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Entries for May 2001
Thursday
May 31 |
Sanaswadi, India: Eleven workers were killed and 10 injured in an explosion at a chemical factory specializing in explosives. The factory building collapsed in the blast. More information |
Thursday
May 31 |
New Chapel Hill, TX: Firefighters chose to let a crude oil storage tank fire burn itself out. A line to a truck being used to heat and recirculate the crude ruptured, igniting the fire. There was no water available at the site for firefighting efforts. More information |
Wednesday
May 30 |
Egelston, MI: Incorrect mixing is being blamed for a three-hour nitrogen dioxide release at a chemical plant. Nearby residents were ordered to shelter in place. More information |
Monday
May 28 |
Durban, South Africa: A contract worker was killed and another injured when sprayed with hydrofluoric acid during refinery maintenance operations. More information |
Saturday
May 26 |
Heflin, LA: Two teens climbed a 20-foot tall crude oil tank to get a better look at the sunrise. One apparently lit a cigarette. The resulting explosion blew the roof off the tank, killing one and leaving the other with critical burns. More information |
Saturday
May 26 |
Carson, CA: A small hydrogen sulfide release was reported at a Los Angeles-area oil refinery. The release was due to the emergency shutdown of a cracking unit. More information |
Friday
May 25 |
Gaylord, MI: An explosion ripped through a mill that produces particle board, injuring nine, six of which were airlifted from the scene with severe burns. A second explosion the following day injured seven firefighters battling the fire caused by the initial blast. More information |
Friday
May 25 |
Ankleshwar, India: Fire broke out in a fractionating column at a chemical plant. Seven employees suffered burns. More information |
Monday
May 21 |
Ludwigshafen, Germany: Chemical plant firefighters used a turbo-extinguisher and six metric tons of wax-coated sodium bicarbonate powder to extinguish a fire resulting from an explosion in a Ludigol drying unit. The fire was extinguished in 30 minutes. Nitrogen oxide and other gases released in the initial blast led to 50 children at a nearby school being treated for eye irritation and respiratory problems. More information |
Saturday
May 19 |
Dungeness, U.K.: Fire broke out in a non-nuclear component of a nuclear power station. One of the plants two reactors was shut down as a precaution. More information |
Saturday
May 19 |
Chicago, IL: Two workers were critically burned in an explosion at a chocolate factory. The workers were checking an alarm on a cocoa bean roaster when the blast occurred. More information |
Friday
May 18 |
Hsinchu County, Taiwan: A boiler explosion at a chemical factory killed one person and injured nearly 100 more. Most were hurt by glass splinters and other debris that rained down more than 600 feet from the factory. More information |
Friday
May 18 |
Kendall, N.Y.: Heavy fire broke out in a cold storage warehouse at a mushroom factory. More information |
Friday
May 18 |
London, U.K.: A fire in a sugar refinery burned a section of pipe protected by asbestos. More information |
Thursday
May 17 |
Los Angeles, CA: Firefighters entered a nine-foot tank at a thermal processing plant to recover two unconscious employees, both in full cardiac arrest after entering an oxygen-depleted atmosphere of argon and nitrogen. The employees later died. Neither was wearing breathing apparatus. More information |
Wednesday
May 16 |
London, U.K.: A fire involving sodium dithionite broke out on the eighth floor of a 10-story grain house. More information |
Tuesday
May 15 |
Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands: An explosion rocked a 400,000 barrels a day refinery. At least one person was transported to a Texas burn center for treatment. More information |
Tuesday
May 15 |
Bridgeport, PA: A stubborn six-alarm fire tore through an industrial park, destroying at least half a dozen businesses. The threat of hazardous chemicals forced the evacuation of nearby homes. More information |
Monday
May 14 |
Ansonia, CN: Fire razed a 10-acre Latex foam plant. The blaze began as a routine oven fire but spread to the roof of the plant. High winds helped spread the flames. Nearby downtown buildings were evacuated. More information |
Monday
May 14 |
Blackfalds, Alberta: Six workers were burned, two seriously, in an explosion at an oil and gas battery site. The explosion occurred as a tank was being serviced. More information |
Sunday
May 13 |
Tuscaloosa, AL: A crude unit at a refinery burned 50 minutes before firefighters extinguished it. Two people were hospitalized with serious burns. More information |
Wednesday
May 09 |
Waynesville, N.C.: Fire destroyed an half-century old fertilizer factory, forcing the evacuation of local residents and inmates at a small prison camp. More information |
Tuesday
May 08 |
Constanta, Bulgaria: Firefighters fought a blaze aboard a tanker for 15 hours before gaining control. The fire left one dead. More information |
Monday
May 07 |
Creola, AL: An arcing power line caused a fire that charred 38 acres and came within 100 yards of an oil refinery. More information |
Sunday
May 06 |
Luhansk, Russia: Three workers were killed at a refinery when an acetylene bottle exploded while in use. More information |
Sunday
May 06 |
Edmonton, Alberta: Fire spread by strong winds destroyed a mobile home plant. More information |
Sunday
May 06 |
Romeoville, IL: An oil refinery reported a haz mat situation at its hydrochloric acid unit. More information |
Saturday
May 05 |
Los Angeles, CA: Firefighters fought a smoky blaze at a one-story metal plating company for two hours. Contents of the building included cyanide pellets. More information |
Saturday
May 05 |
Richmond, CA: An oleum spill produced a small cloud of sulfuric acid at a chemical plant. More information |
Saturday
May 05 |
Brooklyn, N.Y.: Firefighters fought flames in a four-story factory building. More information |
Thursday
May 03 |
Evan City, PA: High winds fanned a massive fire at a steel plant. Fifteen fire companies battled the two-hour blaze that destroyed the main production building. More information |
Thursday
May 03 |
Plymouth, MA: An exothermic reaction in a barrel of resin caused a fire at a nuclear power plant. Two workers were treated for burns. More information |
Wednesday
May 02 |
Brooklyn, N.Y.: An acetylene cylinder exploded, spreading flames through a one-story factory building. More information |
Tuesday
May 01 |
Richmond, CA: A malfunction in a governor controlling steam release instead released 417 pounds of sulphur dioxide to the atmosphere. More information |
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