Posted on 02/07/2010 2:47:48 PM PST by FromLori
Several people were killed and at least 14 injured Sunday in a powerful explosion at a natural gas plant under construction in Middletown, Conn., officials said.
Betsy Hard, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, said there were multiple deaths but she didn't know how many.
Middletown deputy fire marshal Al Santostefano said 50 construction workers were in the section of the power plant where the explosion happened at 11:17 a.m. He said he didn't know what caused the blast.
Dogs were searching for victims in the rubble, but there were no signs of life Sunday afternoon, he said.
"They are taking the building apart piece by piece now, the part that collapsed and came in, they are taking that apart in sections piece by piece, very carefully," Santostefano said.
The 620-megawatt plant was being built to produce energy, primarily using natural gas. Santostefano said workers were purging the gas lines, a procedure he called a "blow-down," when the explosion occurred.
Middlesex Hospital spokesman Brian Albert said one seriously injured person was transferred to Hartford Hospital and doctors were evaluating another person who might also be moved to Hartford for more intensive care.
Two people were treated and released, and eight others were being treated for broken bones, abdominal injuries, blunt force trauma and other kinds of injuries consistent with being caught in an explosion, Albert said.
Hartford Hospital said two patients were brought directly there after the blast, in addition to the one transferred later from Middlesex.
The explosion shook houses up to 16 kilometres away.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbc.ca ...
I felt it and I am about 16 MILES away. I thought, at first, it was a truck bouncing on the dip in the road in front of my house but I didn't hear the usual truck noises. Then, I thought it might have been my first earthquake but then I heard about the explosion.
I read what it says on the article linked, but you have to wonder, under this administration, could this possibly be terrorism?
I can’t get a miss in my engine diagnosed this fast, and the call is not terrorism? The reports are they were pressure testing the gas lines. I thought they used air for the pressure test. Gas guys out there, is that right?
“...a procedure he called a “blow-down”......
Maybe they should get some new nomenclature?
Watched the press conference. While there may have been a 100 workers on the site, most of them were outside of the building at the time, because there were gas line tests in progress. And while no death is acceptable, apparently the death and injured totals will end up being much lower than earlier feared. Last I heard, there were 5 confirmed dead, 12 seriously injured. But that is a working total, and there are several people as yet unaccounted for. (a dozen or two?)
Naurally ithey already know that t was was NOT caused by terrorism. /s
Rattled my windows. I am 11 miles away.Sounded like a sonic boom.
I am thirty miles out, and felt a low but deep thud. I thought, what the hell is that, but had no idea.
Not every explosion is terrorism, people! And come on, Middletown, CT ???
Of course not, but why is the announcement denying terrorism put out before any investigation has taken place? Saying nothing about terroism would be less suspicioua.
When you build a line, you hydrostatically test it, ie, pressure test it with water. You never want to conduct a pressure test with a gas.
But they were purging the line. When you build it, it is full of air and lots of left over filthy construction crub and weld slag. You have to purge the line to get the air out and blow out all the junk. I once started a new boiler at a hospital and the small orifices in the gas pressure regulator were always getting fouled. We took the 4” line apart and added a diversion to the outside and let it blow clean with short bursts. After that, no more fouled pressure regulator and we could get down to business.
The gas line to a 600 MW plant is huge.
I wouldn’t rule out terrorism if Obama and Al Gore laughed at the claim together.
But 50 construction workers were at the site. A single spark at the wrong place at the wrong time is a distinct possibility. Normal safeguards are put on hold when construction workers are there. Was there any welding going on there?
Thinking about it more, construction work is not the kind of thing that al qaeda would like. They prefer static targets for their plans [or consistent routines]. Construction work would require spontaneous acts of terror, which isn’t their style.
I live in Ledyard. You?
True. I believe it was accidental. It’s just with this administration and it’s lack of security, there’s always this lingering doubt.
Well Blow-up is already taken. How about purge, pressurize, evacuate the air ,remove air from piping, bring system online. My question is, wouldn’t you want to pressurize the piping with nitrogen gas first? Then the chance of an explosion would be non existent.
I’m glad you are suspicious. I don’t know when the last truly honest administration was. Clinton covered up terror attacks, and remember all the ways the Bush administration tried to say ‘not terror’? Something might have happened a few minutes ago, but terror was ‘ruled out’ insto-presto.
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