Incident Report Subject: USA - One Seriously Hurt in Menthanol Explosion Date of Email report: Tue 19/11/2013 Report Detail:
One employee suffered serious burns in a methanol explosion at Southern Energy, Lane Parkway, officials said today. The employee, whose identity has not been released, was loading fuel into a tanker when the explosion occurred, Fire Chief Ricky McConnell said. "The whole wall of the building suddenly blew off," James Brewer, who was standing nearby, said. Several Shelbyville fire-fighters said they heard the blast from the fire hall a block away. The extent of the employee's burns is uncertain, McConnell said. He was airlifted to Vanderbilt Medical Center. The east end of the building was engulfed in flames within seconds. Methanol spewed across the rear parking lot and down the north ditchline along West Jackson Street. Shelbyville public works employees set up dams at the West Jackson-North Cannon Boulevard intersection in an attempt to contain the methanol. Any amount that reaches Duck River will be small, said Scott Johnson, director of Bedford County Emergency Management Agency. Students from Thomas Magnet School were sent by bus to Harris Middle School, and parents may pick them up there. Children from Eakin Elementary School were evacuated to Shelbyville Recreation Center, although it wasn't immediately clear why, since both locations are remote from the incident and the rec center is not significantly farther away from it than Eakin would be. An evacuation order which went into effect after the event has been lifted, according to Phillip Noel of Bedford County Communications Center. However, he said some street closures would remain at least the rest of the day. Bedford County Courthouse was evacuated after electricity went out following the explosion. Court cases were put on hold. Tim Wilson at NAPA Auto Parts / Florida Brothers Inc. said he and his co-workers heard the explosion from across the street. He looked out and saw flames. The flames were not high at first, but grew following more blasts, they said. Sheriff Randall Boyce said emergency responders were "tested" when oil began flowing through a ditch from the facility behind the workhouse and the county animal shelter. Workhouse inmates were taken to the jail. "We were scared to death," Boyce said. "If that fire had come on down that ditch, it would have burned down that restaurant on the corner." Crews put down pads and other material to absorb and contain the spill. "We were afraid it would get into the sewer and down to the river," said Boyce. But some oil did flow into a sewer gate, emerging in a detention pond at the new city water plant. Public works crews hurried to contain the spill. Police Chief Austin Swing told the T-G that Tullahoma fire-fighters came to Shelbyville with an engine in case any local calls came up while Shelbyville crews were tied up with the aftermath of the blaze. They were assisted by one off-duty Shelbyville fire-fighter who is familiar with locations. Bedford County Animal Control, located close to Southern Energy, evacuated about 50 dogs and a few cats. The explosion set the facility's back yard on fire, forcing a handful of dogs in outdoor pens to be evacuated first. It took longer to evacuate the dogs from inside the building. A load of dogs was on site to be picked up by Rescue Waggin' for transport today. Those dogs were taken to Middle Tennessee Spay and Neuter Clinic. Other evacuated dogs were taken to the old Harris Middle School gym by Rutherford County animal control officers and other volunteers. Bedford County Workhouse, next to the animal clinic, was also evacuated. Inmates were taken to Bedford County Jail initially, with plans to house them in the National Guard Armory overnight, but fire-fighters allowed them to return to the workhouse at mid-afternoon. A Tennessee Department of Corrections bus ferried them on the one-block trip to the workhouse.
Additional Documentation: 3 Injured in Explosion at Shelbyville Facility - Video
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