Posted on 04/25/2002 8:51:11 AM PDT by monkeyshine
Explosion at technical school in Manhattan
As frustrating as it is, it's going to be hard to get the complete accurate story right off the bat.
Shoot. I was just going to check it out. It's lunch time which is why there's probably so many people there.
Near and far are relative here in Manhattan. I live only five miles or so from Ground Zero and wouldn't consider myself anywhere near "close", as I'm clear on the other side of the island. Chelsea was close to the WTC visually maybe(mr. h had a fabulous view of the Towers, and watched the collapse that day at his windows), but is still several neighborhoods north of Ground Zero.
NEW YORK –– Part of an eight-story building collapsed Thursday in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. At least 21 people were being treated at the scene for injuries, fire officials said.
At least two people were carried out on stretchers and placed into ambulances.
Officials said it appeared some type of explosion collapsed some floors of the building. Federal officials said there was no sign of terrorism.
"It was just a really loud noise," said Stuart Markowitz, who runs the education department at the nearby Apex Technical School. "Some of our windows did get blown out."
All students in the school were safely evacuated, he said. Initial reports that the collapse took place at the school were not true, he said.
More than 100 firefighters were called to the scene at 19th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues.
The school offers training in such fields as welding, automotive repair, refrigeration, air conditioning, and appliance technology.
© 2002 The Associated Press
Fittings should be incompatible. Oxygen fittings and acetylene fittings have opposite threads. Freon fittings should be different.
So far, no reports of deaths, so I'm hopeful that will hold.
Oh I understand that part and that the story is still unfolding ... but they could be a little more responsible in their reporting
Report the news YES .. scare the daylights out of people NO
Explosion in Chelsea
Newsday.com
April 25, 2002, 12:35 PM EDTA noontime explosion rocked a street in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, injuring at least 50 people and partially collapsing a building, authorities said.
Police sources said the explosion appeared to be caused by a boiler explosion in a building next to the Apex Technical School on West 19th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.
A fire spokesman said there was a report of an explosion in a basement. The department found several 55 gallon drums of acetone, a cleanser that can be explosive, at the scene, said a fire union source.
Federal officials said there was no sign of terrorism.
“It was just a really loud noise,” said Stuart Markowitz, who runs the education department at the nearby Apex Technical School. “Some of our windows did get blown out.”
All students in the school were safely evacuated, he said. Initial reports that the collapse took place at the school were not true, he said.
The school, where more than half the students are foreign-born, offers training in such fields as welding, automotive repair, refrigeration, air conditioning, and appliance technology.
More than 100 firefighters were called to the scene. Paramedics were treating the injured on the street and some were taken away in ambulances. The seriousness of the injuries was not known and no fatalities were reported.
Several streets in the area were closed off by police as emergency vehicles crowded the area.
Earlier, some witnesses reported seeing gas canisters being brought into the technical school's building prior to the explosion. People several blocks away said their offices were shaken by the incident.
It will make you jump if your nearby, that's for dang sure.
Q: How much acetelene does it take to blow out windows?
A: Not very much!
I wouldn't discount the possibility that it was an O2 tank, either. A full oxy tank that gets the valve knocked off could easily take out a load bearing wall if it gets a little room to run, and fill the room with explosive levels of oxygen in the process.
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