Archive | August 6, 2015
Severe Hail Storm Strikes Calgary, Canada
As anyone who’s witnessed an Alberta hail storm knows, you’d have to be awfully brave to face the elements without wearing some heavy-duty protective wear.
But this kind Calgary man found the most heartwarming reason to do so, running out into a fierce storm Tuesday, wearing nothing more than a t-shirt and jeans.
Imgur user redpyl spotted the man from a distance, in the middle of a hail stone-covered road downtown.
When he got a bit closer to investigate, he saw the man holding something wrapped in a yellow towel.
It was a pigeon! The man ran out into the street to rescue a stranded bird.
Needless to say, we think this man is a true storm hero. Faith in humanity restored!
Courtesy of huffingtonpost.ca
Gas line explosion in Weld County, USA
A fire blazes off of Hwy 392 and CR 68 by Galeton, Thursday, August 6, 2015. (Kelsey Brunner, Greeley Tribune)
A gas line has exploded in Weld County, sending thick clouds of smoke into the sky.
The Weld County Sheriff’s Office reported the explosion shortly after 2:30 p.m. Thursday on its Twitter account. The explosion was near Weld County Road 68 and Colorado 392 in the Windsor area.
Weld County Emergency Management said the Galeton Fire Department was the lead agency on the scene.
Sean Standridge, a Weld County sheriff’s spokesman, said no injuries were reported.
This story is developing and will be updated.
Courtesy of denverpost.com
Fire brakes out at a chemical factory at Pokharpur in Kanpur, India
A fire broke out today at a chemical factory’s godown at Pokharpur in Kanpur, officials said.
However, no causalities were reported in the incident.
The flames engulfed S R Chagada Chemical Factory in the wee hours, Fire Department official V P Singh told reporters here.
“Twelve fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the flames. The flames were too high as it took more than 2 hours to bring the situation under control,” he said, adding that a major tragedy was averted as no one was present in the godown.
He said that the godown was constructed illegally in a posh locality and the incident has triggered panic among the residents.
Police have started investigation to ascertain the cause behind the fire.
Courtesy of business-standard.com
Chemical spill causes temporary evacuation of shipping facility in Kent, USA
Hazardous material teams from Kent and three other fire departments responded to a chemical leak at about 11:39 p.m. Wednesday at a shipping/receiving facility in the 6200 block of South 228th Street.
A driver of a forklift hit and punctured a 55-gallon drum, according to a Kent Fire Department Regional Fire Authority media release. Paramedics evaluated and released the driver at the scene.
Thirty employees evacuated the building and were in the parking lot when fire crews arrived. The forklift driver was the only person exposed to the chemicals.
Once the specialized team of hazmat responders entered the building, they were able to find the leak and determine that there was no eminent danger as well as confirm that the punctured drum contained organic peroxide. The majority of the chemical was confined to the trailer it was in. Crews reported that there was only a small amount that had leaked out of the trailer on to the asphalt and nothing made its way into the building itself. The crew also ensured that there was no threat of the leak reaching any of the storm drains on the property.
The incident turned into a multidepartment response once the leak was confirmed. Hazmat crews from the Renton Fire Department, Port of Seattle Fire Department, and South King Fire Rescue responded to the call. King County Medic One and the Zone 3 Rehab unit also assisted during the incident.
The employees were allowed to re-enter the building after the hazmat team deemed the building to be safe. A company that specializes in chemical clean-up was called and on scene prior to any of the fire crews leaving.
According to the company supervisor, the evacuation of the building went very smooth and he attributed that to the annual emergency drills in which all the employees participate in. Drilling the emergency plan greatly reduced the potential for harm.
Fire officials said it’s always a good idea to have an emergency plan, for work and home. Once a plan is in place, ensure that everyone is not only familiar with it, but also has a chance to practice it on a regular basis.
Courtesy of kentreporter.com
Massive explosion, fire at mobile home park in southwest Bakersfield, USA
A massive explosion erupting in a southwest Bakersfield mobile home park, hospitalizing at least one person and devastating homes there.
The Bakersfield Fire Department received a call at 1:00 a.m. Thursday. When they arrived a mobile home here near Planz and Stine was engulfed in flames.
We received reports on Facebook of people living quite a distance away being jolted out of bed by the explosion. With some saying they felt like the explosion was happening at their home. That man living inside the mobile home was saved by a heroic neighbor who BFD says pulled him to safety. He was taken to the burn unit at San Joaquin Community Hospital.
