This is a composite from NPMS and Google Maps.
Gate City is the region within the dashed area.
On Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 12:19 PM, Chris Wilson wrote:
One dead and eight hospitalized as apartment building is flattened by tragic explosion in Alabama
- Gate City Community complex in Birmingham exploded in a ball of flames about 3am Tuesday
- One woman, asleep in a first-floor flat with her fiance, died after being crushed by a second-level concrete slab
- Eight people, including the fiance and five children, were taken to hospital with burns and cuts
- Gas leak suspected as the cause
- Residents say they are afraid to cook
By DAILY MAIL REPORTERPUBLISHED: 12:10 EST, 17 December 2013 | UPDATED: 12:10 EST, 17 December 2013
Two people missing in the rubble of an Alabama apartment building that exploded early Tuesday have been found - one alive, one dead - after a suspected gas leak sparked a blast that 'felt like a plane had crashed down'.A total of eight people were taken to hospital with crushing injuries and burns after the explosion about 3am at the Gate City Community complex in Birmingham.Fire Service spokesman C.W. Mardis said two five-bedroom apartments were 'literally destroyed'.Rescue crews searching the wreck found the body of a woman, age unknown, however they were unable to get a pulse from her, reported All Alabama.
'Literally destroyed': A pre-dawn explosion rocked a Gate City apartment complex in Birmingham, Alabama, on Tuesday December 17, 2013, killing a female resident and sending 8 others to hospital
Officials examine the scene following a pre-dawn natural gas explosion at a Gate City apartment complex in Birmingham, Ala., Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013. One person was killed and five children and three adults were hurt
A gas leak is the suspected cause of an explosion at a Gate City apartment complex in Birmingham, Ala., Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013Moments before a man, believed to be the fiance of the deceased, was pulled out alive in critical condition after workers heard him calling out for help.It's believed the two were asleep in a first-level apartment at the time of the incident, with a concrete slab from the second floor falling on top of them.Crews used hydraulic jacks and lifting blocks to lift the concrete enough to get to them.Five children and two adults were taken to UAB Hospital earlier on following the pre-dawn explosion.They had to crawl through fire and debris to reach safety.'This explosion was a tragedy for the family and this community,' said Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper.'There are so many other things that could have gone wrong in the response and rescue effort but our public safety personnel really demonstrated their skill and expertise in this operation.'Mayor William Bell visited the scene earlier this morning and prayed with victim's families, Mardis said.
The Gate City apartment complex in Birmingham, Alabama, burnt until 6.30am after the explosion, believed to have happened about 1.30am Tuesday
Residents watched as emergency personnel search through the rubble left from two five bedroom apartments that were destroyed in a pre-dawn explosion at the Gate City apartment complex in Birmingham, Ala.A neighbor said debris from the blast showered other units with bricks and other materials.Gate City resident Viola Bozelan said the explosion happened around 1:30 a.m.'It shook my house,' Bozelan told AL.com.'I came out and the whole building was on fire.''I thought an airplane had crashed down here.'More...
Taris Richardson, who said he has lived in the community for 20 years, said the smell of gas has been a problem in the apartment complex going back three years, especially during the summer and at a building adjacent to one that exploded.'You can smell gas right there,' Richardson said, pointing to the building.
Before the fire: The Gate City community apartment complex in Birmingham before it was destroyed by a suspected gas explosionThe Salvation Army were onsite to provide food and water to firefighters and those affected/Residents in the immediate area have been complaining that their water is muddy and undrinkable, however Mardis said that can happen when firefighting, because fire hoses pull a large volume of water and can stir up sediment in the system.'We will have some dirt in the lines,' he said.An investigation will properly determine what caused the blast.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2525338/One-dead-hospitalized-tragic-Alabama-apartment-explosion.html#ixzz2nkmpaQJ1
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2 comments:
Bill: your concern about the death in the gas explosion is commendable. What do you think about the 6 to 18 million birds and bats that are killed ANNUALLY by renewable energy source wind turbines in Spain? This estimate is from the Spanish Ornithological Society. Or how about all the bald eagles that are decapitated by wind turbines here in the U.S.?
Those are valid concerns. No matter where our energy comes from, it should have a minimal impact on the environment and other living things.
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