ...
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44 rescued from Gulf rig after natural gas blowout
The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS, La. — An out-of-control natural gas well off the Louisiana coast continued to burn Wednesday after it caught fire following a blowout that prompted the evacuation of 44 workers, authorities said. Meanwhile, officials stressed that Tuesday's blowout wouldn't be close to as damaging as the 2010 BP oil spill, in which an oil rig, the Deepwater Horizon, exploded ...
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Tampa firefighters battle train derailment, ethanol spill
The Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. — Firefighters in Florida are using foam to clean up ethanol that leaked from a CSX train that derailed at the Port of Tampa. Tampa Fire Rescue officials say 15 rail cars derailed early Thursday. The Tampa Tribune reports CSX officials are getting the proper equipment to the scene to upright the train cars. Officials say it could take much of the day to clean up ...
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Motorist faces trial in electrocution deaths
By Linda Deutsch The Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Aman Samsonian was speeding, passing cars and driving in a left-turn lane in a rush to get to the gym before he executed a turn and crashed into an electrical pole and fire hydrant, creating an electrified pool of water that fatally shocked two good Samaritans, according to witnesses testifying in a preliminary hearing Wednesday. A judge who ...
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What a dirty doll teaches about rehab
Decontamination is an important component of rehab and this dirty-doll exercise will drive that point home.
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Fire chief: Propane explosion almost 'wiped us out'
The Associated Press TAVARES, Fla. — A series of explosions rocked a central Florida propane gas plant and sent "boom after boom after boom" through the neighborhood around it. Eight people were injured, with at least four in critical condition. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said early Tuesday there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through ...
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Obama orders review of chemical plant rules
By Julie Pace, White House Correspondent The Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Thursday ordered federal agencies to review safety rules at chemical facilities in response to the deadly April explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant. In an executive order, Obama tasked agencies with identifying new ways to safely store and secure ammonium nitrate, the explosive chemical investigators ...
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Approach all CO calls as deadly threats
I'm sure you will join me in extending our collective best wishes to all those affected by this tragic incident. We typically associate carbon monoxide exposures with northern climates, cold weather and the winter months. As this story demonstrates, however, CO can be found anywhere that incomplete combustion occurs, along with other atypical settings. I once responded to an activated CO detector ...
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8 steps to handling oil well fires
Oil and gas exploration is growing faster than ever and fire departments will need to be more prepared than ever for tragedy.
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Chemical burns Mo. firefighter at business fire
KMOV ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — A firefighter suffered chemical burns while working to contain a fire at St. Charles business Monday afternoon. Police say a call came out around 10:30 a.m. for some sort of explosion at the Dip N' Strip Furniture Refinishing on North 2nd Street. There was a flash and a fire sparked but an explosion was unconfirmed. Authorities say two employees were working ...
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3 injured in Ga. chemical plant blast
The Associated Press VALDOSTA, Ga. — Authorities in south Georgia say at least three people have been injured in a chemical explosion that rocked an industrial complex. Valdosta fire officials say more than 40 firefighters responded to the blaze at the Gil Harbin Industrial Park Wednesday afternoon with help from Lowndes County sheriff's officials, Moody Air Force Base, the Georgia State Patrol ...
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On the market: Gas monitors
Here's a look at the different options available for equipment designed to warn you of the presence of deadly gases.
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Rotting-fish gas turns hazmat, 2 fishermen overcome
The Associated Press ROCKLAND, Maine — Decaying herring inside the fish hold of an 89-foot trawler created enough noxious gas to sicken two Maine fishermen and leave one of them unconscious. Firefighters say the unconscious fisherman was flown by helicopter to a hospital on Friday. They say the other is being treated at another hospital. Poisonous hydrogen sulfide built up in the fish hold after ...
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Essential tools for confined-space rescue
Knowing how to use the four-gas detector and ventilation equipment in a must for confined-space rescues.
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