Propane Plant Catches Fire , Monroe, Ohio

[JesterCS]

I dont have many details at the moment. I was watching TV and heard a loud boom. Didnt think anything of it because we have a steel mill nearby that dumps slag 24/7 and has a tendancy to boom when it hits cold/wet ground.

Then I receive a call from my grandmother who lives across the street, whom had received a call from my cousin who lives cross-town and they said go outside and look towards the plant ( which is about 1 mile away )

The sky was lit up orange and you could hear the fire burning.. the rush of the propane being released.

I'll try and get some pictures or at least a URL to a site with pictures.

The plant is named Texas Eastern, aka TEPCO, which also sits right next to BP Propane.

AFAIK noone was hurt and the explosion started when one of the on duty employee's was turning off propane valves.

If you wish to see the place use Google Earth and put in this address

3590 Yankee Rd
Middletown, OH 45044

Its northeast of where the map takes you, and you can see the outside storage. What you cant see is the underground storage facilities capable of holding most of the city of Monroe. Farther north east the gray area with roads is where the slag from AK Steel ( Formelly Armco ) is dumped and the area north of that is AK steel itself. I live SE of the area in that neighborhood

Its actually Middletown Corp Limit but proximity to Is closer to Monroe than Middletown.

[maine_raptor]

1. A mile is a bit close, IMHO

might want to be ready to move out if it gets worse.

[JesterCS]

4. Well

They've got it pretty much under control from what I can hear on the scanner. The cannot however get to the shutoff for the main gas line in there. The sky isnt nearly as lit-up now. Im restricted on what I can hear because Monroe went to 800 truncated frequency which is digital and digital scanners arent cheap.

My mom and grandma went to my cousins house which is on the outside of middletown.. bout 9 miles. Me and my dad stayed. But so far everything seems ok.

[nonconformist]

2. Oh my!

Stay safe, Ohio DU'ers!

[liberalnurse]

3. I heard about it on my car radio.....

I just left work. Not much with details yet.....

[JesterCS]

5. Headline

http://www.middletownjournal.com/hp/content/news/stories/2005/09/19/mj0919explosionWEB2.html?UrAuth=%60NXNUObN

MONROE — An explosion at a Texas Eastern natural gas pipeline terminal ripped through the night air late Sunday, killing one.

The 11 p.m. explosion caused flames to erupt that were seen throughout the area south of AK Steel, scrambling firefighters and leading to an evacuation of nearby businesses.

At least one other person, a female employee, was unaccounted for, fire officials said.

The identity of the person killed in the blast and explosion was not being released as of 1:30 a.m.