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Entries for February 1999
Sunday
Feb 28 |
St. Clair, IL: A major fire broke out in a local factory and warehouse. More information |
Friday
Feb 26 |
Saint-Pie, Quebec: One worker was killed and eight injured in an explosion at a small fireworks factory. A fire following the blast destroyed the factory building. More information |
Friday
Feb 26 |
Daggett, CA: A 900,000-gallon storage tank containing hydraulic fluid located at a solar power plant exploded. No injuries were reported. More information |
Friday
Feb 26 |
West Whiteland, PA: An explosion involving chemicals injured two workers at a local plant. More information |
Friday
Feb 26 |
Southfield, MI: A utility worker suffered burns when a power surge unexpectedly charged an underground cable. The accident resulted in a small power blackout. More information |
Friday
Feb 26 |
Arlington, TX: Firefighters rescued a construction worker buried under hundreds of pounds of dirt and clay at the bottom of a 30-foot hole. The worker was outside a trench safety box when loose shale knocked him down. More information |
Friday
Feb 26 |
North Bonneville, WA: A natural gas pipeline exploded, causing a spectacular fire ball but no extensive damage on the ground. More information |
Thursday
Feb 25 |
Springfield, MA: An explosion at a metal foundry blew out two cinder block walls and hurled debris as much as 80 yards. At least 12 people were hurt, some of them with serious burns. One of the injured later died. More information |
Thursday
Feb 25 |
Grand Rapids, MI: A 30-foot fall at a chair plant left one worker paralyzed from a severe neck injury. A hook from an overhead conveyor belt snagged a hydraulic work platform, pulling it over. More information |
Thursday
Feb 25 |
Houston, TX: A three-alarm fire triggered dozens of small explosions at a chemical plant. One person was injured. More information |
Wednesday
Feb 24 |
Martinez, CA: Fourth workers died as the result of an explosion of an oil refinery tower. A maintenance crew in place on the 100-foot tower were trying to repair a pipe that was leaking naphtha. Survivors were left stranded above ground for nearly two hours. More information |
Wednesday
Feb 24 |
Lemont, IN: A worker was listed in critical condition after being sprayed with hot oil during a fire in the crude oil unit of a local refinery. The worker had to be evacuated by helicopter. More information |
Wednesday
Feb 24 |
Broward County, FL: A three-alarm fire spread through a transformer at a 850-megawatt municipal power plant. No power outages were reported. More information |
Wednesday
Feb 24 |
Edmonton, Alberta: In a freak accident, a worker at a metal salvage company died after being caught on a conveyor belt and strangled by his own coveralls. More information |
Wednesday
Feb 24 |
Manitowoc, WI: A sulfuric acid spill shut down an auto parts plant for nearly four hours and sent several employees to the hospital with breathing problems. More information |
Tuesday
Feb 23 |
Franklin, OH: One worker was seriously injured in an explosion at a paper company that was followed by a chemical release into the air. About nine hours later an unrelated fire broke out on the roof of the plant. More information |
Tuesday
Feb 23 |
Crestwood, IL: Two workers were injured when a cylinder of pressurized air exploded at a machine shop in an industrial park. More information |
Tuesday
Feb 23 |
Wapda, Pakistan: A fire broke out in a transformer at a power plant, injuring three workers. More information |
Tuesday
Feb 23 |
New York, N.Y.: Firefighters battling heavy smoke in a one-story factory building reported problems with the buildings roll down security doors. More information |
Tuesday
Feb 23 |
Rockland, MA: Fire broke out in the finishing room of a one-story factory. More information |
Tuesday
Feb 23 |
Lufkin, TX: A plant producing plywood burned in a massive fire. More information |
Tuesday
Feb 23 |
Whiting, IN: About 51,000 pounds of light coker gas oil sprayed from a refinery, prompting the owners to hand out free car-wash vouchers to people whose vehicles were splattered. More information |
Tuesday
Feb 23 |
Manteca, CA: Firefighters dealt with a 20-foot-wide nitric acid spill that closed a busy street. No evidence of who spilled the acid was found. More information |
Monday
Feb 22 |
Talladega, AL: One worker was killed and a customer later died from injuries suffered in an explosion at a bottled propane company. Leaking gas was detected only moments before the blast. More information |
Monday
Feb 22 |
North Island, New Zealand: A transformer explosion and fire idled a 250-megawatt unit of a thermal power station without warning. No workers were injured in the blast. More information |
Saturday
Feb 20 |
Allentown, PA: Five workers were killed in an explosion that leveled a chemical processing plant. The blast unleashed a vapor cloud that drifted over nearby residential areas. More information |
Saturday
Feb 20 |
Gdansk, Poland: Eleven shipyard workers were injured in an explosion aboard a tanker that was under repair. Two of the injured workers were hospitalized in serious condition. More information |
Saturday
Feb 20 |
