Free Republic

Officials said there is no threat of an explosion or chemical leak.All evacuation orders tied to a failing chemical tank in Southern California that sparked fears of a catastrophic explosion have been lifted, local authorities announced Tuesday evening.The Orange County Fire Authority said in a social media post that officials have determined there is no threat of an explosion, fire or chemical leak and no risk to the public.On Monday, officials announced the evacuation zone was shrinking after the "worst-case scenario" of a catastrophic explosion had been averted. But about 16,000 people remained under evacuation orders.Earlier Tuesday, officials said the...

A natural gas explosion destroyed a residential building in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, injuring at least four people on Thursday afternoon, Dallas-Fire Rescue confirms. Sources tell NBC 5 that 23 people lived in the building and officials said 12 residents have been accounted for. DFR told NBC 5 they were called to a large 3-alarm fire triggered by a gas explosion at a residential building located in the 400 block of E. 9th Street shortly before 1 p.m. At about 2:20 p.m., the fire was increased to four alarms, and by 3:23 p.m., to five alarms. NBC 5...

A chemical tank ruptured at a facility in Washington state, resulting in multiple critical injuries and an unknown number of fatalities, authorities said. The "hazardous materials incident" was reported Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging, a pulp and paper mill in Longview, fire authorities said. A tank containing white liquor ruptured at approximately 7:15 a.m., according to a joint statement from local authorities and Nippon Dynawave Packaging. Authorities initially referred to the incident as a chemical explosion and then an implosion, before referring to it as a rupture.

Fire officials have released a clear and haunting view of what damage could look like if the toxic Garden Grove tank explodes, with its temperature increasing with each passing hour. OCFA Division Chief Nick Freeman said Friday that blast zones would be divided into severe, moderate, and light blast zones in a radius around the tank. The most severe blast zone will cause “severe structural damage and significant harm,” while the moderate zone will see structural damage and some harm. The lightest zone will see just some structural damage. In addition, an oblong circle above the tank is divided into...

A fire at a Staten Island dockyard sparked a massive explosion that left 16 people — including 13 firefighters and two emergency medics — hospitalized on Friday, according to the FDNY. The blaze ignited in the basement of a metal building at the rear of the coastal facility in Mariners Harbor around 3:30 p.m., fire officials said. Just over 50 minutes later — well after the inferno at the Richmond Terrace dockyard near Andros Ave. had risen to a two-alarm fire — the building was suddenly rocked by an explosion that fire officials described as “major.” One civilian and two...

"A large blast was heard near the Jerusalem-area city of Beit Shemesh this evening, at a testing ground belonging to the state-owned Tomer defense firm." "In a statement, Tomer — which develops engines for rockets and missiles — says that the blast was “a pre-planned experiment that was carried out according to plan.”

Authorities are investigating after a fiery explosion Friday at a lumber mill in Searsmont, Maine. Officials have not yet released the number of injuries or fatalities. Camden Fire & Rescue confirmed it has a crew providing assistance. "Our thoughts are with the injured, medical professionals providing care and first responders working to control the situation," the department wrote in a statement on Facebook. "We anticipate having personnel committed to helping for several days." Ben Hamel, the mill's purchasing manager, told the Bangor Daily News that the fire started in an area where wood shavings are packaged. The fire then spread...

A reported boat explosion in Miami sent 15 people to the hospital Saturday afternoon, as over 25 fire rescue units were dispatched to the scene. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to calls about a reported explosion around 12:50 p.m. at Haulover Sandbar near North Miami, The Miami Herald reported.

Toronto fire crews responded to a two-alarm blaze, as several propane cylinders ruptured atop a building in the downtown core on Friday night. Toronto police say they were called about reports of a fire on the roof of a building under construction at 296 Richmond Street West near John Street around 6 p.m. Video sent to CityNews shows plumes of smoke and at least one explosion on the rooftop of a building on Richmond Street. Other videos posted to social media show a fire burning on the rooftop of a building. “Information received that items are possibly exploding and debris...

