Posted on 10/22/2009 8:11:08 AM PDT by gura
I think he wants “compressed natural gas” — which is still gaseous. LNG has to be cooled to around 200 below zero, which requires big facilities and usually is only feasible for big stuff like ships and power plants. I never heard of anyone wanting to run trucks on LNG. CNG can have its own problems, but is used a fair amount in busses, especially airport and downtowners and has no more (and probably less) dangers than propane loads.
Interesting observation. The English also say, for example, "the M5". I guess it makes up for being "in hospital" . . . interesting how language evolves.
Sounds like it’d be lots of little BLEVEs looking for a place to happen.
I don’t twitch when I drive near a gasoline tanker on the highway, but propane or LNG tankers concern me a bit more. I guess I’ve seen one too many Youtube videos of what happens when any sort of liquified-gas tanker (or tank farm) finally decides to let go. The ones from a propane tank farm fire in Toronto a couple years back were especially spectacular.
}:-)4
It’s a west coast thing, not just Fornicalia...friends of mine in Oregon and Washington also stick “the” in front of highway numbers and drop the “I-” from interstates. So down here in North Carolina we’d say “I-440” or just “440” (or “the Beltline” for Raleigh locals), they’d say “the 440.” Apparently that extra “the” is common usage in Canada too, I’ve had Canadian acquaintances refer to “the 401” near Toronto.
}:-)4
Goodness, gracious. I hope no one was hurt.
I’m sure that CNG was what Pickens meant to say, But I heard him on Neal Boortz radio show say ‘liquified natural gas’.
Don’t worry...
The FFA kids are about 14 miles away, downtown....
LOL!
May I say that the FFA group of young people are most welcome in Indianapolis. They number in the thousands and never cause trouble.
That isn't possible when my kiddo is so far from home ;) Thanks for the reply. I was concerned because they were going on the bus today.
Announced on tv a few minutes ago, 45,000 FFA members present. They are good kids and FFA is an incredible organization for rural (and not so rural) kids.
I work next to the Courthouse in Noblesville; traffic is backed up in both directions through town on State Road 32 as they can’t use 465 or I 69. Lots of trucks. Very bad traffic on Indy northside tonight.
NDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - A tanker truck carrying liquid propane exploded on a underpass from I-69 to southbound I-465 Thursday morning.
Emergency crews arrived on the scene moments after the explosion and quickly put out the flames.
24-Hour News 8 reporter Jim Shella reports the trucker was seen by an eye-witness driving recklessly before the accident. He hit a guardrail and flipped the truck over which caused the explosion. Shella reports the driver was injured, but Good Samaritans helped pull him to safety.
Just moments after the explosion a witness described the scene. “I can see flames and a lot of black smoke coming from a truck,” said Wendy Brewer.
Someone in a nearby office building from the explosion called the 24-Hour News 8 newsroom and asked if there had been an earthquake.
The explosion sent a huge plume of smoke into the air, two nearby billboards and a cell phone tower caught fire and sustained extensive damage.
Sage Kopronica another witness near the scene said, “People near the explosion got out of their cars and ran from the scene.”
The explosion also injured another person in a car. That person was taken to a nearby hospital, 3 people were treated at the scene.
I-465 eastbound is closed at exit 31 (Meridian/U.S.31). All eastbound I-465 entrance ramps east of that location are closed. Traffic must exit at exit 31 and go north or south. Any traffic traveling eastbound enroute to I-69 will be diverted northbound on U.S. 31 to State Road 28, eastbound on S.R. 28 to I-69.
I-465 northbound is closed at exit 44 (I-70). All northbound I-465 entrance ramps north of that location are closed.
I-69 southbound is closed at exit 22 (State Road 67-Madison County). Traffic will be diverted southbound on S.R. 67 to S.R. 9 to I-70. All southbound I-69 entrance ramps south of that location are closed.
Definitely
Video at this link:
http://www.wishtv.com/subindex/news
Video at this link:
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/21391396/detail.html
INDIANAPOLIS — A large propane tanker truck explosion and fire on an Interstate 465 on-ramp Thursday morning caused the closure of that interstate and Interstate 69 on Indianapolis’ northeast side and injured at least two people.
Flames surged hundreds of feet into the air immediately following the explosion, which happened just after 10:30 a.m. on the ramp from southbound Interstate 69 to southbound I-465.
Slideshow: Explosion, Fire Prompts Interstate Closure
Video: Large Explosion, Fire Closes I-465
Send Pics/Video
Witness Matt Stevens said he was walking outside with a friend when the explosion happened and could feel the heat, even though he was a mile or two away from it.
“It was like a thunder boom,” said witness Matt Stevens. “It was so strange. This little flame turned into … this huge ball.”
The explosion appeared to have happened beneath an I-465 bridge. Crews said the road will remain closed because of possible structural problems with the bridge caused by the blast.
The Indiana Department of Transportation dispatched structural engineers to the scene, said Indiana State Police Sgt. Anthony Emery, but they had not yet been given clearance to begin inspections as of early Thursday afternoon.
Other vehicles were involved in the fire, and one person was injured when glass shattered the windshield of a nearby car.
“I did see a number of vehicles coming out of the flames that had a little smoke, a little fire to them, but they weren’t completely engulfed,” said witness Steve Stevens.
The truck’s driver was also injured, but his injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. He was taken to Methodist Hospital and had been talking to police, Emery said.
