Several houses were evacuated about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday after materials used to make methamphetamine and chemicals for making explosives were found in a house near Chandler Park, officials said.

The materials, found in a house near 22nd Street and 61st West Avenue, could have been volatile enough to explode and damage nearby homes, police said.

The Police Department's bomb squad began searching the house shortly after 11:30 a.m., Capt. Jonathan Brooks said.

"Six one-pot method (meth) labs were discovered along with lab equipment reminicent of labs used to make meth 10 to 15 years ago," Tulsa Fire Department spokesman Stan May said Wednesday night.

"Toulene, acetone, peroxide, alumium powder, and sodium hydroxide were just a few of the chemicals found at and removed from the residence," he said.

Don Morris Alexander, 41, was arrested on complaints of endeavoring to manufacture drugs and manufacturing or selling bombs or explosives, Tulsa Jail records show.

Tragedy is often the impetus for change. 

By many accounts, the death of four Norwich firefighters during an explosion in 1962 had ripple effects that reverberated across the country —  leading to improved safety standards for first responders and major changes in the way hazardous materials are labeled, shipped and handled.

Today, vehicles carrying hazardous materials are required by federal law to have placards  — color-coded, diamond-shaped signs with numbers and symbols. In the event of an emergency, such as a fire, first responders need only consult a guidebook for general information about just how dangerous any cargo is.

 There was no such law in place on the afternoon of April 3, 1962, when Norwich firefighters responded to reports of a truck fire at the Van Tassel warehouse on Forest Street.

“This is the Van Tassel Leather Co. on Forest St. We have a truck on fire, loaded with explosives,” was the call to the fire department.

Thomas LaFreniere, 83, who was seriously injured in the explosion that was to come, said firefighters knew there were explosives on board, but not much else.

“The dispatcher said, ‘Be careful,’ ” LaFreniere said. “But our job is to extinguish the fire. When they’re running out, we’re running in.”

The subsequent explosion leveled parts of the warehouse and shattered glass windows for miles — and claimed the lives of four of the firefighters at the scene. There was an immediate outcry at the local and state levels for better regulations from the city and state after the investigation into the cause.

Norwich Fire Marshal Kenneth Scandariato said that in the 1960s, there were certain chemicals known to be volatile, but the type of response needed in a situation like Van Tassel was not well-understood.
“They were being classified from a compositional perspective, but not for safety,” Scandariato said. “There were very few training bulletins — procedures for fire departments to prepare for hazardous materials response.

“We didn’t have the equipment, the training or the organization we have today,”  he said. “Many of those things came from the Van Tassel tragedy and other incidents that began to raise attention and alarm.”

Major Carroll E. Shaw, the deputy state fire marshal in 1962, reported the load carried by the truck in question was organic peroxides —  a mix of benzoyl peroxide, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide and others shipped in wet and dry forms.

Shaw wrote that the load, was “extremely sensitive to shock, blows and impact,” and likely shifted during the 600-mile trip to Norwich from Buffalo, N.Y.

An aerial shot of the spill site.

The 1100 block of NE 45th Street in Oakland Park was closed off Tuesday afternoon after a business reported a small spill of “carbamide peroxide,” but the chemical was successfully cooled by applying carbon dioxide and dry ice, officials said.

A business near the intersection of NE 12th Terrace reported that less than one gallon was spilled, and Oakland Park Fire Rescue set up a Hazmat scene at 1:16 p.m., aided by Sunrise and BSO firefighters, according to Oakland Park Fire Chief Donald Widing.

Widing said the warehouse where the spill occurred will remain secured "for an undetermined period," as a private chemical spill contractor is brought in to handle it.

Widing said the undisclosed business owner will be charged for the hazmat response, and that his department and the Department of Environmental Protection will continue to investigate.

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Three people were injured Thursday morning after a small explosion at a Columbia chemical plant, according to the Richland County Fire Marshal's office.

A spokesman said crews transported three people from Lindau Chemicals on Granby Lane in the Olympia area. Their injuries are not considered to be life threatening.

