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Explosion in Sosúa leaves injured, law firm building collapsed

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Dolores

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A powerful explosion at around 8am on 23 December 2024 rocked a law office located behind the Sosúa sign and in front of Papaterra Comercial, completely demolishing the building in the Villas Ana María area, specifically the El Batey sector. The preliminary investigation by the firefighters detailed that it was not caused by an exploding propane gas tank.

The structure, which had been converted into an office by its owners, was reduced to rubble after the incident. A vehicle parked in front of the building was also severely damaged.

Eyewitnesses reported that at least one person, Lisa Ewest, a German-Dominican, was rescued with injuries and burns. Hoy reports that the lawyer specializes in land litigation cases.

Additionally, a vehicle at the nearby traffic light was significantly damaged by the force of the blast.

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Ecoman1949

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windeguy said:
Exploding propane mixed with the air inside the building. Why is this hard to understand?

Not an exploding tank.. geez...
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Serenity now Windy. You’ve been DR resident long enough to know certain things will never happen. Moto drivers will never understand that physical mass matters especially when accidents happen and many locals will never understand the physical properties of propane and the hazards associated with it. Happy Festivus!
 
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JD Jones

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There was another one in Santiago with six injured including kids but didn't get the same press:

gas boom.jpg


An explosion that occurred this Thursday on Vuelta Larga Street, in the Los Salados sector of Santiago, left six people injured and a house collapsed.
Among those affected are two minors: Ashly Cruz, 8 years old, and Méndez Set, 4 years old, the latter of Haitian nationality. Also injured were Misael Antonio Cruz, of Dominican nationality, and the Haitians Silvana Senti, Franklin Gustavo and Sainvilien Olcena.

According to the preliminary report of the technical department of the Santiago Fire Department, the explosion was caused by a propane gas leak from a storage cylinder in the house where the Haitian foreigners lived.

Read more about this and other news on our website http:// somospueblo.com


x.com

x.com x.com
 
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Cdn_Gringo

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A lack of education, purposeful safety messaging and a complete ignorance of how "things work" by the general population.

A propane tank should never be stored indoors. Propane in a tank is pretty idiot proof as long as the valve is working properly. Tanks of gas do not explode by themselves unless heated. A fire in the residence, exposure to direct sunlight for a long time or sitting in a vehicle during the hot afternoon. These types of explosions are rare and are known as a BLEVE - Boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion. Lots of youtube footage of this type of explosion.

More important for home users is a faulty valve on the tank. Propane is heavier than air so any leaks expand outward along the floor until a source of ignition is found. The lower explosive limit in the room is 2.1% - 9.5% propane and oxygen. Kaboom. The simple reality that everyone should be aware of - It is unsafe to use or store a gas tank inside an enclosed space.

Tank refillers in this country will refill any tank you give them regardless of the condition/age of the tank and valve. Even the hoses used to connect the tank to a gas appliance are usually insufficient for the purpose long term. Users need to check the tank and valve regularly with soapy water for leaks. You should be able to smell as gas leak long before the level in the room reaches 15%. Apparently some users do not yet know what to do to stay safe and the installers of these tanks and piping know about the same.
 
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Manuel01

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G-d loves the Dominicans !!!! With this kind of "Craftsmanship" that most of the Gas Lines are installed in Houses and Apartments all over this Country, we should have at least 10 of this Explosions every single Day.
 
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NanSanPedro

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Cdn_Gringo said:
A lack of education, purposeful safety messaging and a complete ignorance of how "things work" by the general population.

A propane tank should never be stored indoors. Propane in a tank is pretty idiot proof as long as the valve is working properly. Tanks of gas do not explode by themselves unless heated. A fire in the residence, exposure to direct sunlight for a long time or sitting in a vehicle during the hot afternoon. These types of explosions are rare and are known as a BLEVE - Boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion. Lots of youtube footage of this type of explosion.

More important for home users is a faulty valve on the tank. Propane is heavier than air so any leaks expand outward along the floor until a source of ignition is found. The lower explosive limit in the room is 2.1% - 9.5% propane and oxygen. Kaboom. The simple reality that everyone should be aware of - It is unsafe to use or store a gas tank inside an enclosed space.

