Another massive blasts rock Mobile, Alabama shipyard, 3 critically injured
A series of five large blasts on a fuel barge in Mobile, Alabama, rocked the area Wednesday night, critically injuring three. An evacuation zone was set up after firefighters were unable to put out the blaze, which they hope will burn out overnight.
The first blast occurred on a natural gas barge on the east side of Mobile River around 8:30 pm local time.
Officials told Fox 10 News that there were no fatalities, but three victims of the Alabama barge explosion remain in critical condition after being admitted to the University of South Alabama Medical Center for treatment.
The first explosion was followed shortly by four more blasts.
A fourth explosion was reported by Fox 10 news reporter Lenise Ligon amidst scanner chatter amongst firemen that one of the barges may have hundreds of gallons of gasoline still on board.
The fifth and, some reports say, largest barge explosion came over an hour after the first blast and just moments after fire officials told media that a rumbling heard on the scene was the sound of untreated gas building pressure.
Authorities are reported to have requested a one-mile evacuation zone around the shipyard.
Initial reports indicated that the explosions came from one vessel, although the Mobile Fire Department’s official Twitter feed reported that the blasts came from two barges. Fire and emergency crews rushed to the scene Wednesday night.
Coast Guard representatives however told the Alabama Press-Register that a single barge had produced the multiple explosions.
The barges were at the Austal shipyard, early reports said. They were transporting natural gas and were believed to be partially emptied, according to Steve Huffman, a spokesperson for Mobile Fire-Rescue.
The crew on the Carnival cruise liner, which sits an estimated 1,000 feet away from the blast site, has been evacuated, local Channel 6 News reports. Emergency responders plan to let the fire burn out naturally throughout the night, citing conditions too dangerous to approach. Part of Austral, Alabama has also been evacuated.
Alan Waugh, the general manager of Ft. Conde Inn, told Fox 10 News that the blast could be felt throughout downtown Mobile.
“We were up on a second floor balcony and the sky lit up in orange and yellow,” he said. “My partner was on one end of the balcony and I was on the other. And you thought it was the Carnival cruise ship at first but then you realized it was a little further from the ship. It sounded like planes above you dropping bombs.”
The initial blast was triggered by a static charge after crews had been working throughout the day to empty the ship and prepare it to transport gas Thursday. Subsequent explosions have made it impossible for firefighters to board the ship and put out the blaze.
Each of the three injured are reportedly in critical condition.
Those wounded in the blast are being treated at USA Medical Center with burns, Lt. Timothy Williams from the US Coast Guard said, confirming numerous explosions on one barge.
He also added that the barge contained multiple compartments to transport natural gas, with rescue teams estimating the two other compartments could contain 2,000 gallons of gas.
The Coast Guard meanwhile has closed the channel and issued an order to restrict flights near the site.
Culled from RT.com
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