dpantazis
#12
this happened this morning, a local BioD plant BLEW UP! I kid you not, the sucker blew sky hi!
Blast rips West Side plant; 2 hurt - Chicago Breaking News
Two people were injured--but not as seriously as originally thought--in a "massive explosion" that tore through a commercial biodiesel and vegetable oil plant on the West Side, authorities said.
The two victims, a truck driver and a plant worker at Columbus Foods Co. in the 800 block of North Albany Avenue suffered chemical splashing in the 8:45 a.m. explosion and were taken to Stroger Hospital in serious to critical condition. But their conditions stabilized by midday.
Other workers were decontaminated on-scene following the explosion, said Fire Department spokesman Quention Curtis. Eight people were inside the building at the time.
The blast occurred as chemicals were being mixed and a truck was being unloaded, officials said. One of the chemicals made at the plant is biodiesel fuel, said Deputy Fire Commissioner Eugene Ryan.
The Police Department's Bomb and Arson unit is working with fire investigators to determine the cause of the explosion. Investigators do not know all of the chemicals that were involved, but nitrogen, sulfuric acid and glycerin are some of them, Ryan said.
The explosion also disrupted Metra's Milwaukee District North and West Lines that run nearby, halting some trains and delaying others. In addition, 19 people from a Metra yard in the 2900 block of West Chicago Avenue were taken to hospitals in good condition, complaining about minor respiratory problems and skin irritation, fire officials said.
_debris300.jpgRight: Debris that landed about a block away from the explosion. (Michael Tercha/Tribune)
Rick Cummisford, quality director for the plant, said two chemicals were being combined in a mixing tank about 10 feet in diameter and 20 feet high when the explosion occurred.
A hazardous materials alarm at the plant was canceled about 10:15 a.m., although police continued to shut down all streets in the area within two blocks of the explosion. But there appeared to be no danger to residents of nearby condos and two-flats. They had not been ordered to evacuated and were milling in the street.
The 65-foot-by-100-foot building where the explosion happened handles between 20,000 and 40,000 pounds of biodiesel fuel each day, said Fire Department spokesman Will Knight. The explosion partially collapsed a plant roof, he said.
Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford described the explosion as "massive."
"There is a lot of internal damage," he said. "A number of bricks were shaken from the building itself onto the floor and into the parking lot."
Laura Hampton had just finished jogging in Humboldt Park when she heard the explosion and saw area apartment buildings shake. "I thought a semi had run into a building or something," she said.
She said she smelled a strong odor of sulfur, but said it dissipated after a few minutes.
Air monitors determined the air quality was safe by a little after 11 a.m., the Fire Department's Ryan said.
A chemical cloud rose from the explosion, and surrounding buildings were temporarily evacuated and streets blocked off, he said. The explosion did not ignite a fire in the plant, Knight said.
In all, 20 ambulances and a hazardous materials team were called to the two scenes. After the initial hazardous materials response was declared under control, another was called for the Metra yard.
The explosion sent an acidic vapor into air, which wafted into the Metra yard, affecting the people there, said Deputy District Chief Bruce Gebien. There were another 15 people at the yard who refused treatment, he said.
-- Will Lee, Liam Ford, Christine Smith
Blast rips West Side plant; 2 hurt - Chicago Breaking News
Two people were injured--but not as seriously as originally thought--in a "massive explosion" that tore through a commercial biodiesel and vegetable oil plant on the West Side, authorities said.
The two victims, a truck driver and a plant worker at Columbus Foods Co. in the 800 block of North Albany Avenue suffered chemical splashing in the 8:45 a.m. explosion and were taken to Stroger Hospital in serious to critical condition. But their conditions stabilized by midday.
Other workers were decontaminated on-scene following the explosion, said Fire Department spokesman Quention Curtis. Eight people were inside the building at the time.
The blast occurred as chemicals were being mixed and a truck was being unloaded, officials said. One of the chemicals made at the plant is biodiesel fuel, said Deputy Fire Commissioner Eugene Ryan.
The Police Department's Bomb and Arson unit is working with fire investigators to determine the cause of the explosion. Investigators do not know all of the chemicals that were involved, but nitrogen, sulfuric acid and glycerin are some of them, Ryan said.
The explosion also disrupted Metra's Milwaukee District North and West Lines that run nearby, halting some trains and delaying others. In addition, 19 people from a Metra yard in the 2900 block of West Chicago Avenue were taken to hospitals in good condition, complaining about minor respiratory problems and skin irritation, fire officials said.
_debris300.jpgRight: Debris that landed about a block away from the explosion. (Michael Tercha/Tribune)
Rick Cummisford, quality director for the plant, said two chemicals were being combined in a mixing tank about 10 feet in diameter and 20 feet high when the explosion occurred.
A hazardous materials alarm at the plant was canceled about 10:15 a.m., although police continued to shut down all streets in the area within two blocks of the explosion. But there appeared to be no danger to residents of nearby condos and two-flats. They had not been ordered to evacuated and were milling in the street.
The 65-foot-by-100-foot building where the explosion happened handles between 20,000 and 40,000 pounds of biodiesel fuel each day, said Fire Department spokesman Will Knight. The explosion partially collapsed a plant roof, he said.
Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford described the explosion as "massive."
"There is a lot of internal damage," he said. "A number of bricks were shaken from the building itself onto the floor and into the parking lot."
Laura Hampton had just finished jogging in Humboldt Park when she heard the explosion and saw area apartment buildings shake. "I thought a semi had run into a building or something," she said.
She said she smelled a strong odor of sulfur, but said it dissipated after a few minutes.
Air monitors determined the air quality was safe by a little after 11 a.m., the Fire Department's Ryan said.
A chemical cloud rose from the explosion, and surrounding buildings were temporarily evacuated and streets blocked off, he said. The explosion did not ignite a fire in the plant, Knight said.
In all, 20 ambulances and a hazardous materials team were called to the two scenes. After the initial hazardous materials response was declared under control, another was called for the Metra yard.
The explosion sent an acidic vapor into air, which wafted into the Metra yard, affecting the people there, said Deputy District Chief Bruce Gebien. There were another 15 people at the yard who refused treatment, he said.
-- Will Lee, Liam Ford, Christine Smith
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