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.

[P.O.E.]

My sister teaches school right across from this. My kids go to school about 4 miles from there. I'm My folks work in the area. My uncle & aunt may be evacuated.

I'm not even mildly amused.

Save the humor for somewhere else, ok?

[tubebender]

I saw that...scary, very scary. It must be near slack tide as I don't see the slick moving much.

[Travis McGee]

I'm jumping into this late, excuse me if this has been covered.

This type of scenario as a terrorist attack has been a huge worry since 9-11. All ships coming into the USA are now boarded by armed coasties etc. to prevent their being turned into huge guided bombs.

A weak link in this security is barge and river transportation, where one or two jerks with pistols could hijack a tug and send a PLO barge into a refinery.

Just saying, don't rule it out yet.

[Neets]

Ok, so now immigration is the reason for this fire?????

[cardinal4]

Just going on record as being a bit weirded out.

Agreed. Factory fires, night clubs, train derailments, USAIRWAYS Ex 5187, American 587, the Tampa Cessna dude, the three arabs in the lav on the Northwest flight who shaved themselves, the barge accident at Sallisaw, OK, the FEDEX explosion here in STL.......a lot of stuff happening lately...

[spectre]

There has to be a big loss of lives in this fire. So tragic.

Not being funny, but guess the people downwind of the smoke and fumes on Staten Island must be glad they have duct tape and plastic sheeting.

sw

[A2J]

Refineries tend to blow themselves up. I wouldn't assume an outside factor yet.

Especially in the cold.

On Christmas Eve in the late 80's, an Exxon refinery experienced a huge explosion in Baton Rouge. It shook the house we were in.

[Mo1]

Smoke from an oil storage facility explosion on Staten Island, is seen from The Rainbow Room in Manhattan borough of New York, Friday Feb. 21, 2003. The explosion, which could be heard several miles away, occurred at the edge of Port Mobile, near the Outerbridge Crossing that links the island to Woodbridge, N.J., in the southwestern part of Staten Island. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) Fri Feb 21,11:24 AM ET

[P.O.E.]

That's an eerie picture.

[McGruff]

I have some TV screen captures on another duplicate thread. Click here.

[TomB]

Still, as I've stated over and over again, it continually strikes me as odd that people seem to really desperately WANT incidents to be terrorist attacks, as if they're frustrated there hasn't been a large one since 9/11. They almost seem offended by people pointing out how a given breaking incident could be an accident.

Amen and AMEN!

It seems there are people around here that have a huge emotional investment in there being more terrorist attacks.

BTW, the fire is pretty much under control.

[TravisBickle]

Keyser Soze?

[Neets]

I see you signed up post 9/11...so if you were not here at that time on that day you are clueless as to what you speak of....for that I'll GIVE YOU CREDIT.

[finnman69]

[HairOfTheDog]

Agreed. Factory fires, night clubs, train derailments, USAIRWAYS Ex 5187, American 587, the Tampa Cessna dude, the three arabs in the lav on the Northwest flight who shaved themselves, the barge accident at Sallisaw, OK, the FEDEX explosion here in STL.......a lot of stuff happening lately...

What we are suffering from is the national media being the local news for the whole country. None of these events would have been national stories 5 years ago.

[aristeides]

CNN news on radio: police say there may be fatalities; accident blamed on "refueling incident."

[Mo1]

I thought also ..

[steveegg]

The fact that it's slack tide is a godsend. It looks like the only major ones that are left are the offshore one and the one on the land. The one by the second tanker is about out.

1 injured, 2 unaccounted at this point.

[tubebender]

I think the fire still burning on the water is coming from the bow of the shruken barge.

[michigander]

Staten Island Refinery On Fire

FBI Says No Indication Of Terrorism

Feb 21, 2003 10:28 am US/Eastern
(AP) (NEW YORK) An explosion rocked an oil refinery on the edge of Staten Island, sending black smoke and flames hundreds of feet into the air.

``We have a preliminary report that tanker was transferring a product or was being fueled and somehow ignited,'' Fire Department Chief William Van Wart said.

It wasn't immediately clear whether any of the dozens of oil tanks in the area were burning.

FBI spokesman Steve Kodak in Newark, N.J., said there was no indication of terrorism. However, FBI officials in Washington said they were still examining it because a refinery is the type of infrastructure terrorists might target.

The explosion, which could be heard several miles away, occurred at the edge of Port Mobile, near the Outerbridge Crossing that links the island to Woodbridge, N.J., in the southwestern part of Staten Island, said a spokeswoman for the Staten Island borough office.

It was reported shortly after 10 a.m., according to a spokeswoman for the New York Fire Department. No injuries were immediately reported.

City officials said residents were not in immediate danger.

``At this point, people should not take any special precautions. It's unlikely this could spread to a residential area,'' Mayor Michael Bloomberg said shortly after the fire was reported.