Texas Gas Storage Facility Explodes

[BEER980]

MOSS BLUFF, Texas (AP) -- Natural gas exploded at an underground storage facility before dawn Thursday, forcing dozens of people from their homes, authorities said. No injuries were reported, but roads were closed and houses were ordered evacuated within a mile of the Duke Energy site, about 40 miles northeast of Houston.

Witnesses said in broadcast reports that they saw a ball of fire from a bridge over the Trinity River. One person who was inside the storage site when the gas exploded managed to escape, said Capt. Bill Tidwell of the Liberty County Sheriff's Department.

"Everybody's been accounted for," he said.

Crews initially decided to let the gas burn itself out, but authorities later said that would take too long. Experts at capping blown-out wells were called in to examine how to cool down and control the fire. Two other storage chambers at the facility were not thought to be threatened, Tidwell said.

The cause of the explosion had not been determined. Danny Gibbs, a spokesman for Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy, said there were no environmental or safety concerns. "Natural gas is burning, but it will dissipate," Gibbs said.

The sparsely populated area is dotted with manmade caverns inside salt domes, the world's largest storage site for explosive hydrocarbons. In 1980, an underground gas leak in nearby Mont Belvieu forced 72 families from their homes for almost five months.

Source

[stormraiser]

Nice. Guess heating costs will continue to be high this coming winter.

[azsnowman]

WELL....let's see, first off, I'm GLAD no one was killed. Let me guess, with oil hitting $50 a barrel, the Iranian threats and now THIS.....I'd bet ANY amount of MONEY that we'll see gas at the pumps hit 3 friggin dollars a GALLON by Labor Day Weekend Hold on to your shorts America, the oil companies are COMING for you

Dennis

[j]

Dennis..time to get a bike! My wife just bought her one last night. We are now a 2 motorcycle family.

I personally don't think we will see $3.
(save this post so you can offer me crow somewhere down the line )

[vbhoutex]

Another explosion this morning at the facility and the flames are now 1,000 feet in the air!!!! Boots and Coots has been called in to try and deal with the, to say the least, volatile situation. If another explosion occurs, especially if it gets into the underground portion there could be major trouble or at least that is what I heard on the radio this morning from a seasoned veteran of the oil fields. They have now evacuated a 3 mile radius around the site.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/3668565/detail.html

This is a picture from yesterday before the 2nd explosion.



and one from today.

[Yankeegirl]

I saw that on the news today.... and yesterday... Is it EVER going to go out? Im happy I dont use natural gas in my house.. lol..

[vbhoutex]

It could take weeks if they allowed it to burn itself out, but they have called in Boots and Coots to determine how best to snuff it out. Hopefully they will have it out in a few days.

[TexasStooge]

Oh, crap!!! NOT GOOD!!!!!!

Thank goodness no one was injured.