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More than 100 federal agents entered the smoldering Caribbean Petroleum Corporation fuel depot on Sunday as the investigation began in earnest into the cause of an explosion that rocked the San Juan metro area early Friday morning and sparked a massive fire that burned for more than two days. The blast registered 2.8 on the Richter scale and the ensuing blaze sent up an enormous tower of toxic smoke that forced the evacuation of some 1,500 residents from communities surrounding the Bayamón facility. Marcial Orlando Félix, the head of the federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) Bureau in Puerto Rico...

While government officials withheld speculation on the cause of the blast as fire brigades continued to battle the ensuing fire, union leaders called Friday evening for officials from the Caribbean Petroleum Corp. to explain what caused the powerful explosion and massive fire at the company’s fuel facility near San Juan Bay. Ricardo Santos, an official at UTIER, the largest electrical utility union in Puerto Rico, said information had begun to circulate that work had been done at the facility to try to stop a leak on Thursday afternoon. The blast, which rocked the San Juan metro area, occurred at around...

A large explosion has rocked an industrial complex in Puerto Rico's capital San Juan. No word on causes or casualties.

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah (AP) -- An official with the Davis County sheriff's office in northern Utah says there has been an explosion at Hill Air Force Base. Capt. Kenny Payne says the explosion occurred Thursday at a weapons cache. He did not have other details.

Syracuse, NY -- An explosion in the basement of a private Islamic school has been ruled accidental, said Syracuse fire investigator Ken Heffernan. The Ihsan School of Excellence, on West Onondaga Street near the intersection with West Street, was evacuated Oct. 8 after the explosion sent a dust cloud and natural gas into the building, investigators said. The 75 children were safely removed from the school building, which has remained closed since. The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were contacted by investigators looking into the explosion because the West Onondaga Street school is considered a place...

The following news brief is a quote: Syracuse, NY -- Syracuse fire investigators have not yet determined the cause of an explosion Thursday at the Ihsan School of Excellence, a private Islamic school on West Onondaga Street. More meetings with investigators are planned before a determination is made, Lt. Joe Galloway, a Syracuse fire investigator, said today. A cause for the explosion in the school's basement will possibly be released on Monday, Galloway said.

It was an amazing scene just blocks north of Times Square Thursday morning as a yellow cab caught fire and exploded, but no injuries were reported and the driver escaped unharmed, fire officials said. The cab was parked at the corner of 53rd Street and 7th Avenue when a small fire erupted in the car around 9:30 a.m, fire officials said. The fire spread to the gas tank, causing the vehicle to explode. Huge plumes of gray smoke were seen billowing from the front of the burning car. The blaze frightened pedestrians and office workers in the area, but there...

Police in Viernheim, Germany, were negotiating Wednesday afternoon with an unidentified man believed to be linked to several bombings earlier in the day in the towns of Viernheim and Weinheim. The towns, near several U.S. military installations in Heidelberg and Mannheim, are home to many Americans. Karlheinz Treusch, a German police spokesman from Darmstadt, did not release details on damage from the bombs or information on the suspect. But he did say that no one was seriously injured in any of the blasts and that the bombings probably were not politically motivated. According to The Associated Press, the man set...

EXETER – Five days before David Lamoreaux’s home was destroyed in an explosion on Saturday, police allege that his wife and another man assaulted him Deborah Lamoreaux, 45, and Christopher Pack, 45, of Market Street, Pittston, were charged Monday with assaulting David Lamoreaux in the couple’s home at 58 Penn Ave. on July 27. Police said that after David Lamoreaux was attacked, he crawled outside for help, screaming “They’re trying to kill me,” according to arrest records. The Lamoreaux home was destroyed in a blast that damaged at least 12 buildings, including the John F. Kennedy Elementary School on Penn...

EXETER - A massive explosion leveled a home and injured two men in the borough Saturday afternoon, rocking homes and businesses throughout the neighborhood and in nearby communities. Exeter police labeled their probe into the blast at 58 Penn Ave. a "criminal investigation," but would not release further details on the cause Saturday night. A bystander and a man in the garage area at the rear of the home were injured and taken to the hospital for treatment. Their conditions were not immediately available Saturday night. The blast at the home at the corner of Penn Avenue and Memorial Street...

