Showing posts with label Fire / Explosion. Show all posts

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Rescuers melt ice in search for victims of Canadian senior home fire

NBC News

Ryan Remiorz / Canadian Press via AP

Rescue personnel search through the icy rubble Friday of a fire that destroyed a senior residence in Quebec.

By Miranda Leitsinger, NBC News

Fire crews in Quebec are using steam to melt the ice encasing the charred rubble of a seniors home Friday as they search for victims of a blaze that killed at least five people and left some 30 others missing, authorities said.
Firefighters and police officers put out the last traces of the blaze overnight at the Residence du Havre in the small village of L’Isle-Verte and brought equipment to the scene to thaw the ice, said Quebec Provincial Police Lt. Guy LaPointe.

The search is on this morning for dozens of people still unaccounted for after a deadly fire blazed through a senior center in Quebec and killed at least five people. A fire chief called it a "night from hell." NBC's Katy Tur reports.

Three teams, which include forensic technicians and experts from the coroner’s office, are rotating in shifts because of the “extreme cold.”
“The steam allows us to melt the ice and proceed forward,” he said. “And most importantly, preserve the integrity of individual victims.”

Authorities haven’t determined the cause of the fire, which erupted about 12:30 a.m. Thursday in the community along the St. Lawrence Seaway. Neighbors described a rapidly moving blaze, saying they saw some of the home’s residents jump from the building and one man try to save his elderly mom by climbing up a ladder.
The cold has hampered efforts since the blaze began: it froze some of the water that firefighters tried to use to extinguish the fire and left behind ice-caked wreckage, slowing efforts to determine the number of victims, said LaPointe. He said he couldn’t give a time frame for when their work would be done.

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Bitter cold hampers search after L'Isle-Verte fire

A firefighter looks on at the seniors residence Residence du Havre after a fire in L'Isle Verte, Quebec. 23 Januayr 2013

Crews are searching the rubble in 45-minute shifts to minimise exposure to the dangerously low temperatures

The bitter cold is hindering the search for as many as 30 elderly and infirm Canadians unaccounted for after a fire destroyed a Quebec old people's home.

Crews are struggling in temperatures of -21C (-6F) in L'Isle-Verte, a day after five people were confirmed killed in the blaze.
The ruins of Residence du Havre have collapsed and are frozen over with a thick layer of ice from the fire hoses.
Many of the missing were dependent on wheelchairs and walking frames.
The deadly fire broke out about 00:30 local time (05:30 GMT) on Thursday.
'Preserve victims' Several fire departments were called to the town of 1,500 - 225km (140 miles) east of Quebec City - to help extinguish the fire, which was fanned by strong winds.
Emergency crews were able to save about 20 of the home's 52 residents, at least 13 of who were treated at hospital.
The Quebec Provincial Police told reporters on Friday that three teams of police and firefighters were searching the debris in 45-minute shifts in order to minimise their exposure to the cold, using tools that produced steam to melt the ice coating the ruins.

The BBC's Beth McLeod: "Many are missing, feared dead"

Lt Guy Lapointe said the steam would allow the teams to "melt the ice and preserve the integrity of possible victims".
But officials have not confirmed more than five deaths, saying they wanted to determine how many people were in the building at the time of the fire.
Investigators have begun searching for the cause of the blaze, and say they have not ruled anything out.

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Monday, January 20, 2014

Explosion - State of Nebraska, Omaha [International Nutrition]

Earth Watch Report - Fire / Explosion

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Explosion

USA

State of Nebraska, Omaha [International Nutrition]

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Explosion in USA on Monday, 20 January, 2014 at 18:37 (06:37 PM) UTC.

Description

As many as 15 people are thought to be injured or trapped inside an Omaha plant that produces animal supplements. Rescuers had taken five people to the hospital shortly after 10:30 a.m. Monday. They notified emergency room personnel that others remained inside International Nutrition near South 76th and F Streets. Emergency dispatchers received a report of a possible industrial explosion Monday about 10 a.m. At least five rescue squads were dispatched to 7706 I Plaza, home of International Nutrition. Early reports indicated that up to 12 to 15 people were injured or trapped in the 10 a.m. blast, with at least five men taken to Creighton University Medical Center. Four were in serious condition and the fifth person was in critical condition. Among the five men who were injured were a 21-year-old, a 36-year-old, a 37-year-old and a 49-year-old. According to police radio dispatches, the 21-year-old suffered a head laceration and the 36-year-old inhaled limestone dust. Both are in serious condition. International Nutrition manufactures farm animal supplements. According to its website, "International Nutrition has serviced the U.S. feed industry for over 40 years. Combining an inventory of over 350 critical ingredients with our expertise in producing medicated, nutritional and specialty premixes, we are successfully servicing the needs of animal health distributors and feed manufacturers."

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Official: Omaha plant fire claims 2 lives, 10 others injured

By Steve Almasy and Carma Hassan, CNN

updated 8:16 PM EST, Mon January 20, 2014

At least 2 dead in Omaha plant explosion

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Mayor's office, county attorney says 2 dead, all others accounted for
Witnesses describe an explosion followed by chaos
OSHA says too early to determine cause of the incident

(CNN) -- At least two people died and four were critically injured Monday in a plant accident in Omaha, Nebraska, authorities said.

The incident happened about 10 a.m. CT at International Nutrition, a company that produces feed and other products for livestock and poultry.

"I heard the explosion and stuff started falling, so I ducked for cover," worker Nate Lewis told CNN affiliate KETV. "It was pitch black in there. All I could see was fire. I had to feel my way out of the place. I couldn't see anything."

There were 38 people at the plant at the time of the incident, interim Omaha fire chief Bernard Kanger said. Ten of the injured people needed a trip to the hospital, the chief said, adding that four were initially in critical condition.

Seven other people at the scene refused treatment, he said.

The mayor's office and the county attorney's office said two people had died. A spokeswoman for Mayor Jim Suttle said all other people at the plant were accounted for as of Monday night.

An employee told KETV that he heard noises, saw fire and sprinted for his life.

"I just heard a crack pop and big ball of fire, and I just took off running when I heard the first crack," worker Jamar White "That's all I could do was get out of the way and make sure I was OK."

A spokesman for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said OSHA investigators were at the plant, where part of the building had collapsed. Scott Allen said it is too early to determine the cause of the accident.

The New Zealand Herald

Fatal feed processing plant explosion in Omaha

1:44 PM Tuesday Jan 21, 2014

The International Nutrition plant is shown with wreckage in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo / AP

Omaha officials say two people are dead and all other workers are accounted for in the animal feed plant that exploded.
The explosion Monday morning (local time) brought down part of the International Nutrition plant. Two people were killed and 10 others seriously hurt.
Omaha Police Lieutenant Darci Tierney said all of the other people who were working have been accounted for.
Authorities don't know what caused the blast.
Interim Omaha Fire Chief Bernie Kanger noted that there were no hazardous chemicals at the plant.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will determine the cause.
The explosion knocked out the lights in the building and sent workers scrambling for safety.
Worker Jamar White said he heard a loud crack and looked up to see the back wall of the building collapsing. White said he then ran to safety.
Thirty-eight people were working at the plant when the blast happened. In addition to the two people who died and 10 who were hospitalized, seven people were hurt but refused treatment. Officials have not said how many of the 19 others escaped.
"We haven't cleared the building yet because of the significant risk to our people," Kanger said.

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