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Entries for June 2003
Sunday
Jun 22 |
Warnambool, Australia - A major fire broke out in a panelbeating and spray painting business containing gas, paint and oxy-acetylenewhich caused several explosions. The fire caused about $200,000 in damages. More information |
Saturday
Jun 21 |
Rock Hill, SC - An elderly man was killed when he wasstruck by metal tank that collapsed at a chemical company. The man mayhave suffered a head injury when the rank threw him against a retainingwall. More information |
Saturday
Jun 21 |
Hit, Iraq - An oil pipeline exploded and caught fire. A USMilitary spokes said the cause of the explosion is being investigated. More information |
Friday
Jun 20 |
Iberaki prefecture, Japan - The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute shut down a nuclear reactor after potentially irradiated waterleaked from a testing facility. Officials reported that the water maycontain a small amount of radioactive material, but it did not escapebeyond the facility and none of the employees were exposed to radiation. More information |
Thursday
Jun 19 |
Two people were killed in a fire at a perfume chemical warehouse and factory. Officials said the fire originated from an electricshort circuit and pots containing chemicals exploded during the fire. More information |
Wednesday
Jun 18 |
United Arab Emirate - Four people died and several others were injured following an explosion that occurred when 2 oil tankerscollided in the Persian Gulf. The vessels were conducting a ship-to-shipfuel transfer at the time. More information |
Monday
Jun 16 |
Netherlands - A wagon of goods train carrying ammonia derailed and damaged a section of track. Officials said no chemicals were releasedin the accident. More information |
Sunday
Jun 15 |
India - One worker died and 3 others fell unconscious when they inhaled toxic fumes while cleaning the motor of a dredger. Police said the workers were the dredger with tetrachloride. More information |
Saturday
Jun 14 |
Roseville, CA - Two locomotives collided at a railyard, derailing 5 tanker cars filled with a gasoline additive. There were no injuriesand none of the additive spilled. A railroad company spokesman said theaccident was caused by human error. More information |
Friday
Jun 13 |
Cape-Breton, France - One seaman was killed in an explosionon board a French oil tanker. Cause of the explosion is not known. More information |
Friday
Jun 13 |
Baiji, Iraq - An oil pipeline caught fire near a refinery.According to news reports, the pipeline had been damaged 2 bomb explosions.However, an Iraqui engineer said the fire was caused by a gas leak. More information |
Thursday
Jun 12 |
Bornem, Belgium - A fire broke out after an explosion in apress used for the production of pigment pastes. Damage was limited tothe roof of the structure. More information |
Thursday
Jun 12 |
Lake St. Lucia, S. Africa - Twenty-seven tankers carrying phosphoric acid derailed and overturned causing the acid to spill fromabout 18 badly damaged tankers into an almost dry tributary of the NyalaziRiver. More information |
Thursday
Jun 12 |
Houston, TX - A heat transfer fluid oil fire erupted in aheater at a plant. The company produces hydrocarbon based solvents thatare used by chemical, automotive, cosmetic, graphic arts, and pharmaceutical industries. The cause of the fire is under investigation. More information |
Wednesday
Jun 11 |
Punjab, India - Two people were killed and 18 injuredin an explosion and fire at a plant owned by a leading drug maker. Theblast and fire occurred at the solvent recovery section of the facility. More information |
Wednesday
Jun 11 |
Mailiao, Taiwan - A petrochemical corporation shut down arefinery unit after an oil leak sparked a fire. Company officials saidthe damage to the factory was minor and should have no impact on its productionand distribution of oil products. More information |
Wednesday
Jun 11 |
Hayward, CA - A glass plant was forced to halt operationsafter its third fire in the past 3 months. Investigators say the blazebegan in a vat used to melt glass amd spread to the point where they werethreatening the plant. Firefighters flooded the molten glass with waterand brought the fire under control after an hour. Theres no immediateword on the cost to repair the damage. More information |
Wednesday
Jun 11 |
Stamford, CT - Nearly 2 dozen fire and hazardous materialsofficials responded to a fire at a chemical mixing plant. Investigatorssaid the fire stared while an employee was cleaning out a basin containinghighly flammable chemical solvents. There were no injuries reported. More information |
Wednesday
Jun 11 |
Pasadena, TX - A heating unit caused a fire at a chemicalplant and was fueled by benzene. There were no know injuries or evacuations.The plant produces the chemical raw materials that are used to make foamcups, plastic forks and plates. More information |
Wednesday
Jun 11 |
Lubbock, TX - Burning chips forced evacuation of a plant thatproduces snack foods. The chips had just been pulled from a vat of hotoil when the heat within ignited the chips. The factorys extinguishingequipment put out the fire. More information |
Tuesday
Jun 10 |
Dublin, Ireland - Four people were treated in the hospitalafter a container of nitric acid fell off a truck. More information |
Tuesday
Jun 10 |
Uberaba, Brazil - A train derailed spilling highly explosiveand toxic chemicals into a river and igniting a large fire. Fifteen ofthe trains 33 cars derailed. Methanol, octanol, potassium bifluorateand isobutanol leaked into the river. More information |
Tuesday
Jun 10 |
Washington Township, IN - One employee was sent to the hospitalwith minor injuries after a fire at a plant that produces additives forproducts such as ink and cosmetics. Fire officials said a chemical hadbeen added to a tank that already contained a caustic material. A chemicalreaction ignited a blaze. More information |
Monday
Jun 09 |
Whangarei, New Zealand - Firefighters spent hours cleaningup wood preservative spilled at a timber company. Officials said a dooron the tank holding flammable white spirit had given way, emptying thecontainer. More information |