Biological Big Bang: Another Explosion at the Dawn of Life July 23, 2009 — Eugene Koonin and two friends from the NIH went tree-hunting. They examined almost 7,000 genomes of prokaryotes. They found trees all right – a whole forest of them. They even found 102 NUTs (nearly universal trees) in the forest. Unfortunately, it’s not what they wanted to find: a single universal tree of life that Darwin’s theory requires. They had to seriously consider the question: was there a biological big bang? Publishing in an open-access article in the Journal of Biology,[1] they began with the founding father’s...

Local TV in Orlando, Florida is reporting an explosion at a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.Nothing on the wires yet. Will post more when reported.

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WSFA) - A car bomb detonated late Wednesday evening near Birmingham. WSFA 12 News' sister station WBRC Fox 6 confirms the explosion in Walker County. Information is limited at this time, but WBRC is setting up a live feed for continued coverage. The explosion happened in the Parrish community of Walker County. A victim was taken to UAB Hospital with serious injuries according to a hospital spokesperson. The victim's name is not being released, but sources confirm it was a male. The Walker County Sheriff's Department, The Parrish Fire and Police departments as well as the State Fire...

BURGOS, Spain — A powerful car bomb exploded early Wednesday outside a barracks housing police officers and their families in this northern Spanish city, slightly injuring 46 people and causing major damage in the area. The attack was blamed on Basque separatist group ETA. Most of the injuries from the blast were from flying glass, and 38 of the wounded were treated in hospitals, regional ministry representative Miguel Alejo said. Many of the injured were Civil Guard police officers and family members. The bomb detonated around 4:00 a.m. (0200 GMT, 10 p.m. EDT Tuesday) and left a crater that had...

Recent high school grad charged with bombing Related Topics: Ray Kelly | Starbucks Corporation A teen arrested in the bombing of an upper East Side Starbucks was inspired to plant the explosive device by the movie "Fight Club," cops said today. Kyle Shaw, 17, of Chelsea, was charged with arson, criminal mischief and criminal possession of a weapon for placing the bomb at the E. 92nd St. coffee shop, police said. Shaw was inspired to plant the bomb at the Manhattan eatery by watching the anarchic behavior of Brad Pitt in the film "Fight Club." He picked the site because...

An explosion at what appears to be an extremist training camp for children in Pakistan's Punjab province has killed 11 people and wounded more than 120. A massive explosion in the town of Mian Channu in the Khanewal district in northern Punjab province leveled at least 25 homes. More people are thought to have been trapped in the rubble. Seven children and one woman are among those reported killed, and another 12 people are said to be in critical condition. The blast occurred at the home of a local cleric named Hafiz Riaz, who is said to conduct informal religious...

Suspected Muslim guerrillas detonated a bomb near a Roman Catholic cathedral in the southern Philippines on Sunday, killing at least five people and wounding 46. The bomb exploded outside the Immaculate Conception cathedral in Cotabato city as churchgoers were attending Mass. Two people were killed instantly in the attack and three others, including a militiaman, later died in hospitals, military officials said. Among the wounded were six soldiers and militiamen who were in an army van that passed by the cathedral when the device, fashioned from a mortar round, exploded, Cotabato city Mayor Muslimin Sema said. The improvised explosive, which...

OCRACOKE, N.C. A fireworks truck exploded this morning on Ocracoke Island, N.C., injuring five to seven people, a dispatcher with the Hyde County Sheriff’s Office said. The explosion occurred at about 9 a.m., he said. Paramedics are transporting the injured people to the hospital for treatment. No additional information was immediately available.

Several people were killed and others injured when a train carrying gas canisters exploded in northern Italy, local media has reported. The incident happened in the coastal town of Viareggio. State television said the train derailed before the explosion. At least 40 people were injured, Ansa news agency reported.

The bodies of Captain DuBois and a steward of Air France AF447 have been identified according to Air France-KLM Group in a statement on their Web site. So the question still remains – Was Captain DuBois in the cockpit and who made the “forte turbulence” radio call? BEA is not scheduled to provide an update until July 2, 2009, which will be after the estimated 30 days that the “block boxes” batteries’ transmit a signal? The French government still has not discounted terrorism, the Brazilian Press seems to think there was an explosion, and now, the Brazilian Intelligence Agency Director...

GARNER, N.C. – Two workers died when an explosion tore through a Slim Jim meat products plant in North Carolina Tuesday, punching holes in the building's roof and blowing employees off their feet. The explosion critically burned four people and one worker was still unaccounted for Tuesday night. More than 40 others were taken to hospitals, including three firefighters who needed medical attention after inhaling ammonia gases that left a distinct scent around the sprawling ConAgra Foods Inc. plant just south of Raleigh. The blast collapsed an exterior wall, smashing cars parked next to the 500,000-square-foot building. Authorities could not...