Bridgeville, DE: Six workers were overcome by carbon monoxide fumes at a packaging plant. All were treated and released. More information |
Friday
Feb 19 |
Saint Hubert, Quebec: A construction site was demolished when a propane tank in the new buildings basement exploded. The tank was being filled at the time of the blast. More information |
Friday
Feb 19 |
Neptune, N.J.: Construction workers putting in a new sewer line struck a gas line, causing an explosion that sent flames soaring 50 feet into the air. More information |
Friday
Feb 19 |
Teeside, U.K.: Via a storm drain, hydrochloric acid leaked from a factory into a marsh that was recently granted environmentally protected status. Officials are closely monitoring acidity levels in the water. More information |
Friday
Feb 19 |
Torrington, CN: A tanker truck rollover spilled 1,900 gallons of heating oil, some of it reaching the Naugatuck River. Firefighters managed to contain much of the oil before it reached the water. More information |
Friday
Feb 19 |
Sussex County, DE: Gas detectors at a local plant located a carbon dioxide leak. Responders found two casualties, one unconscious and the other having seizures. More information |
Friday
Feb 19 |
Perth, Australia: Teenage employees using a cigarette lighter to ignite the stream of paint from a spray device are blamed for a furniture factory fire that caused more than $1 million in damage. More information |
Friday
Feb 19 |
Thessaloniki, Greece: One worker was seriously injured in a fire at a petroleum refinery. The flames were quickly extinguished before they could spread to nearly storage tanks. More information |
Thursday
Feb 18 |
Santa Clarita, CA: A worker at a factory that manufactures small charges used in automobile airbags was killed instantly in a chemical explosion. He was transferring cans of zirconium potassium perchlorate when one fell, detonating itself and other nearby containers. More information |
Thursday
Feb 18 |
Frankfurt, Germany: Nearly 40 workers at a chemical plant suffered minor injuries when almost two tons of mixed chemicals which included propin acid ethyl ester spilled. Most of the workers were treated for eye irritation on site. More information |
Thursday
Feb 18 |
Clymers, IN: A rail car carrying toluene diisocyanate exploded just outside a cement plant, prompting an evacuation of the surrounding town for a three-mile radius. Firefighters managed to keep the flames from spreading to other rail cars and storage tanks. More information |
Wednesday
Feb 17 |
Kansas City, KS: An 11-story boiler building at a municipal power plant exploded and collapsed. Only one employee was slightly injured. Six days later a five broke out in a coal dust collector in one of the damaged buildings. More information |
Wednesday
Feb 17 |
Pawtucket, R.I.: A dumpster fire spread to the loading dock of a local factory but was quickly contained by firefighters. The dumpster fire was one of three reported in the neighborhood that evening. More information |
Wednesday
Feb 17 |
Waco, TX: A large tire on a piece of heavy earth-moving equipment exploded with sufficient force to sever the arm of a nearby worker. The worker also suffered severe chest injuries. More information |
Wednesday
Feb 17 |
Droitwich, U.K.: Authorities faced a major clean-up when a truck carrying more than 4,000 gallons of methylene phosphoric acid overturned. Only a small amount of the acid, sealed in drums, escaped, but traffic along a major motorway was shut down for nearly four hours. More information |
Wednesday
Feb 17 |
London, U.K.: Production ceased at a chemical printing plant when a blaze broke out in a mixing vat. More information |
Wednesday
Feb 17 |
Thame, U.K.: Fire authorities suspect arson in a five-hour factory fire. The fire spread from an outdoor waste bin. Firefighters were concerned about the fire reaching explosive gases stored at the plant. More information |
Tuesday
Feb 16 |
Hornby, New Zealand: Fire broke out in a sulfur melting pit at a fertilizer plant, sending at least 12 workers to the hospital with breathing problems. Other workers were treated at the scene for exposure to sulfur dioxide. More information |
Tuesday
Feb 16 |
Nelson, U.K.: Fire broke through the roof of a auto salvage company that adjoins a steel mill. The fire spread from parts being moved by forklift inside the plant. More information |
Tuesday
Feb 16 |
Kingsport, TN: A flash fire at a pulp and paper mill left two workers hospitalized with burns. Vapors inside a storage tank were reportedly ignited by a welding torch. More information |
Tuesday
Feb 16 |
Negaunee Township, MI: Firefighters responded to a local plant when an employee accidentally knocked over a five gallon container of hydrochloric acid. More information |
Tuesday
Feb 16 |
Butler, WI: An anhydrous ammonia leak at a food processing plant forced the evacuation of hundreds of nearby residents. Seven employees were treated for inhaling noxious fumes. More information |
Sunday
Feb 14 |
Hardeeville, N.C.: About six million pounds of paper stored in a yard outside a recycling center burned. Nearly 100 area firefighters battled the blaze. More information |
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