West Pharmaceuticals Explosion in North Carolina

Fox News | 01.29.03 | Me

[kcvl]

Plant employees over 200 people...

[Servant of the Nine]

This is a sick thought (and please forgive me in advance for having it), but what if this were something more nefarious and something chemically related (or any other WMD for that matter) - wouldn't that prevent some of the EMS personnel from either going in or (if they were already there) coming back out?

Take your meds and chill.

A few tons of burning plastic burning will produce all the toxic chemicals anyone could ever want. It take very special equipment to get in close and fight a fire like this and I doubt the local firefighters have much of it.

SO9

[MattAMiller]

This isn't looking good. I noticed earlier that there was a line of ambulances that weren't going anywhere. I was hoping that was because a large number of people had escaped uninjured. It is begining to look like that is not the case.

[concerned about politics]

I have a real bad feeling about this...

Yeh. They said about 200 people working. There's nothing like 200 people being seen around the area. This is so sad.

[mhking]

Take your meds and chill

I did beg your indulgence before tossing that one out there. I'll admit that it's WAY out in left field, but it had to be said.

This situation is bad enough without any other nefarious elements in play.

[Servant of the Nine]

The pulled post was wild speculation presented to us as fact and basically said a dangerous cloud of toxic smoke was going to endager many communities including DC. It deserved to be pulled.

It is misting rain over much of this part of North Carolina. That is gonna wash whatever toxic smoke there is out of the air before it goes anywhere.

SO9

[kcvl]

Lee Edwards, who lives about a tenth of a mile from the plant, said debris from two 800-foot water towers flew in the air.

"All I can see is just the black smoke, just billowing up in the air. I mean, the whole sky is black," he said. "It exploded. It knocked me over."

"That whole building is gone. There's no saving any part of that building," he said.

Television aerial footage of showed flames and smoke still shooting up more than 1 1/2 hours after the fire broke out.

[DoughtyOne]

I don't believe there were more than about 140-150 in the building. It's supposedly a three shift plant with a little over 200 employees. At shift change two shifts might have been present.

[Mo1]

This isn't looking good. I noticed earlier that there was a line of ambulances that weren't going anywhere.

They will bring ambulances from all over the place just in case, it could mean the there are no further seriously injuried or it could mean something worse

I live in a Townshouse and even if there is a tiny fire in one of the homes they will call fire departments and ambulances from a number of neighboring townships just in case ..

[Servant of the Nine]

They said about 200 people working. There's nothing like 200 people being seen around the area.

There are also nothing like enough cars in the parking lot for 200 people. I imagine that a lot of survivors of the blast got in their cars and left before there could be a second explosion.

So9

[abner]

My office is right down the street from their Lionville, Pa office. I'm sure that we have people from that office that are customers in here.

Sending prayers to all involved

[cajungirl]

Me too,,it looks so horrific,,don't see how anyone survived. But I doubt the T word.

[PleaseNoMore]

My daughter was treated there at the Jaycees Burn Center when she sustained 2nd and 3rd degree burns on 26% of her body. They are top notch and give excellent care. Dr. Michael Peck is an amazing burn care physician/surgeon. Having been thru this with my child, my heart hurts for these folks. May God be with them and their families. If anyone can help these folks physically and emotionally, Peck and his crew can.

[mommadooo3]

If the explosion was in the warehouse, here's a 'silly' question....what's the explosive power of a tank on a tow motor?

[jriemer]

A few tons of burning plastic burning will produce all the toxic chemicals anyone could ever want. It take very special equipment to get in close and fight a fire like this and I doubt the local firefighters have much of it.

Agreed. The MSDS detailing by-products of combustion is enough to wonder if your children will have three arms.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

If you are speculating...and you are...you should not present it as fact.

[united1000]

THANKS

[Peach]

Please see post #309.

[DoughtyOne]

It may not be a silly question, but any answer I would give would certainly be silly. I have no idea.

[PleaseNoMore]

No Shriner's hospital in the state but the Jaycees Burn Center is here. They treated my child there and are amazing. ECU has trauma ( neice went their after serious auto accident ) but no burn center.