Explosion in Tacoma

[Babyblue5290]

Anyone see this on the news yet? Or is it still just here?

Well here's an article with two pics:

http://www.theolympian.com/570/story/236855.html

I was right off the 38th street exit of the I-5, right next to the explosion! That was scary! >_< All I saw was a big flash and fire shooting up into the sky. Then there where a few more explosions. The ground shook too! lol I was like "oh hell!" and just stood there like an idiot lol

After a while the smoke came lofting over towards me and that's when we decided that we should hold our breath and get in the car to go, cause it could've been toxic or something. So we left. The I-5 sure was a mess!

But yeah, that was interesting! Anyone else heard about it yet?

***EDIT***

Here's an article from Q13 news:

http://q13.trb.com/news/kcpq-100607-tac3,0,589173.story

BREAKING NEWS: 4 Injured In Tacoma Explosion
The Associated Press

October 6, 2007

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) - An explosion heard miles away sent a ball of fire over the historic Atlas Foundry Saturday afternoon, shutting down a major highway and cutting power to the city's industrial area.

Four people were taken to a hospital - the driver of a propane truck and three employees of the foundry - after two propane tanks exploded around 3 p.m., said The News Tribune newspaper.

The driver of the propane truck was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where spokeswoman Susan Gregg-Hanson said he was in critical condition Saturday evening. The three other injured men were treated and released from St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma.

Tacoma Deputy Fire Marshal Kevin O'Donnal said 50 firefighters had the two-alarm fire under control by early Saturday evening. The eastbound lanes of State Route 16 remained closed into the evening as state transportation officials waited for a safe time to send bridge inspectors to check a highway overpass.

An electrical substation was damaged in the blast, knocking out electricity to about 13,000 Tacoma Power customers, said utility spokeswoman Chris Gleason. All but 200 were back within an hour. The remaining customers could be without power for a while, Gleason added.

An executive of the company said all employees had been accounted for after the explosion that was heard at least two miles away.

Atlas Foundry Director of Safety Evid Owen told The News Tribune he thinks a propane tank exploded while it was being filled.

Ferrellgas, a nationwide propane company, has two tanks at Atlas, said Ferrellgas spokesman Scott Brockelmeyer. The tanks each hold about 30,000 gallons of propane.

Joe Farmer, supervisor of the cleaning room at Atlas, was nearby when the first explosion occurred.

"It blew me off the forklift, Farmer said. "It blew out several windows. All of the buildings nearby used to have junk all over the tops of them. It's not there anymore."

Farmer estimated that between 30 and 40 people were in the foundry on Saturday.

"I'm not usually one to get too frightened. But I was pretty frightened," he said.

A woman who lives two blocks from the foundry said she heard and saw the explosions. Carvedia Martin said she thought the first blast was an earthquake, so she ran outside and saw the plume with flames shooting through it. The heat was so intense she covered her face.

"The cloud was so intense, you know, it looked like the bomb at Hiroshima," Martin said. "As I stood, the flames just rolled straight up in the air - the gas and the fire. That's when I turned and ran."

Alan Bouman, a worker at T & T Tire Factory a couple of miles away, said the blast caused lights to flicker and a door to sway open.

The foundry, which traces its history back to 1899 when the company made iron castings for the Northwest logging industry, is near the intersection of I-5 and Highway 16. The company still produces castings, but now supplies a variety of industries from shipbuilding to offshore oil drilling.
Edit/Delete Message

 

[blue]

This the first Ive heard, searching for news now.

 

[Babyblue5290]

I added the article from Q13 Fox News in my original post

 

[blue]

How close to the explosions where you? Im not familliar to the area.

 

[Babyblue5290]

How close to the explosions where you? Im not familliar to the area.

The Explosion was in Tacoma, I was in Tacoma ^_^ lol

No really though, the explosion was near the I-5 and Washington-16 Freeways, the exit to get from the I-5 to the washington-16 and South Tacoma Way. I was right near the south Tacoma Way A little down before the Atlas Foundry, closer to the I-5 and 16.

Does this map work? The star is the Atlas Foundation.....where the explosion was.

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.ad...as foundry&qc=Automobile Machine Shop Service

Oh if you look at the first link and go to "VIDEO- Explosion rocks Atlas Foundation" there's a small video of the second or third explosion.

 

[Kase]

Geez that must have been scary BB. I'm glad you are ok!

 

[Babyblue5290]

You could say that again!! lol

Thanks

 

[gradyupmybutt]

:yikes: That's about all I can say. Holy canoli, BB! I'm so glad you're okay.

 

[SadieBlack]

Yowza! Pretty scary! I'm glad you are okay!! :yikes:

 

[noludoru]

Oh my gosh, BB.. really glad you're okay...

 

[Babyblue5290]

Thanks guys! I'm glad I'm ok too! lol Luckily the power at my house didn't go off either! It flickered from what my roommate told me, but we have a different power company so we where ok