[Steely Tom]

5:35 P.M. UPDATE - WYXC-AM reporter John Underwood says that the explosion took place in a cooling tower. There are reports that there are holes in the cooling towers.

Buildup of some flammable gas inside the tower finds an ignition source?

Some gas that's used in water treatment, maybe?

Whole lotta volume in those things. That concrete is pretty thin in places. The strength is in the top and bottom rings.

[BipolarBob]

Buildup of some flammable gas inside the tower finds an ignition source?

At this point there is no indication the cooling towers were the source of the accident but only the target of debris. There is probably no gas build-up in a cooling tower however they did a modification last year in which they are using less water through a thermosyphon cooler. How this works I am unsure at this time.

[higgmeister]

Channel 2 News just showed a very large dark stain on the side of one of the chiller towers and speculated that was possibly a result of the explosion. You may be on to something. They also at one point said GA Pwr closed the area to inspect for chemical spills before crews could fully investigate.