A huge explosion in Santiago

[bachata]

Tamboril's firetruck was the spark that started the explosion. The propane tank was leaking for about two hours before it blew up, the maintenance crew couldn't get it fixed and called for help but when the fireman truck arrived they were notified about the gas atmosfera in the area and told to keep the truck outside but the stupid driver rejected the order and pulled in the the area where gas was spread everywhere.

Welcome to DR.

JJ

 

[Adrian Bye]

i doubt the driver of the firetruck was made to understand the risk he was taking. given he's driving a firetruck he's probably an honorable guy.

did he survive?

 

[SantiagoDR]

i doubt the driver of the firetruck was made to understand the risk he was taking. given he's driving a firetruck he's probably an honorable guy.

did he survive?

Dominican logic?

 

[Chip]

There were two explosions. The first caused little casualties but attracted a large number of people. Here's a video of the second much more powerful explosion. Apparently the guy thought it was nuclear it was so large.

YouTube - ‪Video Exclusivo del Momento de la explosi?n en Tamboril‬‎

 

[Frank the Tank]

What exactly blew up? Was it one of the storage tanks at a propane gas station? I heard it last night while eating dinner, I had really just assumed it was thunder. It must have scared the crap out of everyone when it blew. I guess the tamboril bomberos need a refresher on containing gas leaks and making a secure perimeter. And as far as firemen being honorable, back home they are called land pirates, I am sure the same can be said of the local bomberos.

 

[cobraboy]

Just heard a news report that it was 5000 gallons of propane.

 

[Acira]

Wow, what an explosion, I hope that there not too many lives lost

What the "stupidity" is concerned, doesn't happen only in the DR. A few years ago there was a huge explosion at a plant near a little village not that far from where we lived in Europe. There were construction works going on for the plant and they hit a large gas pipe under the surface.
That pipe was not on the drawings of the architect in charge, that pipe should have been on the drawings since it lay on Industrial ground so even worse mistake from the responsible organisation who is in charge of gas pipe lines in Belgium.
It wasn't on the drawings and it didn't also stated that it was a MAIN pipe line.
The pipe started to leak due to the drilling above and some working began to sniff the gas but nobody understood that it was a main pipe so they called in some technicians and fireman to stand on hold.
In the mean time a big gasbubble had build up under the ground and when the technicians tried to weld the pipe again, the disaster happened, it exploded, killing almost 30 fireman and workers of the plant in close proximity and killing and wounding badly another 100 people of the nearby village in a few seconds.

Such disasters are alway's the sum of little mistakes put together, you cannot blame one single person or something for that.

I hope really for the people of Santiago in that area that they got out in time.

 

[bachata]

Adrian, the fireman is alive as the explosion was not immediately after the tank to start on fire but I heard that most of the people that were at the surrounding areas by the time it blew up are in in critical condition, including the news reporter who is the spokes man for enlamanana.com radio show ( my source ).

JJ

 

[zoomzx11]

probably not the truck

fire engines are normally diesel so as to prevent their being an ignition source. I doubt very much that a fire engine caused a gas explosion. Sadly the Dominican bomberos are usually volunteers, poorly trained and poorly equipped. Even in modern countries there are plenty of gas explosions. The escaping gas is highly volatile and frequently finds a source of ignition. Hopefully the loss of life is minimal. I have not seen the new gas complex in Sosua but I for one would not live anywhere near it.

 

[cobraboy]

There is a reason the propane stations are outside of town.

I've been told the Tropigas station next to PriceMart in Santiago bought themselves to that location by giving perks to the locals.

When I fill up with propane I silently chuckle when I spot those tiny fire extinguishers around...

 

[cobraboy]

fire engines are normally diesel so as to prevent their being an ignition source.

But the alternator and other devices throw off sparks, too.

 

[zoomzx11]

Nope!

They are shielded from the manufacturer so as not to be an ignition source.

 

[PeterInBrat]

It doesn't take much to ignite it. You hear stories about gas stations going up because of static electricity when someone is filling their tank. They build up a charge just from sitting in the car.

I was on a construction site and they cut through the gas line with a backhoe. While we were standing around waiting for the fire dept, someone almost lit a cigarette. When people are distracted or bored, they sometimes don't think about what they are doing.

 

[cobraboy]

They are shielded from the manufacturer so as not to be an ignition source.

Have you seen some of the firetrucks here?

You assume proper maintenance.

Put your Dominican maintenance brain on, zx...

 

[bachata]

They are shielded from the manufacturer so as not to be an ignition source.

I doubt an old firetruck in DR To be running with the original alternator on it, yes if the truck has some electrical alteration like an alternator equipped with brush collector this will spread enough sparks to start the fire....

JJ

 

[Robert]

I've seen bomberos hose an electrical fire with water as they didn't have the right foam.
That was in Gazcue about 4 years ago.

Have you seen the condition of some of those trucks?
Especially in a small town like Tamboril.

 

[RacerX]

fire engines are normally diesel so as to prevent their being an ignition source.

Fire engines are diesel because a diesel engine produces alot of torque and can provide enough power to move a 10 ton straight truck with its equipment quickly(especially with a 6 inch exhaust system). Additionally diesel is a more efficient fuel than gasoline, although less volatile and that it pollutes more(hence bio-diesel, vegetable oil and low sulfur diesel being used in most cars post 2004). These are the trucks in North America and Europe.

In DR, most of the trucks are simply 5 ton water tanks. They get the water from the aquifer or river and there is nothing to pressurize the water to suppress the fire. Nor safety equipment to get close to the fire. Imagine the heat in this situation?

Static electricity is a more probable source of ignition than "sparky alternators". Assuming the truck uses a shielded and grounded case. That all external connections are covered and not frayed, nor spliced nor broken.

But even there there is a reason which is the overuse of artificial materials. Your shoes are made of cheap synthetics as well as the carpet in the car. The car is grounded through the tires(but in some cases the tires arent rubber but some polyester blend worsening the occurrences) There is a mat between the floor of the car and the carpet. You get out of the car and touch the metal body of the car and you get shocked. You wanna cure that problem? Use footwear made of natural materials.

 

[Chip]

I'm sure that these vehicles have been maintained the normal way as is done here where wires are twisted together and not covered or even connected properly. Also, many fire trucks I have seen are from the States and are easily 20 years old if not close to 30 or even older.

 

[zoomzx11]

ok, ok, I give up!

I admit after seeing Dominican mechanics work that anything is possible and it could be that the truck did indeed provide an ignition source. I am not in the DR at the moment and my viewpoint has quickly changed back to normal. I remember seeing volunteer bomberos in Santo Domingo fighting a fully involved car while standing in the stream of smoke without breathing equipment. The car was a total loss and the poor guys had no idea of the health risks of breathing smoke comprised of foam rubber and plastics. Hope there is not a large loss of life in the explosion.

 

[IslandDreaming]

Emergency lights, running lights, horns, sirens, turn signals, broken wires, overheated turbo, hot diesel exhaust, improperly maintained arcing connections, hot brakes, rubbing metal, radios, those trucks are rolling fuses

They are shielded from the manufacturer so as not to be an ignition source.