Posted on 02/07/2010 9:27:40 AM PST by malamute
An explosion in Middletown, Connecticut has rocked the town. Initial reports are that about a dozen people have been injured.
Middletown, United States - The Middletown Fire Department just said in a phone interview that they are in the process of putting out a second alarm. There are an unknown number of casualities. The explosion took place at NRG Power Plant on River Road. According to their web site they are the fossil-fueled electric generating plant in the state. Reports are saying that the blast could be felt as far away as Durham.
(Excerpt) Read more at digitaljournal.com ...
Based on the video from WTNH, the plant is located atop a bluff - their camera position appeared to be across the river from the plant...
It’s fairly obvious that it was an accident, they were doing testing still, it wasn’t quite ready to open.
This is new construction. I read they we’re going commercial in June. We had start up on site before back feed. Maybe two months before. I wonder if they had started steam blows yet. Or was this initial CT light off? Chances are, there were a lot of construction guys on site working on Punch List items etc.
The most recent live video shots did not show any smoke rising from the plant, nor did they show any active firefighting, rather the fire companies appeared to be working on rescue and/or recovery operations...
Hubby works at a coal fired plant - and HP steam scares me too.
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) Fire official now says about 50 workers in section of power plant where explosion happened.
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) Fire official says fewer than 50 hurt in explosion at power plant being built in Connecticut
“A little Nookie never hurt anyone”
The fire was reportedly under control. It seems as if they are using dogs to find bodies and or injured. The number of confirmed deaths is two with reports of at least 50 people on sight and 100 to 300 possible. Other reports indicate 6-12 people at the hospital. By subtraction, there are at least 40-45 on sight who would likely be dead or severely injured who have not been accounted for.
Then the blast wasn’t felt 30 miles in every direction because I live within that radius.
Good call. A lot of people see ‘casualties’ in media reports (since they love the word even if someone is scratched, it makes better headlines) and think ‘deaths’ instead.
What were you doing asleep at 11:20? :^)
Not all went to hospital.
What a terrible industrial accident, SO sad.
I think some news outlets are showing an aerial photo of the NRG plant, down on the river. I think this plant isn’t on Yahoo maps, etc., yet.
The plant was to be natural gas, and coal is much less likely to cause big explosions than natural gas is. As a nation, we really need to get back to coal for more of our power needs.
My husband has worked there on occasion; various jobs are sub-contracted out to other construction companies, so we’re thinking that’s why there is such a difference between how many were in the plant.
May have been 50 employees of the plant, but may be more that were sub-contracted employees.
They all are supposed to sign in and have an escort per group, but-who knows.
Prayers...we know a lot of people that work in power plants from Maine to New Jersey and travel between them. Still trying to reach some so we can find out who is where.
I know Eddystone 1 from it being the first MgO2 scrubber and I did some training near there once. You work up that way often?
Hope it never is a problem for either of us! :-)
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