Steff Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 for all. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...e.1b206ced.html Plant explodes in Fort Worth 03:24 PM CDT on Thursday, July 28, 2005 From WFAA.com Staff Reports Valley Solvents (official site) A series of explosions quickly engulfed an industrial plant in north Fort Worth early Thursday afternoon, causing a massive plume of black smoke and leading to evacuations in the area. The fire was first reported around 1:15 p.m. at Valley Solvents and Chemicals in the 2500 block of Northeast 33rd Street at the intersection of Bethlehem Street. The thick smoke could be seen for dozens of miles, even by workers in office towers in downtown Dallas. Fire department reports indicate at least four people have been injured. Three were taken by Medstar ambulance to John Peter Smith Hospital, and one was taken to Harris Methodist Hospital. "All of our employees have been accounted for and are safe," said Bill Davis, president of Valley Solvents. He said one employee suffered minor burns but that the injuries were not life-threatening. Davis, who was headed to the scene from the company's facility in Corpus Christi, said the plant had a variety of chemicals in storage tanks, drums and pallets. Alberto Gomez / DallasNews.com As the fire spread, large explosions could be seen shooting from the building, along with jet-like plumes of fire. Just after 3 p.m., the walls of the Valley Solvents building began to collapse. Additionally, a second smaller fire flared up elsewhere on the property; officials said it may be coming from a storm drain connected to the building where the main fire was burning. "It shook all the buildings here," said Angela McOllum, who works at a cement plant about 100 yards away. "All I can see is just tons of fire and tons of smoke, and it's really kind of scary." McOllum spoke by telephone with WFAA-TV (Ch. 8), waiting for official word on what to do next. "Everyone's got their masks on for the chemicals in the air," McOllum said. "I'm ready to leave." Traffic Pulse reports indicate I-35W, which is just several blocks from the fire, is at a standstill in both directions from downtown north to 287 and beyond, and traffic was jammed in all directions on streets near the fire. Drivers are urged to avoid the area. WFAA-TV Massive explosions rang out from the burning building. Fort Worth ISD spokesperson Valerie Robertson said seven schools near the fire have been evacuated as a precaution: Carter-Riverside High School, Riverside Middle School, Oakhurst Elementary, Springdale Elementary, Bonnie Brae Elementary, Natha Howell Elementary and Riverside Applied Learning Center. Classes have not yet started in Fort Worth, but staff and teachers were already on the campuses preparing to begin the school year. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport officials said that the FAA had not issued any advisories for air traffic in North Texas, and the fire had not affected any arriving or departing flights at D/FW. Watch WFAA.com and News 8 for more on this developing story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted July 28, 2005 Author Share Posted July 28, 2005 Tex.. I haven't seen any updates since this happened. Are they talking about it down by you..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapkomet Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 (edited) Damn, Steff, I live 10 minutes from the plant... you always forget about me. Edited July 28, 2005 by kapkomet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Gleason Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jul 28, 2005 -> 04:05 PM) Damn, Steff, I live 10 minutes from the plant... you always forget about me. Oooo, cool!!! Did you see the 'splosions??? Can you see the smoke??? ***I would not have the "cool" thing going on this if they didn't say everybody was O.K., but since they did, this is REALL cool!!! Great picture up there!!!*** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapkomet Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Could see the smoke from Irving, which is on the other side of the big airport... about 20 miles away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Saw it on Fox News. Lots of awful things happening this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted July 29, 2005 Author Share Posted July 29, 2005 QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jul 28, 2005 -> 05:05 PM) Damn, Steff, I live 10 minutes from the plant... you always forget about me. You're rigt kap... and I apologize.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapkomet Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 It's STILL on fire this morning as we speak (write)! And, to top it off, there is a water main break on property that they can't do anything about because the fire is still burning. Isopropyl (Alcohol) was the main chemical - it threw a storage silo 500 feet away from the main plant - and then runoff from the alcohol ran into a storm drain and about a 1/2 mile away it caught on fire. Weird stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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