“It was just a massive explosion. It looked just like it was fire falling from the sky,” said neighbor Darlene Littrell.
Firefighters say 5 homes were damaged in total, including the one that exploded. Some had window damage, others had significant fire exposure.
The cause is under investigation.
Courtesy of kerngoldenempire.com
Explosion at a petrol station causes 140 gallons of petrol to run “down Main Street” in City of Beacon, USA
An explosion at a City of Beacon gas station caused 140 gallons of gas to run “down Main Street” this afternoon, said City of Beacon Fire Chief Gary Van Voorhis.
No one was killed or injured, Van Voorhis said. Some residents on Main Street were evacuated while first responders monitored buildings for any suspicious odors.
The spill only affected the Main Street block between Fishkill Avenue, or Route 52, and Veterans Place, said Beacon police Chief Doug Solomon. The section of the road was re-opened by 4 p.m.
The explosion happened around 1:45 p.m. at the newly renovated Xtra Fuels gas station, on Main Street and Fishkill Avenue, when an American Petroleum employee was filling the underground gas tanks with fuel, Van Voorhis said.
And 140 gallons of gas “shot out of the hole and ran down Main Street,” Van Voorhis said.
“It was some kind of explosion, no flame or fire,” Solomon said. “The tank caps blew up 20 or 30 feet in the air.”
Firefighters arrived quickly “and diked the gas spill from going to the storm sewer system,” Van Voorhis said. The employee who was filling the tanks was not injured — he “refused medical treatment” — but he was covered in gas. “We hosed him off.”
Solomon said he doesn’t believe there was any property damage.
The cause of the explosion is unknown at this time, both chiefs said.
Courtesy of poughkeepsiejournal.com
MEGA DIP SPIKES ON THE WEAK MAGNETOSPHERE @ APPROX 14:15, 14:30, 14:45, 18:15, 19:00 HRS UTC
**VERY URGENT**
MEGA DIP SPIKES ON THE WEAK MAGNETOSPHERE @ APPROX 14:15, 14:30, 14:45, 18:15, 19:00 HRS UTC. FURTHER EARTHQUAKES, VOLCANO ACTIVITY & ADVERSE WEATHER PATTERNS WILL BE GREATLY INFLUENCED BY THE COSMIC RAYS STRIKING THE EARTH’S CORE
***BE ALERT***
Legionnaires’ disease outbreak kills 8 in New York, USA
The death toll from an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City is now at eight, according to an update from city health officials Wednesday.
Since the outbreak began, 92 people have been hospitalized with the disease — a severe form of bacterial pneumonia — 48 of whom have been treated and released.
Health officials traced the source of the outbreak to the South Bronx after five of 17 cooling towers inspected for legionella bacteria tested positive. The five towers were at Streamline Plastic Co., Lincoln Hospital, the Concourse Plaza shopping center near Yankee Stadium, the Opera House Hotel and a Verizon office building. All five have been disinfected and are being monitored by health officials.
All of those sites must submit long-term plans on protecting the cooling towers from any return of the bacteria.
The Health Department stressed that the disease is not passed from person to person, but contracted by inhaling water contaminated with the bacteria. Most cases of Legionnaires’ disease can be traced to plumbing systems where conditions are favorable for legionella growth, such as whirlpool spas, hot tubs, humidifiers, hot water tanks, cooling towers, and evaporative condensers of large air-conditioning systems.
Symptoms include headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, confusion and diarrhea. Symptoms usually appear two to 10 days after significant exposure to the bacteria.
The city’s drinking water, pools, fountains, water towers and buildings cooled with air conditioners are all safe, city officials said.
Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said a “comprehensive package” of new legislation would be announced this week to halt future outbreaks of Legionnaires’, with emphasis on long-term prevention. Outbreaks of the disease “have become far too common over the past ten years, and the City will respond not by only addressing an outbreak as it occurs, but with a new plan to help prevent these outbreaks from happening in the first place,” he said.
The New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is continuing to watch out for new cases in close collaboration with area hospitals and has deployed “disease detectives” to conduct epidemiological investigations. Health officials are also conducting an outreach program in senior centers and homeless shelters in order to educate those most at risk from the disease.
The disease gets its name from an outbreak of pneumonia that killed 29 people attending an American Legion convention at a Philadelphia hotel in 1976. Months later the cause was traced to the previously unknown bacteria.
Courtesy of usatoday.com
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