Jim Beasley from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said the explosion happened when peroxide was improperly placed in the wrong location.  He says a small explosion happened and released a small cloud into the air.  The cloud dissipated once it left the plant.

Beasley says there was no threat to the public or the environment from the cloud.  DHEC asked the plant to close the section where the explosion happened to ensure the structural integrity of the plant.

According to the company's web page Lindau Chemical is responsible for producing "LINDRIDE - a curing agent for epoxy resins".

A truck carrying chemicals caught fire at Chandani chowk early on Thursday. Two firemen were injured in the extinguishing operation. Traffic on both the sides of the highway was disrupted for nearly three-and-a-half hours.

Fire brigade officers said the incident took place around 4 am. “

“The truck was carrying metal containers of acrylic polymer, hydrogen peroxide, phosphoric acid, zinc chloride and calcium chloride. There were also some bundles of ropes and utensils in the truck,” said Prabhakar Umratkar, a station officer with the fire brigade.

He added, “The incident came to light after some of the passengers in the vehicle following the truck saw fumes coming out. We reached the spot in 10 minutes after we got the call. It took about two hours for our 20 member of fire brigade team to bring the fire under control. We had to be extra cautious while extinguishing the fire. Two of the firemen suffered minor injuries.” The traffic on both the sides was dirupted, he said.

Edmonton Fire Rescue spent most of Monday afternoon neutralizing an explosive chemical that was spilt in southeast Edmonton.

Crews were called around 1:10pm at BP Automation at 36 Street and 56 Avenue.
 
Edmonton Fire Rescue spokesperson Tim Wilson says the building, and nearby buildings were evacuated and there are no reported injuries at this time.

"There were around 32 firefighters on scene, this includes our HAZMAT crew, hazardous materials crew," explains Wilson. He says the crews were working to neutralize the chemical, Perkadox 16, a peroxide-based dry powder, which can ignite at temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius. Prior to the spill, it was being stored in a refrigeration unit.

The police blocked off the entire commercial area while crews worked to get the spill under control.

"Our main priority during this event was firefighter and public safety," said Terry Bucharski, District Chief, in a release. "As a precaution, we evacuated a number of businesses and blocked off about four square blocks from traffic. We want to thank all the businesses and public in the area for cooperating with us. This allowed fire crews to focus on mitigating this emergency."
 
Fire Rescue was cleared out before 5:00pm. Now, a private company will clean the spill. This will take time, and the sand used to dilute the Perkadox 16 will be removed and then incinerated.

WE ARE WRITING to report on an accident that occurred in the chemistry department at Northwestern University on Dec. 3, 2010. Unfortunately, one of our advisees was seriously injured. The accident—a reaction mixture detonation—occurred during an attempt to synthesize 2-(tert-butylsulfonyl)iodosylbenzene, a partially soluble form of iodosylbenzene that is particularly convenient for use as an oxygen source in studies of catalytic chemical oxidations, such as olefin to epoxide reactions. The synthesis had been performed about a dozen times previously at Northwestern without incident.

OLYPHANT – Multiple agencies including the Lackawanna County Emergency Management Agency, the Olyphant Fire Department and the American Red Cross of Lackawanna County, responded to reports of a chemical spill in the Mid Valley Industrial Park Wednesday morning.

click image to enlarge
Emergency officials direct traffic at the intersection of East Lackawanna Avenue and Underwood Road in Olyphant late Wednesday morning.
Jason Riedmiller photo / For Go Lackawanna
Select images available for purchase in the
Times Leader Photo Store
Mike Rusyn, assistant chief with the Liberty Fire Department, Olyphant, said crews responded to a peroxide spill from Insituform Technologies that was first called in at 9:30 a.m.

“When we were coming in to respond to the call, the sky was filled with a big, white cloud,” Rusyn said.

Multiple buildings along Mid Valley Drive were evacuated for reports of chemical odors in their buildings.

According to Rusyn, the peroxide had not been mixed with any other chemicals.