anyone up here?
Did I just hear correctly? IS THIS A HOAX?
AN EXPLOSION IN NORTH CAROLINA SOMEWHERE AROUND RALEIGH?
CHEMICAL PLANT?
FLAMES 150' IN THE AIR AND SKY IS RED?
CHLORINE COVERING AREA?
set me straight please!!
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anyone up here?
Did I just hear correctly? IS THIS A HOAX?
AN EXPLOSION IN NORTH CAROLINA SOMEWHERE AROUND RALEIGH?
CHEMICAL PLANT?
FLAMES 150' IN THE AIR AND SKY IS RED?
CHLORINE COVERING AREA?
set me straight please!!
Citation or source?
Could be, I've a friend who moved out there from Colorado to take a job working in Biotech, and she says there are a lot of such firms in the Raleigh area, along with other high tech.
http://www.raleighchronicle.com/2006100601.html
Use link to see more.Quote:
Thousands Evacuated In Apex Toxic Chemical Fire
By Elliott West, Raleigh Chronicle News Editor
Friday, October 5, 2006
Last updated at 12:12am on Friday morning
RALEIGH -- On Thursday night, according to a televised press conference on Time Warner Cable's 24 hour newschannel News14, Apex Town Manager Bruce Radford said that a massive toxic chemical fire that started on Thursday night has forced thousands of people to evacuate...
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/ ... 40065.html
See article for more informationQuote:
National news
Oct. 5, 2006, 11:50PM
Chemical leak forces evacuations in N.C.
© 2006 The Associated Press
APEX, N.C. — Authorities asked about 16,000 residents to evacuate this Raleigh suburb early Friday after a hazardous material fire at an industrial plant. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Officials said the fire started around 10 p.m. Thursday at EQ Industrial Services, a hazardous waste business that town manager Bruce Radford said had a variety of volatile chemicals inside, including chlorine.
He said when he arrived at the scene, a chlorine cloud rose 50 feet in the air. He estimated that 20 to 30 explosions had occurred at the plant...
Dixie
People are being taken to the hospital now
Storm is coming and will blow the PCBs & Chlorine further
Hello from North Carolina.
Yes, it's me!!
You are correct. A hazardous material storage facility has exploded releasing chlorine gas along with other hazardous materials. Apex has a population of about 35,000 and they have ordered the evacuation of over half the city already and I'm pretty certain they will need to evacuate the entire community. Apex is outside of Raleigh, a suburb really, less than an hour perhaps 45 minutes from where I live.
It's so bad the fire crews can't even get near the place to start putting out the fire.
As you may know there is nothing more deadly than chlorine gas. The cloud is huge hanging over the city. They are studying the winds to determine which direction it might head as it reaches a certain altitude of 3000 feet.
They have moved people to shelters in other sections of the city and I'm watching in dismay. People are sticking their nose out of their doors to determine if they should leave or not. Newsmen are at the shelters making sure they have plenty of water and milk. They are telling people to make sure their windows and doors are sealed tight if they choose not to evacuate. Again I'm staring at the TV in complete dismay because there is no way to protect yourself from chlorine gas except to get away from it before it gets to you.
Some people are leaving because they are near the zone and when asked by newsmen why they are leaving they said they thought it wiser to leave because their children have asthma and chemicals could aggravate it.
Someone really needs to explain about chlorine gas. Maybe they don't want to start a panic.
:?
They called in Civilian Air Patrol to try to assess the chlorine plume. Unfortunately the conditions are such that they had to cancel the flight..too dangerous. The pilot who has been with the Civilian Air Patrol for 25 years said it was the worst chemical release he's seen since he's been with CAP.
The name of the company is Environmental Quality Company located at 1005 Investment Blvd., Apex, North Carolina.
Everyone is saying it's the worst Hazmat Emergency they have ever seen.
PCBs are stored there too and they are burning along with chlorine and others.
The news crews have had to move 5 times so far.
Many people have already been taken to the hospital but we don't know the details because the news crews can't get near the affected area.
:(
Do we have any Alipac members living in the area??