GARNER, N.C. -- Three people were missing and 20 taken to hospitals after an explosion at a Slim Jim meat products plant in North Carolina, officials said Tuesday. Jeffrey Hammerstein, district chief with Wake County Emergency Medical Services, said five people taken to hospitals were tagged as priority patients with serious conditions. Hammerstein said officials were searching for three people missing from the site in Garner, a Raleigh suburb, but it wasn't clear whether they were inside during the explosion. Garner Mayor Ronnie Williams said injuries ranged from burns to smoke inhalation. Emergency crews were keeping people away because of...

FORT WORTH, Texas—Authorities say they are investigating a natural gas explosion at the Fort Worth, Texas, home of megachurch pastor T.D. Jakes. Fort Worth fire spokesman Lt. Kent Worley says the blast Sunday in the sunroom of the home appears to have been an accident. Authorities say no one was injured and there was no fire. The sunroom was heavily damaged. Worley says the room had a gas-fed pool heater and a large gas-fed barbecue grill.

A small improvised explosive device detonated outside an Upper East Side Starbucks early Monday morning, shattering the coffee shop's windows and raising fears of terrorism. The bomb tore a hole in a wooden bench outside the coffee chain's outpost at Third Ave. and E. 92nd St. when it exploded at 3:30 a.m. No one was injured in the blast, but it terrified residents who had been fast asleep early on Memorial Day. "I heard a giant noise -- a big, giant noise, like a crash -- and there was a flash," said Jordan Kovnot, 26, a law student who lives...

The NYPD bomb squad is on the scene of an explosion outside a Starbucks on Manhattan's Upper East Side. There are reports an explosive device was left on a bench outside the coffee shop at 1642 Third Avenue and the corner of 92nd Street.

A series of loud explosions has been reported in the area of a Sun Oil ethylene facility in New Castle County.

Massive explosions rocked the Sunoco refinery in the Marcus Hook area tonight, sending flames shooting into the night and sounding alarms in three states. The actual explosions were in Delaware but close to the Pennsylvania border. Some officials were reporting that the chemicals in the explosion could waft into South Jersey. The explosions were first heard shortly after 10 p.m. The flames could be seen as far as 10 miles away at the Philadelphia airport. Safety officials were considering widespread evacuations and police were blocking off roads around the refineries, one of the largest on the East Coast, according TV...

A stellar explosion has smashed the record for most distant object in the known universe. The gamma-ray burst came from about 13 billion light-years away, and represents a relic from when the universe was just 630 million years old. "It easily surpassed the most distant galaxies and quasars," said Edo Berger, an astrophysicist at Harvard University and a leading member of the team that first demonstrated the burst's origin. "In fact, it showed that we can use these spectacular events to pinpoint the first generation of stars and galaxies." "The burst most likely arose from the explosion of a massive...

AN explosion that ripped apart and sank a boat carrying more than 40 asylum seekers last week, killing five people, was the result of a threat gone tragically wrong, senior government sources say. The ABC has reported senior sources have confirmed that asylum seekers on board the vessel doused its deck with petrol in an attempt to force the navy to let the boat land in Australia. They reportedly feared being turned back to Indonesia. The boat exploded on Thursday near Ashmore Island, northwest of the Australian mainland. That afternoon West Australian Premier Colin Barnett said he understood the refugees...

ASYLUM-SEEKERS doused their boat in petrol before a dawn explosion that killed three people off the northwest Australian coast, West Australian Premier Colin Barnett says. Mr Barnett said it was unclear how the flames ignited. "It is understood that the refugees on the boat spread petrol and that ignited causing the explosion," Mr Barnett said. Mr Barnett would not elaborate on the claim when questioned further. The Commander of Border Protection Command, Rear Admiral Allan du Toit, would not comment on the cause. “I really can’t speculate on the cause… I do emphasise that this is an ongoing incident," he...

THREE asylum seekers are dead, others missing and more than 40 injured after an explosion ripped through their boat today. Australian Navy personnel are also believed injured after the blast which occured as the boat carrying 49 asylum-seekers was being towed to Christmas Island. A West Australian Health spokeswoman said it was understood three people are dead, two are missing and 51 are injured. State Health co-ordinator Dr Andy Robertson said a number of casualties were expected at Truscott Airbase, near Kalumburu, where they would be met by medical teams from the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Broome and Derby Hospitals.

