Middletown, Connecticut rocked by explosion

Digital Journal ^ | Sunday Feb7 2010 10:19 AM MST | KJ Mullins

[malamute]

An explosion in Middletown, Connecticut has rocked the town. Initial reports are that about a dozen people have been injured.

Middletown, United States - The Middletown Fire Department just said in a phone interview that they are in the process of putting out a second alarm. There are an unknown number of casualities. The explosion took place at NRG Power Plant on River Road. According to their web site they are the fossil-fueled electric generating plant in the state. Reports are saying that the blast could be felt as far away as Durham.

[Zeppo]

The nearest traffic camera that I've found on I-91 is somewhat north of Middletown (in Cromwell, probably five miles or so) at http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?a=2354&q=414154 - it does not show any traffic tie-up in either direction (but the camera only updates infrequently)...

[John W]

No, none. But, a human being chose this start up date and time. Did they have to choose this date and time?

[Gondring]

Thanks. Of course it all depends on where the blast was, I guess.

[alecqss]

Well, Rt. 9 passes right near plant. I-91 in about 6 to 8 miles from there.

[NormsRevenge]

That’s NRG, not the Kleen Energy plant.

OOps .. Thanks!

[CedarDave]

That was a live picture; at one point a man’s head can be seen moving through it.

[winoneforthegipper]

Listening to the scanner a first responder just radio their control and asked if they had to take photographs of the debris that they are shifting around in their search?

[Gondring]

From scanner traffic, I’m guessing more fatalities.

[Grut]

I don’t trust those casualty figures: 2 dead, 300 wounded is ‘way off the usual ratio. Either there are a lot more dead, or a lot fewer wounded, or it was a very unusual situation.

[soycd]

Wouldn’t there need to be a huge structure to contain enough explosive gas mixture
to create such an enormous blast as this? I’m thinking an indoor arena sized
building filled with a stochiometric mixture of oxygen and fuel to
make such an explosion.

[Raycpa]

Routes 91 and 66 are fairly distant from the area that this occurred. Rte 9 is closest major road but is also pretty distant.

Listening to dispatch there doesn’t seem to be too much traffic leaving the area and most of the work is locating bodies under the rubble.

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

What is the point of your rant about this ‘start up date’ choice?

[Zeppo]

Lots of conflicting info floating around - supposedly 250 people would have been there during a normal work day, while numbers in the range of 50 to 100 were reported (on channel 8) to have been onsite today...

[Raycpa]

91 does run through Middletown but it is on the western side while this plant is on the eastern side near the CT river.

If any traffic lanes were affected it would be the river traffic which would be very light at this time of year.

[JustPiper]

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/middlesex_cty/middletown-power-plant-explosion

[Man50D]

Unless they moved I-91 or Middletown, I-91 does NOT run through Middletown.

You're looking at a map telling me where it is located. I lived there! You're focusing on where the city's name positioned in relation to I-91. Middletown is not a narrow little corridor. It is spread out to the west far enough to traverse I-91.

[JustPiper]

So HS is just a formality on scene?

[Doogle]

http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?ard=1&q1=middletown+ct&fr2=sc-sb&fr=yfp-t-701#mvt=s&lat=41.55566&lon=-72.58096&zoom=17&q1=middletown%20ct

ZOOM IN ON POWER PLANT

[Man50D]

Well, Rt. 9 passes right near plant. I-91 in about 6 to 8 miles from there.

Middletown is wide enough to traverse I-91. Read post #136.

[John-Irish]

Prayers for all involved. I hope it’s a ‘’man-caused disaster’’ in the mechanical sense of the term and not something more sinister.