I live 10 miles from the area. No one was injured from the chemical explosions, it's the fumes that people in the area are inhaling.
MW........are you going to leave? Perhaps you should think about it.Quote:
Originally Posted by MW
The Chlorine can spread quickly in the wind if that storm comes in fast!!
They are going to let it burn. They can't put water on it and the best way to get rid of the chemicals is to burn them. The chlorine gas is heavier than air so it will not rise, it will fall to the earth.
They can't even get to the site to assess it. They are going to try again in the morning with Civilian Air Patrol.
:(
They have declared a State of Emergency for Wake County as well as the town of Apex. This was done they say not for evacuations but to qualify for emergency relief assistance. Wake County and many surrounding towns have sent crews to assist. Unfortunatley they can't get to the site yet.
What I heard was that they did reverse 911 calls to evacuate the first 16000. What about the rest?Quote:
Originally Posted by Judy
From the little I understand, the cloud can spread many miles if the wind picks up. You've got multiple chemicals to deal with.
Hubby said, when you add water to chlorine gas it makes hydrochloric acid. Inhale it and you create hydrochloric acid in your lungs. water (H2O) and chlorine gas (Cl2). Anyone remember their nomenclature?
This is bad!
Dixie
Thanks for the concern. I'm about 10 miles West of the location. Don't have any plan to evacuate my family at this time. Right now, everything within a 1 mile radius has been, or is being, evacuated.Quote:
MW........are you going to leave? Perhaps you should think about it.
The Chlorine can spread quickly in the wind if that storm comes in fast!!
I'm watching the situation on the boob tube right now. :wink:
Chlorine gas was used as a weapon of war in WWI. Nasty NASTY stuff. If folks tell you to leave, LEAVE.
Material Saftey Date Sheet for chorine.
Quote:
General
Synonyms: bertholite, molecular chlorine
Molecular formula: Cl2
CAS No: 7782-50-5
EC No: 231-959-5
Physical data
Appearance: light greenish-yellow gas with an irritating odour
Melting point: -101 C
Boiling point: -34 C
Vapour density: 2.98 g/l
Vapour pressure: 5.8 bar at 20 C
Specific gravity: 1.47 g/ml at 0C
Critical temperature: 144 C
Flash point:
Explosion limits:
Autoignition temperature: n/a
Stability
Stable. Incompatible with reducing agents, alcohols.
Toxicology
Toxic by inhalation, ingestion and through skin contact. Inhalation can cause serious lung damage and may be fatal. 1000ppm (0.1%) is likely to be fatal after a few deep breaths, and half that concentration fatal after a few minutes. May irritate or burn skin. OEL (8hr TWA) 1 ppm.
Toxicity data
(The meaning of any abbreviations which appear in this section is given here.)
IHL-HMN LCLO 2530 mg/m3/30m
IHL-HMN LCLO 500 ppm/5m
IHL-RAT LC50 293 ppm/1h
IHL-MUS LC50 137 ppm/1h
Risk phrases
(The meaning of any risk phrases which appear in this section is given here.)
R23 R36 R37 R38 R50.
Transport information
(The meaning of any UN hazard codes which appear in this section is given here.)
Un No 1017. Hazard class 8.0. Transport category 1.
Environmental information
Very toxic to aquatic organisms.
Personal protection
Safety glasses, gloves and good ventilation.
Safety phrases
(The meaning of any safety phrases which appear in this section is given here.)
S7 S9 S44 S45 S61.
Not a word up here on MSM. To be certain, I'm going to turn channels.
Be Careful!! Where there's chemical fires there's problems.
It's not just chlorine. There's multiple chemicals. That's the problem.
So far there have been no serious injuries reported. Area hospitals are receiving patients complaining of itchy noses, throats, and minor respiratory problems. Hazmat teams have yet to reach the site, due to deadly fumes. Everything is sort of in a wait and see status right now. Should know a lot more in the morning, after sunrise.
friend just sent this to me. That plant {change of name, same plant} was fined in 2001.
Quote:
EnviroChem Environmental Services, Inc.
