8 homes destroyed,1 dead and 5 missing, in Allentown, PA natural gas explosion. - Polidicks

[I]via:[/I]CNN [release] [B](CNN)[/B] -- One person is dead and five others unaccounted for after an explosion believed caused by natural gas leveled several homes in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the city's fire chief said Thursday. "We're actually looking for victims from the two homes that were leveled by the explosion and a victim from the third house, which suffered severe fire damage," Chief Robert Scheirer told CNN. "I believe we're dealing with a recovery at this point," he said. "The fire is out. The gas line has been shut off. We have all the shelter victims being returned to their homes, the homes that can be habitable at this point." Backhoes and other heavy equipment was being brought in to the area where the fire occurred, said reporter Jaccii Farris of CNN affiliate WFMZ. "Officials believe that the death toll will rise as the morning progresses," she said. The blast was reported just before 11 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said. A pair of homes were flattened and burning after the initial explosion, with six more being consumed by the resulting fire, according to the fire chief. An additional 16 homes were affected by the blast. The cause of the explosion wasn't immediately known, but Scheirer said utility crews came to the scene and shut off a gas line that was fueling the flames. "We don't have anything confirmed yet at this point," Scheirer said when asked about the cause of the blast. "We believe it to be a natural gas explosion. We don't know if the leak was inside the home or out on the street. That all has to be investigated." In winter, he said, "Gas lines are like water lines. As the ground freezes and thaws, you know, it tends to shift. And sometimes, it cracks the pipes ... the cause of gas leaks and water leaks. "If gas is leaking out into the street, you know, it's going to follow the path of least resistance and it could seep in the ground, into your home and stuff," Scheirer said. "And any ignition source inside the home could create that explosion." The blast occurred a short distance from the Gross Towers senior center, which was evacuated. About 500 people were in shelters immediately after the explosion. They were returned to the center Thursday, Scheirer said. Firefighters' efforts were hindered by wintry weather, Scheirer told CNN. "It's very cold. I was very concerned with my firefighters getting frostbite last night. We set up tents and stuff to try to keep them warm. We were relieving them as rapidly as we could. (It's) very difficult with the amount of snow that we've had here in the city lately .... And of course, once we start throwing water, everything turns to ice." In September, a natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, California, killed eight people. The explosion and the resulting fire injured 52 people and destroyed 37 homes. The blast sent a 28-foot section of the gas pipeline 100 feet into the air and blew in the doors of a grocery story a quarter-mile away. Last month, a gas main explosion in Philadelphia killed a utilities worker and injured five other people.[/release] [URL="http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/10/pennsylvania.explosion/index.html?hpt=T1"]Source[/URL] [I]via:[/I]WFMZ-TV [release][B]ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- [/B]At least one person was killed in a powerful explosion that sparked an inferno in Allentown late Wednesday night, said the city's fire chief, who added that as many as five other people remain unaccounted for.The massive fire, which followed the explosion at North 13th and West Allen streets around 10:45, destroyed a row of eight homes, damaged at least 30 others, and forced hundreds of people to flee their homes.Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski told 69 News that the blast, which rocked the city and many surrounding suburbs, was sparked by a leak of natural gas. Dan Adamo, a spokesman for Reading-based UGI, however, said he was unable to confirm that.UGI crews worked for several hours to stop the leak, which fueled the intense fire. Firefighters were then able to get control of the fire and allow evacuated residents to return to their homes shortly before 4:20 a.m.Allentown fire Chief Robert Scheirer said two homes in the 500 block of North 13th Street were leveled by the explosion; six others were destroyed by the gas-fueled fire that followed the blast. At least 16 others were damaged. "When fire crews arrived on the scene the buildings were too damaged to actually put firefighters inside the building to fight the fire, so we had to do a defensive tactic and basically fight it from the outside," said Scheirer. "So it really takes a long time to put a fire out fighting a fire in that mode."69 News viewers called or emailed from Allentown's northern suburbs, Bethlehem, and as far away as Center Valley and Breinigsville, Pa. to report that their homes shook from the explosion.Skiers at the Bear Creek Ski Resort in Longswamp Township, Berks County reported seeing the large plume of smoke from atop the mountain.Initial reports from the scene indicated multiple people were injured, but officials said the intense fire initially prevented them from being able to confirm any injuries or fatalities.Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township said it was set up to treat multiple victims, but had not received any patients.A woman who lived in the 500 block of North 13th Street told 69 News she was in bed with her husband when the explosion happened. She said part of the ceiling collapsed on them. They managed to escape their home with only minor injuries, wearing not much more than the clothes they had on for bed. firefighter was injured when he slipped and fell on a patch of ice.Some 700 residents who live near the scene of the explosion were evacuated from their homes. Many of the evacuees, including residents of the Gross Towers apartment building, were loaded onto LANTA buses and taken to Ag Hall at the nearby Allentown Fairgrounds, where the Allentown Bureau Of Health and the American Red Cross set up a shelter with cots, food, and water.The Comfort Suites In Dorneyville offered free rooms Wednesday night for people displaced by the explosion and fire. People who needed transportation to the hotel could call 610-437-9100. The hotel was unable to accommodate pets.Debris from the explosion was thrown far and wide, reportedly being found several blocks away.Police closed many neighboring streets around the area as dozens of firefighters from across Allentown and around Lehigh County rushed to battle the massive fire, which was fueled for several hours by the leaking gas. Crews from Emmaus and Cetronia were among those on the scene.The freezing weather hampered the efforts of firefighters. Ice from the water they used to fight the flames formed on power lines and covered streets and sidewalks.About 100 PPL customers in the area lost electricity as a result of the explosion. PPL said those customers will remain without power until the fire department says it's okay for PPL to restore it.The Allentown School District closed Luis Ramos Elementary School and the IBEAM Academy, which are near the scene, on Thursday. Staff should report at 10:00 a.m.[/release] [URL="http://www.wfmz.com/lehighvalleynews/26813478/detail.html"] Better Source[/URL] [IMG]http://i56.tinypic.com/2mcd649.jpg[/IMG] 13:02 Update: Death toll up to three, two are still missing. 20:06 Update: Death toll confirmed at 4, one is still possibly missing, Coroner Scott Grim says he is most likely deceased.