Tank refillers in this country will refill any tank you give them regardless of the condition/age of the tank and valve. Even the hoses used to connect the tank to a gas appliance are usually insufficient for the purpose long term. Users need to check the tank and valve regularly with soapy water for leaks. You should be able to smell as gas leak long before the level in the room reaches 15%. Apparently some users do not yet know what to do to stay safe and the installers of these tanks and piping know about the same.
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Not entirely true. Our old tank was not refilled completely because the attendant said it was not in good shape. This was probably close to 3 years ago.
 
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CristoRey

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Gas explosions are the main reason the Haitians cut down so many trees. They prefer cooking with charcoal. It's also cheaper. Small explosions happen every day across the country. Only the big ones make the press.
 
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windeguy

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Ecoman1949 said:
Serenity now Windy. You’ve been DR resident long enough to know certain things will never happen. Moto drivers will never understand that physical mass matters especially when accidents happen and many locals will never understand the physical properties of propane and the hazards associated with it. Happy Festivus!
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Yes, you are right. We are not the tail that will wag that dog. I had a nice Festivus, hope you had the same.
 
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Ecoman1949

Ecoman1949

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Cdn_Gringo said:
A lack of education, purposeful safety messaging and a complete ignorance of how "things work" by the general population.

A propane tank should never be stored indoors. Propane in a tank is pretty idiot proof as long as the valve is working properly. Tanks of gas do not explode by themselves unless heated. A fire in the residence, exposure to direct sunlight for a long time or sitting in a vehicle during the hot afternoon. These types of explosions are rare and are known as a BLEVE - Boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion. Lots of youtube footage of this type of explosion.

More important for home users is a faulty valve on the tank. Propane is heavier than air so any leaks expand outward along the floor until a source of ignition is found. The lower explosive limit in the room is 2.1% - 9.5% propane and oxygen. Kaboom. The simple reality that everyone should be aware of - It is unsafe to use or store a gas tank inside an enclosed space.

Tank refillers in this country will refill any tank you give them regardless of the condition/age of the tank and valve. Even the hoses used to connect the tank to a gas appliance are usually insufficient for the purpose long term. Users need to check the tank and valve regularly with soapy water for leaks. You should be able to smell as gas leak long before the level in the room reaches 15%. Apparently some users do not yet know what to do to stay safe and the installers of these tanks and piping know about the same.
Click to expand...
CG. Did my haz mat training at Texas A&M at College Station near San Antonio. Part of it was donning full firefighting gear and being part of a hose line walking into a propane fire to close the valve and extinguish the fire. I was second in the line behind a big Texan who was at the front. He asked if I wanted the front position. I politely declined! 🤣
 
JD Jones

JD Jones

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Ecoman1949 said:
CG. Did my haz mat training at Texas A&M at College Station near San Antonio. Part of it was donning full firefighting gear and being part of a hose line walking into a propane fire to close the valve and extinguish the fire. I was second in the line behind a big Texan who was at the front. He asked if I wanted the front position. I politely declined! 🤣
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Same. Did firefighting and Damage Control training in the military. You think Firefighting is scary, try being in a big tank with thousands of gallons of water pouring in and all you've got is some boards to stop it.
 
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Ecoman1949

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JD Jones said:
Same. Did firefighting and Damage Control training in the military. You think Firefighting is scary, try being in a big tank with thousands of gallons of water pouring in and all you've got is some boards to stop it.
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Actually had the chance to tour the DC training facility for the Canadian Navy in Halifax and view the fire and damage training exercises from the control room. Nasty stuff! I’ve done offshore recon patrols on a few Navy ships which I really enjoyed. Also flew on Navy Sea Kings and Army Chinooks. I was the Environmental Rep for MARCOT 98. Joint US, UK, Canadian exercise. Had my own dedicated Griffin helicopter and crew every morning of the exercise. Sweet! Trained with the USCG East Coast Haz Mat team in a Boston. That was a hoot! I miss those days of responding and living on adrenaline JD. I’m paying for it now health wise. I talked to the DR environmental agent in Luperon a few times. He was in awe of the legal powers I had and what I did. He was usually in town to approve the drilling of new wells.
 
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JD Jones

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What a shame. The videos of her in the hospital gave me the impression she was going to be OK.
 
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