1005 Investment Boulevard
Apex, North Carolina 27502
NCD 982 170 292
Wake County EnviroChem Environmental Services, failed to:
mark accumulation start dates on containers and mark containers with the words "Hazardous Waste",
to include the correct information on inspection records, stored hazardous waste in an unpermitted area,
to manage containers as requiired and managed incompatibles next to each other without proper safe guards,
to secure the facility as required,
to maintain adequate access to a fire extinguisher,
to maintain emergency equipment and to maintain the required aisle space, between waste staged for receiving and the permitted trailer storage
and to sign and return manifests to the generator.
The facility improperly processed mercury ampoules resulting in a release of mercury vaprs with the potential for endangering facility personnel.
$131,000.00 2/19/01
Live News video link f/NC
http://www.wral.com/video/10012712/detail.html
300 Firefighters on the scene waiting for the situation to be assessed to know what they can do. They did swoop in as soon as the fire started and got the people out of the plant according to a truck driver who was asleep in his truck across from the plant and awakened by firefighters and escorted out of the area. A few minutes after the driver was escorted out of his truck where he had been sleeping he heard the explosions which were the barrels of material exploding and the smoke was moving south. He told the firefighters to take him north.
So far no reports of deaths. Several taken to hospital with respiratory problems and one is pretty serious.
They have evacuated 15,000 people so far.
Update:
There will be ash type fall out on cars, streets and in rain run-off so they will have to prepare to keep the chemicals from entering streams and water supplies.
The plume is moving and additional areas will need to be evacuated.
9 police officers and 1 firefighter are at the hospital with respiratory problems. Their condition is not known at this time. The don't know how many other people may be at the hospitals.
The fire has spread to a neighboring property with 4 oil storage tanks so now they're worried they might catch on fire.
:(
I do hope our members will heed the warnings and evacuation notices and that they are all safe. Will watch this thread and the news for updates.
I just heard about this on the radio coming in from work.
Be careful MW and all those who are close to this area.
I'll bet Bob's Army Surplus will be out of gas masks by noon!
http://www.outofbalance.org/days/ima...smask-flag.jpg
:wink:
Moved from General Discussion
http://www.wral.com/news/10012555/detail.html
Rain Helps Clear Air After Apex Chemical Fire
Hazmat Teams Inspecting Plant
APEX, N.C. -- A steady rain Friday morning helped wash contaminated particulate matter out of the skies over Apex, about 12 hours after a chemical fire forced the evacuation of as many as 17,000 local residents.
A leak at the EQ North Carolina plant on Investment Boulevard sent several large plumes of chlorine gas into the air around 9 p.m. Thursday. A large fire broke out at the plant afterward, sending flames more than 100 feet into the night sky and setting off multiple explosions.
EQ is a licensed hazardous-waste facility that serves businesses. The exact materials involved in the fire are not known, but the plant was known to handle some materials such as sulfur, pesticides and chlorine.
WRAL's Melissa Buscher, who was able to get near the scene Friday morning, said the area smelled like "burned rubber." She also noticed smoldering debris and bent-up metal on Investment Boulevard.
Apex and Wake County officials declared a state of emergency early Friday and evacuated about 17,000 people -- more than half of the town -- within hours.
The evacuation area is bordered by U.S. Highway 1, N.C. Highway 55 and U.S. Highway 64. N.C. 55 has been closed to traffic.
The chemical plume produced by the plant fire had spread across the town overnight, moving as far as the Eva Perry Library, near the intersection of U.S. 64 and Lake Pine Road. But officials said rain was flushing the contamination out of the air.
"The prognosis is optimistic as far as clearing the air," Mayor Keith Weatherly said. "The rain is potentially dissipating the particulates in the air."
Green Hope High School, at 2500 Carpenter-Upchurch Road in Cary, dismissed students at 9:35 a.m. to accommodate evacuees.
Hundreds of residents who were sent to Olive Chapel Elementary School and Turner Creek Elementary School overnight after being ordered to leave their homes were expected to be moved to Green Hope High after lunch. Officials said they wanted to have a centralized shelter set up that could care for residents for several days, if needed.