Lonnie Hood, who was doing construction work at a nearby apartment complex, heard the explosion and saw the truck’s driver trying to get out.
He and another man were able to get the door open, after which the driver fell into their laps.
It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, but there was still a substantial amount of fire and quite a bit of smoke rising from the scene more than an hour later as firefighters battled the blaze.
Flames were apparently strong enough to damage billboards and communication equipment alongside the interstate. There was also a large traffic backup in the area.
“I was sitting at my desk and I heard what I thought was a small earthquake,” said one witness, who works nearby. “I went outside, and there was a big mushroom cloud. The cell tower was on fire at the top.”
People in office buildings nearby said the explosion was so strong that it shook the buildings.
I-465 eastbound is closed at U.S. 31. All eastbound I-465 entrance ramps east of that location are closed, Emery said.
Traffic must exit at exit 31 and go north or south. Any traffic traveling eastbound to to I-69 will be diverted northbound on U.S. 31 to State Road 28, then eastbound on 28 to I-69.
I-465 northbound is closed at exit 44, which is Interstate 70. All northbound I-465 entrance ramps north of that location are closed.
I-69 southbound is closed at exit 22, which is State Road 67 in Madison County. Traffic will be diverted southbound on 67 to State Road 9 and then back to I-70. All southbound I-69 entrance ramps south of that location are closed.
Watch 6News and refresh
This link has some pictures:
http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-i-465-semi-tanker-explosion-102209,0,6702037.photogallery
Pictures & video at this link:
http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=11364982
A semi tanker carrying liquid propane exploded on the southbound ramp from I-69 to I-465 Thursday morning. Fire crews say they have the fire under control, but several people were injured and the clean-up is causing huge traffic back-ups in the area.
Traffic update from Indiana State Police (1:45 pm):
I-465 eastbound is closed at exit 31 (Meridian/U.S.31). All eastbound I-465 entrance ramps east of that location are closed. Traffic must exit at exit 31 and go north or south. Any traffic traveling eastbound enroute to I-69 will be diverted northbound on U.S. 31 to State Road 28, eastbound on S.R. 28 to I-69.
I-465 northbound is closed at exit 44 (I-70). All northbound I-465 entrance ramps north of that location are closed.
I-69 southbound is closed at exit 22 (State Road 67-Madison County). Traffic will be diverted southbound on S.R. 67 to S.R. 9 to I-70. All southbound I-69 entrance ramps south of that location are closed.
Witnesses help driver from truck
Witnesses at the scene say several drivers helped pull the truck driver out of the vehicle. The driver was taken to Methodist Hospital.
Lonnie Hood was working nearby when he heard the explosion. He was one of two men who helped the truck driver out of the burning vehicle.
“We just seen a big old fireball. We were working in the apartments over here on the side of the interstate and we seen a big massive fireball like you wouldn’t believe. We just ran over here to see if everybody was okay,” he said.
“We got him out. We just ran up to him. He was trying to get out. We were trying to pull the broken windshielf off to pull him out. Me and another guy pulled him out of there and just drug him down the road here and his whole truck blew up.”
Hood said he was scared the truck would blow up because it was on fire. He said he had never experienced anything like it.
“It just felt like an explosion. It was a massive explosion. It just roared in my chest. It was unreal.”
“I was yelling at them to get back away from the truck because they were literally grabbing the windshield to pull it open as it’s in flames. I was probably 15 feet away from the truck. As they brought him down we just carried him,” said Eric Brokamp, another witness who helped at the scene.
Medics treated other burn victims at the scene, including a driver who was behind the tanker when it exploded. Other drivers were able to put their vehicles in reverse to avoid being burned. The driver suffered second- and third-degree burns to his hands and head.
Other witnesses reported flames surrounding their vehicles, but they were able to get out safely once the fire retreated.
The fire from the vehicle created dark plumes of black smoke up to 300 feet high which could be seen for miles. Witnesses reported an explosion and a huge fireball at the time of the accident. Police believe the southbound tanker was traveling from I-69 to I-465 when it rolled and caught fire.
Bridge inspected for damage
Dick Groves with the Lawrence Township Fire Department said the I-465 east-west bridge over I-69 sustained a significant impact when the tanker hit it. Structural engineers are inspecting the bridge.
State Police Sgt. Anthony Emery says traffic on I-465 near the explosion scene will be closed until the bridge is tested for safety.
A second alarm was requested to the scene. Views from a tower cam showed that the billboards were also on fire, and a cell phone tower also caught fire.
Witnesses report huge fireball
Witness Danielle Smith was on 465 headed to Keystone at the Crossing. In her rear-view mirror, she saw a wall of flames.
“I didn’t know if it was a truck or a building or anything like that. All the traffic started slowing down,” she said.
After the flames, Smith said she saw a lot of smoke. She wasn’t sure what type of vehicle was involved.
Diane Frisk works nearby. She reported a big roar and then looked out her office window.
“I had never seen such a large mushroom of fire. It just kept growing and growing,” she said.
“I didn’t know what to think. It was very, very scary. The whole building was shaking. It was an unbelievable experience.”
She said other people told her they saw the ball of fire above the top of her building and that they could feel the heat from the fire in their cars.
SkyTrak Weather meteorologist Chuck Lofton says the small fires that broke out along the interstate were aided by the wind, which has picked up to 20 mph.
You don’t advertise on channels that don’t have any viewers.
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