BREAKING NEWS - MASSIVE EXPLOSION AND FIRE - NJ [Actually, Staten Island NY: AM]

ME | 2/21/03 | SELF

[LonePalm]

I just turned and looked out my office window and saw a column of black smoke rising towards Union Beach/Perth Amboy NJ.

I then felt the force of an explosion rattle my window.

[mhking]

Drudge: REFINERY FIRE, STATEN ISLAND, NY; SMOKE FILLS SKIES; BLASTS SHOOK AREA

[Quilla]

I saw that clip. The man was a fanatic as was his audience. His tone was the most frightening part. My daughter and I were both reading when the clip played. Our attention was instantly diverted. Scary!

[Lion's Cub]

In the Hampton Roads area of Va. (Norfolk/Va.Beach), our Exxons have been out of gas for days because of all the snow to the north of us. This may turn into more than a minor inconvenience.

[finnman69]

NYC Fire Commissioner Van Essen on radio now..says most of fire in water, most smoke over water. No fire crews on site yet. still figuring out how to plan dealing with it. NYFD has 2 big fore boats and a smaller fire boat.

[RecentConvert]

The plume of dark smoke could bee seen from Southern Westchester County.

[Overtaxed]

although it is propane? This shouldn't affect gas prices should it?

Glad I just had my tank filled for the last time this season.

[Admin Moderator]

Confusion on our part. Before any of us had seen it, someone hit abuse on the other thread asking for it to be put in breaking. Somehow it ended up lower on the BN index which made it appear to be the older thread. I think we got it straightened out now.

[Solamente]

The Verrazano Bridge IS NOT closed - I'm seeing usual traffic.

[mhking]

With the amount of smoke, (and I don't want to alarm anyone) any idea if anything particularly nasty could be in this stuff to spread around?

[steveegg]

Will do. FNC is reporting that the FDNY, with 200 firefighters on site or enroute, is trying to shut off the product that is feeding the fire.

[finnman69]

radio reporting flames are 1100' high.

[aristeides]

Of course people are going to think terrorism after the government's long history of denying that what were obviously terrorist incidents were such. Think the shooting at LAX last July 4th. Think the plant explosion in Toulouse, France in October 2001. If you don't like this situation, blame the government for lying so much.

[LonePalm]

Probably Not. I watched a refinery fire in Catanya Bay, Sicily, ni 1979 from my ship at a distance of about 1/2 mile. Very impressive. Unfortunately refineries are very dangerous in and of themselves. Odds are that this was just an accident.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[tubebender]

It doesn't look like a propane fire by the way it is spreading on the water and I don't see any propane storage tanks on shore.

[SarahW]

Have you read lileks "bleat" about that mullah and scimitar?

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/848608/posts

Well worth a read.

[HairOfTheDog]

Here is a list.... haven't checked them.... just saved them from a prior post.

BBC World: http://202.174.129.100/bbc300k
BBC News 24: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsa/n5ctrl/live/now2.ram
CTV NewsNet: http://ctvbroadcast.ctv.ca/ctvlivehigh.asf
WFAA/Dallas (ABC): http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=5882
KHOU/Houston (CBS): http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=206531
CNN: http://www.itcom.itd.umich.edu/streaming/ram/avs03.ram
FOX News Channel: http://umtv-live.rs.itd.umich.edu/itcom/avs01.ram
NBC; NASA TV; MSNBC; KXAS/Dallas: http://www.msnbc.com/m/lv/default.asp?0cv=CA01
WKMG/Orlando-Daytona Beach: http://mfile.akamai.com/7882/live/reflector:23942.ram
WSVN/Miami: http://web2.wsvn.com/video/wsvn_broadband.asx
CNN/Newsnet - Raw Video (IBSYS News Sites): http://mfile.akamai.com/7882/live/reflector:23961.ram

[jriemer]

Did you happen to see that clip from Iraqi TV on Special Report with Brit Hume (Tony Snow) last night? Some turban-clad leader was screaming about cutting heads off Jews with swords and allah is great. It was horrible, the whole crowd was screaming. I think it was a Mosque but I'm not sure.

Mrs K

The video footage was from last Friday's "sermon" at the Grand Mosque in Bagdad. It was almost a spitting image of one of Hitler's Nurenburg (sp) rally.

I was so creeped out last night after watching it, I had a hard time eating dinner.

[mhking]

Anyone got a streaming video link that works.

Still working on it - MSNBC has been a little flaky the past few days.

[OldFriend]

Am listening on the radio.......and they are reporting several fires in separte areas.........at the refinery. At first the fire was on the water in a barge.......we can only pray.......and wonder too.

[Quilla]

Thanks for the weather report as Mobile's storms generally head Dothan's way. I'm at the office and my only news source is FR. Actually, that's not a handicap as this story broke right here. Stay safe.