WA police have confirmed three people are dead and two are missing after a boat carrying 49 asylum seekers to Christmas Island exploded. WA Police Sergeant Greg Lambert confirmed the casualties, but it was unclear whether those killed were asylum seekers or navy personnel. ``It is believed an explosion has occurred in the engine compartment of a vessel,`` Sergeant Lambert said. ``It is believed that three people have been killed, two people are missing and others are injured, numbers are not yet known.'' The Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus is expected to release a statement and call a press conference...

I live in Fayette County Georgia. At 3am this morning the windows on the west side of the house shook with a massive concussive force. I ran outside....nothing. I do not believe this was aircraft related. I called the sheriff's dept, they received several calls. Tinfoil hat time. Is it possible that there is preparation being made for crowd control this april 15th with the use of sound? Anyone else in Georgia experience this this morning?

Shedding Light on the Protein Big Bang Theory March 13, 2009 — The precise three-dimensional structure of a typical protein molecule is so complex, its origin would seem hopeless by chance. What if evolutionary biologists were to discover a whole host of proteins literally exploded into existence at the beginning of complex life? We can find out what they would think by looking at an article on the “protein big bang” found on Astrobiology Magazine...

An explosion rocked downtown Bozeman Thursday morning, collapsing three buildings and prompting evacuation of a two-block area, officials said. Reports indicate the explosion happened at about 8:15 a.m. in the 200 block of Main Street. Crews were working to extinguish a fire caused by the explosion. Boodles restaurant and bar were destroyed, KBZK-TV reported. A police dispatcher said the adjacent Rocking R bar was also heavily damaged. Police evacuated the two blocks surrounding the businesses, housed in historic brick buildings. Jason Shrauger with Gallatin County Disaster and Emergency Services said it was unknown what caused the explosion or if...

INSTITUTE, W.Va. (AP) - The U.S. Occupational and Health Administration has issued proposed fines totaling $143,000 against a West Virginia Bayer CropScience plant for an August 2008 explosion that killed two workers. Thursday's proposed fines stem from 15 violations the federal safety agency issued against the Institute plant, including 13 serious violations and two repeat violations involving hazardous analysis. An explosion in the plant's Methomyl Unit killed one worker immediately. The second suffered severe burns and died several weeks after the Aug. 28 blast. The company has 15 days to contest the violations and fines. Click here for complete coverage...

A blast occurred Monday at the Bucharest Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence and Ecology Research Center of the Romanian Ministry of Defense, killing one officer who was working there, the ministry said.Major engineer Octavian – Viorel Mihai received first aid from the unit’s doctor and was immediately taken to the nearest hospital, to receive specialized medical attention, but he passed away.The officer was 37 years old and was working at the center since 2004. Part of his job involved working with powders and explosives. Another two slightly injured in NBC Research Center explosion A woman who was injured in the...

Boy Killed Anally When Office Chair Explodes By Adam Frucci, 2:44 PM on Fri Feb 20 2009, 334,213 views Well, stories don't get much worse than this. A 14-year-old boy in China was killed when his chair exploded, sending chunks of metal into his rectum. The bleeding this caused killed him. The alleged explosion came from the gas cylinder that was in the base of the chair, the part that allowed the user to adjust the seat up and down. The canister gets compressed when you sit on it, but can it actually create enough energy to make the seat...

Cairo market blast: Bombers 'targeted Western tourists' in Egypt Terrorism returned to the streets of Egypt's capital, Cairo on Sunday when a bomb tore through a crowded market, killing a French tourist. By Dina Kraft in Tel Aviv 22 Feb 2009 The market suffered a bomb attack in 2005, which killed two tourists. Photo: AFP The attack, which was apparently targeted on Westerners, took place beside the 12th century Al-Hussein mosque, a notable tourist attraction in the old quarter of Egypt's capital. About 20 people were wounded in the explosion, including 13 French visitors and a German. The government said...

Egyptian police said Sunday evening a bomb detonated outside a historic Cairo mosque in the crowded bazaar area frequented by tourists, wounding at least eight people. Blood stains could be seen in the front courtyard of Hussein mosque, next to the famed Khan el-Khalili bazaar in Islamic Cairo. Riot police had cordoned off the area and sniffer dogs could be seen as worshippers were being evacuated. A security official said police were attempting to defuse a second bomb. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

CAIRO (AP) — A bomb exploded Sunday in a crowded Cairo market frequented by tourists, wounding at least 14 people, including foreigners, said police and medical sources.