Monday
Jun 09 |
Kazakstan, Russia - Three mothballed oil wells began leakingoil into the Caspian Sea. According to local reports, the leaks are believedto have been caused by a rise in the water level of the Caspian, whichflooded the area where the wells are located. More information |
Sunday
Jun 08 |
Lake Alfred, FL - A highway was closed briefly after a tankof nitrogen was damaged by a hit and run motorist and vented its contents.Fire officials said that while the gas was harmless, firefighters fearedthe pressureized tank could rupture. The gas was used to keep moistureout of phone lines. More information |
Saturday
Jun 07 |
Ludwighafen, Germany - A stretch of the Autobahn was closedfor several hours after the driver of a truck loaded with bitumen reporteda fire in the engine compartment. Firefighters prevented the fire fromspreading to the load and there were no injuries. More information |
Saturday
Jun 07 |
Mannheim, Germany - Fire broke out in a stockroom for waxesand colors in a textile plant and spread to adjacent production areas.Several barrels and propane gas cylinders exploded. The cause of the fireis not yet known. There were no injuries. More information |
Friday
Jun 06 |
Blacktown, Sydney, Australia - A truck driver was burned andnearby residents were evacuated after an accident refilling a liquid petroleumgas tanker. A fire brigade spokesman said the problem occurred as thedriver refilled the vehicle from an underground tank. More information |
Thursday
Jun 05 |
Nogales, Mexico - At least 4 people were killed andscores injured when a landslide damaged a natural gas line causing anexplosion. Fifteen vehicles and 20 buildings were set on fire. More information |
Thursday
Jun 05 |
Kermit, TX - Several blasts rocked an unmanned natural gascompressor station and forced the closure of 3 outgoing pipelines. Theblaze partially melted 3 buildings at the site, snapped telephone polesand gutted a truck. No homes were reported damaged or evacuated. More information |
Wednesday
Jun 04 |
Kamensk-Uralsk, Russia - Two oxygen canisters explodedat a metal foundry killing 4 workers and seriously injuring 2 others.The tanks exploded when they were being loaded at the factory. A spokesman said initially 2 workers were killed but his office said fragmentsof 2 more bodies were found later in the day. The cause of the accidentis being investigated. More information |
Wednesday
Jun 04 |
Brisbane, Australia - An oil refinery suffered damage aftera lightning strike ignited a fire between the floating roof and a sidewall of a crude oil tank. There were no injuries reported. More information |
Wednesday
Jun 04 |
Amman, Jordan - At least 10 people were killed and18 critically injured when a loaded gasoline tanker overturned on an intersectionand burst into flames. The oil tanker was headed downhill when the brakesfailed and skidded on the steep road. The gasoline spilled onto the streetflowing under cars waiting at the traffic lights. Officials said 21 vehiclesat the traffic lights were trapped by the flames and reduced to heapsof twisted metal. More information |
Tuesday
Jun 03 |
Mount Joliet, TN - A fire at a plastics factory forced theevacuation of the overnight shift and sent 3 firefighters to the hospital.The fire broke out on one of the lines at the factory. The 3 firefighterswere treated for smoke inhalation. More information |
Tuesday
Jun 03 |
Serasa, Malaysia - A textile factory employee smelled gasand reported it to police who found the odor coming from a nearby chemicalfactory. The firemen cut the gate gate lock, inspected the compound andfound leaking drums of methyl mercaptan. More information |
Tuesday
Jun 03 |
Rostov-on-Don, Russia - Eight people were injured, five criticallyas a result of an explosion and fire at an oil refinery. Officials saidthe explosion occurred when workers entered a reservoir to clean its interiorof gasoline. More information |
Tuesday
Jun 03 |
Stevensville, MI - A fire at a factory that makes brake caliberswas fought by employees with fire extinguishers until firefighters arrived.Employees said the fire started at a 20-ton furnace when hydraulic fuelcaught fire and spread to the roof. No injuries were reported. More information |
Tuesday
Jun 03 |
El Paso, TX - Three refinery employees were injured in anexplosion. The fire occurred in a crude unit when 2 furnaces explodedat an oil refinery. More information |
Monday
Jun 02 |
Springfield, MO - Workers were unloading a truck when a tankholding sodium hydrosulphide shifted and spilled onto a street and intoa storm sewer. One worker was sent to the hospital as a precaution. More information |
Monday
Jun 02 |
Gardner, MA - A fire that destroyed a plastics factory causedabout $600,000 in damages, investigators said. There were no injuriesreported but several nearby homes were evacuated due to the burning plasticand chemicals. The cause of the blaze is not yet known. More information |
Monday
Jun 02 |
Tyler County, TX - A natural gas storage facility burst intoflames causing a pillar of black smoke to fill the sky. Fire officialssaid the fire erupted while a tanker truck was filling its load and fumesleaked by a storage tank at the facility. The fumes were ignited by aspark from the truck and fire spread to all 13 storage tanks at the sitecausing at least three of them to rupture. There were no injuries reported. More information |
Monday
Jun 02 |
Farmington, NM - Fuel leaking from a 500 gallon gas tank wasignited by a welding spark at a business. Employees were welding a trailerin back of the store when the fire started a fire official said. More information |
Sunday
Jun 01 |
Changamwe, Mombasa - An explosion and fire at apetroleum refinery was suspected to have caused by leaking kerosene inone of two of tanks. A spokesman said that one employee was slightly injuredbut it was not clear if the employee was injured in the fire. More information |
Sunday
Jun 01 |
Chulym, Russia - A mixture of nitric and sulfuric acid leakedfrom a train causing the town to order the evacuation of many of its residents.There were no casualties reported. More information |
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