A massive explosion and fire has broken out at a Valero oil refinery in Port Arthur, Texas. The extent of the damage, but no one has reportedly been injured. An order to shelter in place has been issued. Following reports of an explosion, a massive fire can be seen at the Valero oil refinery in Port Arthur, Texas. pic.twitter.com/I3UYBTS41A— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 24, 2026Additional footage shows the massive fire at the Valero oil refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, following a reported explosion. pic.twitter.com/NhQyNIujCN— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 24, 2026Footage reportedly shows the effect of a large explosion at the Valero oil...

BREAKING: Large explosion and fire reported near Memorial Parkway south of Cincinnati, Ohio

An explosion rocked the US Embassy in Norway, damaging the consulate amid Iranian threats of terror retaliation as Operation Epic Fury rages on in the Middle East, according to police and reports. The blast erupted in Oslo around 1 a.m. local time Sunday, hitting the entrance to the embassy’s consular section and causing minor damage, police incident commander Michael Delmer said, NKR reported. “At around 1 a.m. we received several reports of an explosion,” he said, noting there were no casualties. “We arrived shortly afterward and confirmed that there had been an explosion that hit the US Embassy. There is...

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Crews imploded the Eastside Cannery Hotel-Casino along Boulder Highway, and spectators gathered across the street to watch the building come down. The Longhorn Casino hosted a demolition party, selling parking spaces for $25 and rooms for $250 to give guests a front-row seat to the implosion. The event drew visitors from out of state as well as longtime Las Vegas locals.

New details about the massive gas explosion that injured six people and set off a major fire in a Hayward neighborhood were released on Thursday as part of a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB report states that PG&E "detected gas at the ground level near the accident home" after the original leak was supposedly capped, but despite that, crews began digging operations and less than an hour later the explosion occurred. The report also revealed that PG&E crews knocked on the doors of the accident home and neighboring homes to make contact with the residents,...

While the world’s attention is focused on the combat transpiring in Libya and the events in Egypt and Bahrain, Yemen has also descended into crisis. The country is deeply split over its support for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and this profound divide has also extended to the most powerful institutions in the country — the military and the tribes — with some factions calling for Saleh to relinquish power and others supporting him. The tense standoff in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa has served to divert attention (and security forces) from other parts of the country. On March 28,...

BRISTOL TWP., Pa. (WPVI) -- Two people are dead after an apparent gas explosion collapsed part of a nursing home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday afternoon, leaving an unknown number of people trapped in the rubble. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed the two deaths at a news conference Tuesday evening. Rescuers believe five people remain unaccounted for, Shapiro said, but he cautioned that the numbers remain preliminary. Action News has also learned that at least 21 people were sent to various hospitals. The extent of their injuries remain unclear.

The FBI said on Tuesday that two men from Massachusetts were arrested following an explosion at the Harvard Medical School building over the weekend. FBI Boston posted on X on Tuesday regarding the arrests, saying, "BREAKING: Special agents & officers with FBI Boston's Joint Terrorism Task Force & Harvard University Police Dept. have arrested two Massachusetts men in connection with an explosion at Harvard Medical School. Details to follow at a 1:00 p.m. news conference with [U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts] at the federal courthouse in Boston." Early Saturday morning, an officer who responded to a fire...

An explosion rocked a Harvard Medical School building early Saturday morning, authorities said. The unknown device exploded on the fourth floor of the Goldenson building on the Harvard Longwood Campus’s main quad shortly before 3 a.m., The Harvard Crimson reported citing authorities. Two individuals were witnessed running out of the building at the time of the detonation, the outlet said, citing the Harvard University Police Department. An officer with the university failed in an attempt to stop them, before entering the building to check on the alarm, The Boston Globe reported. The Boston Fire Department determined the explosion was intentional...

Just felt a massive (for us) shake through the house and way outside, heard continuous rumbling noise almost like a distant explosion. Like an aircraft jet engine nearby taking off. Anyone here with news?

Reports and video have emerged of a massive explosion in Cairo, Egypt ahead of President Trump’s Peace Summit. Israel Hayom: A powerful explosion rocked the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Monday, shattering windows kilometers away from the site. The blast occurred at a military base in the northern part of the city, close to several government institutions. The explosion took place as regional and world leaders were gathering in Sharm el-Sheikh, in southern Sinai, for a peace summit on the future of the Gaza Strip. A huge cloud of smoke was seen rising over Cairo, the largest city in the Middle...