West Memphis, AR - Police are on the scene of a car explosion in West Memphis, AR. It happened this morning near Avalon and Cooper. We're told a prominent doctor got into his car when it exploded. He was airlifted to The MED for treatment in extreme critical condition.

Police say assailants in western Kosovo have launched a rocket-propelled grenade at the barracks of the country's new security force. NATO-led peacekeepers have sealed off the area in the town of Pec after the attack late Thursday. The blast damaged the building, but no one was injured. The attack comes a day after the Kosovo Security Force replaced a 3,000-strong civilian emergency organization formed out of the disbanded ethnic Albanian guerrilla force. It was unclear who was behind the attack. Serbia protested the creation of the force saying it was designed to intimidate the Serb minority in Kosovo. Earlier on...

Police investigate explosion in Starbucks in Rhode IslandThe Associated Press Friday January 02, 2009, 9:22 AM Police are investigating a small explosion that led to the evacuation of a Starbucks coffee shop in Providence, R.I. No injuries were reported and police said the only damage was minor charring on the floor. Investigators believe someone set off a homemade incendiary device in a plastic soda bottle as a prank Thursday night, police Maj. Thomas Oates said. About 25 people were in the shop on the city's East Side when the explosion happened. **SNIP**

Crews are waiting for an area to cool off under the streets of downtown Savannah, Georgia, before they can start determining what caused an electrical explosion today. The blast blew off manhole covers and knocked out power for hours to many stores, restaurants and homes. Georgia Power says crews have restored power to about 95 percent of the homes and businesses that had gone dark. No injuries have been reported and there’s only minimal property damage. Almost all streets have reopened, as have businesses that were evacuated after the explosion that occurred just before 9 a.m. In August, an underground...

At least three people were injured this afternoon by a residential explosion on Paiute Way between Kachina and Grayson ways, officials said. The victims suffered third-degree burns, police said. There were no reports of fatalities. One firefighter was injured, perhaps overcome by fumes. The blast happened about 1:40 p.m. and involved a few houses, officials said. Firefighters at the scene said one house was destroyed by the blast and several houses nearby were damaged. John Turner, who lives on Paiute Way, said he was in his duplex and the blast shook his home from blocks away. He said he was...

BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division- Baghdad Soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division responded to help three Iraqi children injured when what is believed to be a piece of unexploded ordnance detonated in a field where they were grazing their sheep Dec. 15 south of Baghdad near Combat Outpost Meade. The children in need of medical care were brought to COP Meade by their parents. A ten-year old suffered shrapnel wounds to the leg, a nine-year old suffered an injury to the left eye and a broken leg and a four-year old...

An Oregon State Police bomb technician became the second victim of a bomb in a Woodburn bank branch, State Police spokesman Lt. Gregg Hastings confirmed Saturday. Two state troopers were killed when a bomb exploded inside West Coast Bank in Woodburn, Oregon. Technician Bill Hakim, a senior trooper, and Woodburn Police Capt. Tom Tennant were killed in Friday evening's blast, Hastings said. Both men were 51 years old. Woodburn Police Chief Scott Russell, 46, was critically injured. A female bank employee also was injured. She was treated at a hospital and released, the State Police said in a written statement....

A massive mysterious explosion in Wairoa this morning shook windows and woke people in Mahia, Kotemaori, Ruakituri, Lake Waikaremoana and Wairoa. Wairoa senior sergeant Chris Flood said the explosion occurred about 3.40am. Police called several people around the district. "They report hearing a loud explosion and seeing the whole sky light up. Everyone heard it," Mr Flood said. He thought it might have been a meteor. Department of Conservation Aniwaniwa area manager Glenn Mitchell said he thought the noise was an LPG bottle exploding. "I knew it wasn't a gunshot. It was a large explosion. I drove all around the...

Another explosion hit an EnCana Corp. sour-gas pipeline in B.C. Friday afternoon, this time near the small community of Tomslake, south of Dawson Creek near the Alberta border, the RCMP said. "The site of an explosion was discovered at a natural gas wellhead at approximately 12:30 p.m. today," Sgt. Tim Shields said in a news release Friday. "The site is about 12 kilometres northwest of the community of Tomslake … The explosion appears to have been deliberately detonated and is located in a rural isolated area," he said. The explosion caused a small gas leak that was quickly contained by...