Are the 5 missing just not confirmed dead?

[QUOTE=Monty Pie-thon;27970003]Are the 5 missing just not confirmed dead?[/QUOTE] They haven't found the bodies yet, so until confirmation of death, they will be labeled as missing. It's been an ongoing recovery mission since they put out the fires.

Didn't something like this happen a few decades back to some isolated mining mountain town in PA that caused a coal fire? Anyway, this is a tragic event. Hopefully they find the other 5.

[QUOTE=Gmod_Fan77;27970024]Didn't something like this happen a few decades back to some isolated mining mountain town in PA that caused a coal fire? Anyway, this is a tragic event. Hopefully they find the other 5.[/QUOTE] You're talking about Centralia, the causes about that fire are still unknown. But on topic, I find this explosion a bit disconcerting, as a few years back, an explosion of a slightly smaller magnitude occurred in the same city on the other side. Caused by a similar manner in which this new explosion happened. The greatest difference between the two, is that I was there for the earlier one.

Ironic OP name. Me too!

[QUOTE=Explosions;27970374]Ironic OP name. Me too![/QUOTE] Coincidental and yeah this is why I entered this thread. It was made by ExplodingGuy and the most recent post is by Explosions.

....God damnit....My hometown is near there. I know Drexel Hill probably wasn't in any danger but it still sucks :v:

jesus fuck i live a couple miles from there

[QUOTE=Swilly;27972497]....God damnit....My hometown is near there. I know Drexel Hill probably wasn't in any danger but it still sucks :v:[/QUOTE] But Drexel Hills is like, ~60 miles away from Allentown, I doubt they would be in any danger. On the other hand, people as far away as Center Valley supposedly felt it. Too bad I was sleeping at the time, I would have like to known if I could have felt it, possibly even heard it. [QUOTE=Explosions;27970374]Ironic OP name. Me too![/QUOTE] We're username bros!

Another good reason not to live in Allentown.

Silly Swamp Gas.

Update: 4 confirmed dead, one is still missing, but most likely deceased. [QUOTE=Scorpian;27976430]Another good reason not to live in Allentown.[/QUOTE] Any reason is a good reason not to live in Allentown.

I live in Allentown, this shit woke me up in the middle of the night. [editline] ... [/editline] [QUOTE=ExplodingGuy;27980876] Any reason is a good reason not to live in Allentown.[/QUOTE] hey

[i]and they're burning all the factories down...[/i]

I live like 10 minutes away from Allentown so it's weird seeing news about it on here :tinfoil:

[QUOTE=nigfops;27981641]I live in Allentown, this shit woke me up in the middle of the night. [editline] ... [/editline] hey[/QUOTE] i hope you like green water

Reminds me of when a refinery near a school I use to go to exploded in Puerto Rico. Back in 2009.

[QUOTE=ExplodingGuy;27970112]You're talking about Centralia, the causes about that fire are still unknown. But on topic, I find this explosion a bit disconcerting, as a few years back, an explosion of a slightly smaller magnitude occurred in the same city on the other side. Caused by a similar manner in which this new explosion happened. The greatest difference between the two, is that I was there for the earlier one.[/QUOTE] I'm pretty sure it was a controlled burn and they ended up never putting it out. Stupid firemen.

So in other words, just a normal Friday then?

The Coroner has the surname 'Grim'? Heh.

I hope the last person gets found. [editline]11th February 2011[/editline] I mean, even if he's dead, it would just suck to be a corpse just laying there for a while.

I live like 5 minutes from there, I could see the huge plume of black smoke. Scary shit man, scary shit.

FP Meetup Allentown? [sp]lol jk[/sp]

Oh wow allentown's only like an hour from me

I might have moved there a few years ago. Kinda glad that I'm not there, but not at the same time.

[QUOTE=Hesychasmos;28001548]FP Meetup Allentown? [sp]lol jk[/sp][/QUOTE] no lets do it

This seems to be happening much more frequently than it did in prior years.

Scott [b]Grim[/b] says he is most likely deceased

[QUOTE=ifaux;28000548]I'm pretty sure it was a controlled burn and they ended up never putting it out. Stupid firemen.[/QUOTE] there was fuel and garbage inside - they never checked the inside and lit on fire... yeah...