Explosion rocks Florida chemical plant

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Source: Reuters

MIAMI (Reuters) - A massive explosion at a chemical plant shook an industrial district in Jacksonville, Florida on Wednesday, forcing evacuations and knocking out generators at a nearby electric utility, officials said.

Fire and hazardous materials crews rushed to the scene of the explosion at the T2 Labs plant as the resulting fire sent a mushroom cloud of thick, black smoke across the city, located on the Atlantic coast of Florida near the Georgia border.

Jacksonville Fire and Rescue spokesman Tom Francis described the scene as a "hellish inferno" and said rescuers were still looking for three missing people.

He said he could not confirm local media reports that two people had died.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1942272820071219

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1. Witnesses: Blast Felt Like 'Atomic Bomb'

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g_YOA4s6LElp63LrXIRU0NMVZBxAD8TKOAPG0

Three people are still missing from that explosion and fire at a Jacksonville chemical plant that sent flames and billowing clouds of black smoke into the air. At least one person has been taken to a hospital.

Fire rescue spokesman Tom Francis says six people were initially missing at the plant of T2 Laboratories -- but three were later found. The fire is across the street from a JEA power plant.

T2 Laboratories makes chemical solvents and fuel additives.

One person has been taken to Baptist Medical Center. But spokeswoman Susan Barrow said she had no details on injuries.

Witnesses tell The Florida Times-Union that debris from the mid-afternoon explosion went several stories into the air.

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3. Strong explosion at U.S. chemical plant

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A strong explosion at a chemical plant in Jacksonville, Florida killed 2 people Wednesday, sending the shock across the city.

Police have cordoned off the entire factory area, closed off highway exits to the site and set about evacuating office workers from the industrial section of the city where the explosion occurred, according to TV and wire reports.

At least 15 fire trucks were at the scene.

Witnesses said debris from a mid-afternoon explosion went several stories into the air.

Chris Parrish, 30, was working two warehouses down when he heard a hiss and then an explosion at about 1:30 p.m. (1830 GMT).

At 3 p.m. (2000 GMT) a local hospital said it was receiving victims of the explosion.

Two people were confirmed to be dead, but there is no further information about other victims.

Fire officials established a command post in the area. The Red Cross is establishing a shelter at Oceanway Elementary School.

The chemical plant is the main office of T2 Laboratories Inc., a subsidiary of Millennium Chemicals in Iselin, New Jersy.

A company web site said the business makes turpentine-based solvents, particularly a product called Ecotane, an octane enhancing additive for gasoline.

There was a fire and series of explosions at the same site in June 1998 that forced the evacuation of about 100 residents. The cause was never determined.

The explosion sent about 50 workers in a warehouse across the street diving to the floor.

Another witness said pieces of the ceiling of his building was sheared off in the blast.

A passing truck driver said heat from the fire melted his cell phone.

Source

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5. Update

A massive explosion at a chemical plant shook an industrial district in Jacksonville, Florida on Wednesday, forcing evacuations and knocking out generators at a nearby electric utility, officials said.

Fire and hazardous materials crews rushed to the scene of the explosion at the T2 Labs plant as the resulting fire sent a mushroom cloud of thick, black smoke across the city, located on the Atlantic coast of Florida near the Georgia border.

Jacksonville Fire and Rescue spokesman Tom Francis described the scene as a "hellish inferno" and said rescuers were still looking for three missing people.

He said he could not confirm local media reports that two people had died.

T2 Labs makes gasoline additives, solvents and other products that it says are designed to replace conventional toxic industrial chemicals with low-environmental-impact versions, according to the company's Web site.

Local media quoted witnesses as saying the blast was felt miles away.

"Those shock waves came straight up through these hills," Derek Pratt, who was flying a remote control airplane in a field about a mile away, told the Florida Times-Union newspaper. "It was like a great ball of fire in the air. Pink insulation from the building was flying on us. Clouds of it."

The blast was so powerful it knocked out two of the three generating units at a JEA electric utility plant across the street, a company spokeswoman said.

"It is not our facility. It's across the street," JEA spokeswoman Jane Upton said. "Two of three units were knocked off but we're having a low demand day so we're not expecting any problems. We don't expect any permanent damage."

Workers were evacuated from businesses in the area. Florida Power & Light, the largest Florida utility, said it was evacuating nonessential personnel from the St. Johns River Power Park, a few blocks from the explosion.

St. Johns River is a 1,252-megawatt power plant owned by FPL and JEA. The unit was operating at the time of the explosion and continued to operate after it. (Reporting by Jim Loney, editing by Jane Sutton)

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[gateley]

2. Just rec'd a Breaking News e-mail from CNN

-- Official: Three dead at site of Florida chemical plant blast.

[jayfish]

4. Hmm... Any Indication Of What Exploded?

What's in that cloud? ...evacuation?

Jay

[eFriendly]

6. There were precautionary evacuations within a half mile of the plant but then. . .

the evacuation order was rescinded after air quality tests showed no toxicity in the air. There are 3 dead, and 14 people taken to area hospitals.

I live about 14 miles from the explosion.

More info @ http://www.news4jax.com/index.html

On edit: one of the victims taken to the hospital has died.

[eppur_se_muova]

7. "World s Only Supplier of ... Next Generation Safe Solvent Technology"

Might want to reevaluate that "safe" technology.

[Javaman]

9. yes, they need to define "safe"...

safe for floors but please keep away from open flames...

:scared:

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8. Investigators Say Explosion One of the Most Severe

An investigator with the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board says the chemical plant explosion on the Northside may be the most severe incident he has investigated anywhere in the US in the past nine years.

Using the board's ranking system, Investigator Rob Hall expects the incident to rate at the top of their scale for severe chemical accidents. "This is a very serious accident, compared to what's normally seen in the industry," he said.

A day after the T-2 plant was disintegrated in a massive explosion and fire the investigation is in high gear.

The Chemical investigation team is working on the site of the explosion.

Federal agents from the ATF, the State fire marshall's office, and Jacksonsonville Fire Rescue along with the Sheriff's office are also sifting through the burned out debris.

It will be a painstaking process to determine just what set off the catastophic chain of events that killed four people and injured 14 others.

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