Hazmat crews were set to begin inspecting the EQ plant at about 10 a.m. Friday, Weatherly said. Firefighters stayed away from the blaze overnight because the combination of darkness and the chemical cloud made it too dangerous.
"This is the worst possible hazardous materials incident you could have," Town Manager Bruce Radford said.
Radford said the fire appeared to be dying down Friday morning. He attributed that to the rain and the fact that most of the combustible material in the plant had been consumed.
The Wake County 911 center has received hundreds of calls regarding the Apex fire. Officials stressed that 911 should be reserved for emergency calls, and residents are urged to direct their non-emergency calls to the Wake County Emergency Operations Center at 919-856-7044.
Downtown, Schools Closed
Apex's central business district, including Town Hall, was closed Friday. Radford said anyone in the area without a legitimate reason would be arrested.
Many local schools also were closed Friday, officials said, and no school buses were running in Apex. Selma Elementary School and Salem Middle School are open, but parents have had to arrange other transportation.
Radford warned residents wandering the streets late Thursday and early Friday to get inside, saying that walking in the smoke would endanger people's lives.
"There are all grades of contaminated materials in this smoke and the fire," he said. "If you see this smoke, get away from it."
Evacuation is still recommended within the area bounded by U.S. 1, N.C. 55 and U.S. 64 highways in Apex and unincorporated areas.
Eight law enforcement officers and one firefighter were treated for respiratory distress at hospitals in Cary and Raleigh, Radford said. Four officers were listed in good condition Friday morning, and the other officers and the firefighter were treated and released.
About 20 Apex residents complaining of respiratory difficulties went to the emergency rooms at Rex Hospital in Raleigh and WakeMed hospitals in Cary and Raleigh, officials said.
WakeMed Cary Hospital officials said that at 10 people had visited their emergency room with illnesses related to the fire. Also, 90 residents of Rex Rehabilitation and Nursing Care Center of Apex were brought to the hospital as a precautionary measure.
A state Medical Assistance Team set up a decontamination chamber outside the hospital in case firefighters, residents or others came in contact with hazardous materials.
Prolonged direct inhalation of chlorine gas could cause sickness or even death, authorities said. Chest pain, vomiting, and difficulty breathing are among the symptoms that might be experienced.
Fire Difficult To Battle
Firefighters were unable to approach the blaze for hours after it ignited because of the explosions and hazardous chemicals. Crews started staging for various scenarios and planned to move into the area around daybreak, Radford said.
"We want to get in there as quickly as we can, but we're not going to endanger anyone," Radford said. "Rather than put water or foam on the fire, it's better to let the fire burn itself out so we don't create a large hazardous area on the ground."
Weatherly said the fire had spread to a nearby petroleum farm and had ignited four storage tanks containing a total of about 200,000 gallons of fuel. Officials were unsure if the fire had spread beyond that, however, he said.
Officials said they don't have any idea how long the fire might burn.
A plane tried to fly over the plant early Friday morning to assess the situation but had to return to the airport because of adverse weather.
Authorities initially evacuated about 100 residences in the Briarcliff area and sealed off the area. Shifting winds moved the smoke in different directions throughout the night, forcing further evacuations.
The town used a reverse-911 system to call all residences in the evacuation zone to notify people that they needed to leave, Weatherly said.
The eastern half of Apex had been ordered to evacuate by midnight, including residents in the Haddon Hall, Surrey Meadows, Knollwood, Shepherd's Vineyard and Weatherford Green subdivisions. Residents in the Sterling Buckingham subdivison were added to the evacuation Friday morning.
"It was one of the most frightening moments I've ever had," one woman said of hearing the explosions and receiving the evacuation order.
Weatherly declared a state of emergency in Apex at about 12:30 a.m. Friday, and Wake County declared a state of emergency about two hours later for unincorporated areas around Apex.
The declarations will make it easier for the town to apply for federal emergency aid, if needed, officials said.
Authorities had to move their command post three times to get downwind of the explosions and gas plume. The town's 911 center was relocated from the police department downtown to Apex Elementary School.
Flights into and leaving Raleigh-Durham International Airport were being rerouted to at least 5 miles from downtown Apex to avoid the fire and explosions, officials said.
The Raleigh Fire Department Hazardous Response Team arrived at the scene shortly after 10:30 p.m. to aid Apex authorities. Over 300 firefighters from Raleigh, Cary, Holly Springs and other jurisdictions also assisted in the effort.
The state Air Toxics Analytical Support Team was brought to the area early Friday to help monitor the air quality following the chlorine gas leak and fire and develop a plan of action.
Evacuees Fill Shelters
Firefighters spent much of the night making sure they had the proper equipment to handle various scenarios. Radford said authorities would rely on air quality experts to determine when it was safe to go back into the area around the EQ plant.
WRAL
Residents of the eastern side of Apex settled into shelters at two area schools early Friday morning after leaving their homes.
All residents within a one-mile radius of Investment Blvd and Sheffelein Road were evacuated to Olive Chapel Elementary on Olive Chapel Road.
Apex residents who weren't evacuated were asked to turn off their air conditioners and stay indoors with doors and windows closed until further notice.
Around 250 residents had taken refuge at Olive Chapel Elementary by 4:30 a.m. Authorities also opened a second shelter at Turner Creek Elementary. Officials are also asking residents to seek temporary residence at hotels elsewhere in Wake County or with relatives if shelters are full.
Local Red Cross volunteers arrived at the shelters early Friday to provide food, water, blankets, cots and other items to evacuees.
"Schools are community centers, and we're here to serve the community," Olive Chapel Elementary Principal Melissa Burns said.
All school activities at Apex Elementary, Apex Middle, Apex High, Baucom Elementary, Lufkin Road Middle, Olive Chapel Elementary and Turner Creek Elementary schools have been cancelled Friday, Wake County Schools officials said. St. Mary Magdalene School and several day-care centers also canceled classes.
School district officials said they are closely monitoring the situation and would update the district Web site later Friday morning with information about the fire's impact on other area schools.
Company Had Past Problems
EQ officials arrived at the scene early Friday and provided an inventory of the materials at the plant. Pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals were stored inside, Apex officials said.
The Wayne, Mich.-based company offers services to a variety of institutions that have hazardous chemicals and other materials that must be disposed of according to state and federal regulations. The facility is federally licensed by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Cregg Johnson, a truck driver who hauls materials to and from EQ, said he was sleeping in his tractor-trailer cab outside the plant Thursday night when a firefighter pulled him out to evacuate as part of the building was engulfed in flames.
"As we were headed off, barrels started blowing, and it just sounded like thunder," Johnson said. "I saw black smoke in the air and it was going south, and I told the firefighters I was heading north."
He said he had to leave his tractor-trailer full of flammable household chemicals, including paints and paint thinner, parked outside the plant.
EQ's Web site states that the company serves "R&D facilities, educational institutions, manufacturing companies, government agencies, hospital and medical facilities."
State environmental officials fined EQ $32,000 in March for failing to minimize the possibility of a release of hazardous-waste materials or implement a contingency plan for a possible release.
EQ spokesman Robert Doyle said the fire was unrelated to the previous fine. The company has a "very robust" safety plan, including extensive training, Doyle said.
Town officials were unaware of the fine and planned to discuss the matter with state officials, Weatherly said.
"It certainly would have been prudent for us to have been aware," he said.
State regulators inspect the plant four times a month, and Weatherly said he had been informed that EQ had no violations in its latest inspection, on Sept. 28-29.
A company at the same Investment Boulevard address, Enviro-Chem Environmental Services Inc., was fined $131,000 by state inspectors in February 2001 for a series of violations, including storing hazardous waste in an unpermitted area and failure to properly secure the facility.
In August 2005, a large explosion and fire rocked an EQ plant near Detroit. More than 1,000 nearby residents were evacuated.
Thanx JOHN.Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnB2012
:)
I'm about 20 miles away and there doesn't seem to be any problem. We're having a pretty stiff wind this evening so that should probably help disperse any fumes.