Department of Labour officials are investigating the circumstances around a fire that claimed the lives of two workers at a factory in Jacobs, south Durban.

The fire started after an explosion just after midnight on Friday in the Chemical Technologies building on Brooklyn Road.

Firefighters spent about three hours trying to put out the blaze using foam as there were various chemicals in the building.

Two people have died after an explosion and fire at a factory in Jacobs. Firefighters were called to the company, Chemical Technologies, on Brooklyn Road just after midnight.


They have told Newswatch that when they arrived on scene the building was engulfed in flames and the fire had already spread to the top of the factory.  

Fire officials spent about three hours trying to put out the blaze using foam. This is a safer method due to the various chemicals in the building.   

The past 24 hours has seen a downright disturbing series of explosions and fires in factories, plants, and mines across China:
A fire in a four-story clothing factory in Beijing early this morning killed 17 and injured at least 24 in yet another tragedy caused by illegal construction practices. Those killed were all migrant workers.
Rescue workers are scrambling to reach eight miners trapped underground after an explosion rocked their facility in Guizhou this morning.
An explosion in a pesticide plant in Guangxi caused three known injuries. Fires engulfed 3,000 meters and two warehouses. Two harmful chemicals have been confirmed on site, and authorities have cordoned off the factory awaiting further tests.
Another two people were killed when an oil tank exploded in a factory in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. Welding and oil do not mix.
Investigations are now underway to determine the cause of an explosion that killed nine in a chemical plant in Heilongjiang province last Wednesday.

MADISON TWP., Ohio -- A fire is still burning inside a chemical warehouse in Butler County.
The fire began around 1 a.m. at a Mar-Flex Systems, Inc. warehouse at 6866 Chrisman Lane in Madison Township.
Firefighters arrived and found flames shooting from the building.
A Hazmat crew from Middletown advised fire officials to let the fire burn itself out, which could take several days.

FREDERICK CO., Md. (WUSA) --A tractor trailer carrying various liquids overturned shortly after 6 a.m. on I-70 near Route 27.

At one time, all lanes of I-70 were closed. Westbound reopened around 7:50 a.m. Eastbound is still closed, and traffic is diverted to Rt. 144.

The truck was carrying wood sealant, embalming fluid, and refrigerant, which spilled on the highway.

The driver was transported to a local hospital. There's no word on his condition.

A train carrying hazardous materials derailed in Lowndes County early today, rolling multiple cars east of South Lehmberg Road.

The westbound Alabama Southern Railroad train hit a broken rail at about 7:30 a.m., overturning 12 cars, according to Columbus Fire and Rescue.

The Columbus Hazmat team was called in to assess three cars that were separately carrying nitrous oxide, turpentine and methyl phenol, a chemical used in the treatment of wood products.

Officials continue to monitor water quality in Mill Creek and Okanagan Lake in Kelowna following chemical contamination as a result of an industrial fire Saturday.

Hot Sands Beach in Kelowna City Park and the beaches around the mouth of Mill Creek on Okanagan Lake will remain closed until further notice. All other beaches remain open.

Water sampling will occur again Wednesday morning.

Boaters are also asked to stay 200 metres from the affected beaches.

A combination of pesticides, glycol, nitrates and fertilizer were washed into the storm sewer from a Kirschner Road chemical distribution warehouse, one of at least seven businesses in the Stewart Centre that burned down in the spectacular blaze.

PUNE: A fire which broke out in the laboratory of the University of Pune's (UoP) department of chemistry on Sunday night was swiftly brought under control and no casualties were reported.

The fire started around 11 pm at the Garware Chemical Research Laboratory, located near the main building. There were several highly inflammable chemicals in the laboratory. "When we reached the spot, UoP employees had already started putting the fire out but the entire laboratory was filled with smoke," fire officer Saibaba Jilhewar of the Aundh fire station said. "We completely doused the fire by spreading foam."

Jilhewar added that the UOP employees had immediately removed two hydrogen cylinders from the laboratory and so averted a major tragedy.

Investigations have revealed that the fire may have started due to a short circuit from one of the projects in the laboratory.

Fire brigade personnel have suggested that the UoP authorities install smoke detectors and sprinklers in the laboratory to avoid mishaps in future.

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Department of Environmental says a chemical spill at a former waste disposal facility in Rogers is an emergency but is not serious enough to require evacuating the area.
During a routine inspection Tuesday, ADEQ inspectors noticed a pesticide odor coming from a warehouse at Haz-Mert, which is currently closed and involved in bankruptcy proceedings, the agency said today.
Inside the warehouse, inspectors discovered leaking containers of flammable liquids and liquid oxidizers. Liquids were moving toward each other on the floor, creating the possibility of a fire or other chemical reaction.
ADEQ said it issued an emergency order directing the bankruptcy trustee in charge of the facility to hire an environmental contractor to clean up the spill. Work began at the site Wednesday.
“Right now, no evacuations are being required. The department continues to work with the Rogers Fire Department in the event that the situation changes,” the agency said in a news release.

Hazmat team investigates stinky South Burlington home

...
A hazmat team investigated the residence reporting vomit, urine, feces, evidence of animals, and very little air circulation.

Neighbors feared the smell may have been something worse.

...Chris Herrick, who is chief of the Vt. Hazmat Response Team, said neighbors have nothing to worry about.

"Those chemicals had absolutely nothing to do with the production of methamphetamines. But that's one of the reasons we came, to rule that out," he said.

It turns out the mixture of makeup and tooth whitener left on the bathroom sink may have contributed to the fumes inside.

"Our team went in, took samples and analyzed, and what we found has no health risk associated with the samples we took. They are all common household, well maybe not so common, but they are household items that would not cause someone to have the reactions the officers had," Herrick said.

Officials believe the reaction was caused by the lack of air circulation since the renters left.
...

Police say they will not bring any charges against the renters because they did nothing illegal.

The next stop for this case will be with the city health officer.

The improper, lengthy storage of resin chips, asbestos and large amounts of other unidentified waste at the former St. Lawrence Resins plant have caused the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) to issue an order to owners to clean up the Cayuga property.

Ground water and surface water investigations by the Ministry have revealed that there is a strong potential for contaminants from this site to be migrating off-site and possibly impacting the nearby Pike Creek, which empties into the Grand River.

The former plant, at 82 Fishcarrier Street, was involved in the production of resins from approximately 1967 to 1997.
According to MOE Provincial Officer Brad Farnand's recent report, "In 1997, upon closure of the facility, much of the waste associated with the operation of this site was removed; however, a significant amount of material was left at the site."

In 2004, Provincial Officer Jason Ryan inspected the site and found numerous drums of resin, cylinders of boron triflouride, bags of asbestos, signs of spills and solvent odours coming from the tanks located on-site. Ryan wrote to St. Lawrence Resins regarding those issues and requested they submit a plan to correct them.

In early 2005, the company responded to Ryan, indicating his concerns would be addressed within 30 days by its tenant, Kevan Green, who had a lease purchase agreement with St. Lawrence Resins.

Brooklyn Park, MD – A pharmaceutical plant that has been dormant since 1999 agreed to a series of penalties and fines for abandoning a facility and leaving toxic chemicals out and leaking on Monday June 21, 2010, as reported by The Baltimore Sun. Consolidated Pharmaceutical Group pleaded guilty to 50 charges with regards to abandoning the plant.
Consolidated Pharmaceutical Group and its owner agreed to pay $250,000 in fines, sell the site where the facility once ran and never again own a business in Maryland.
According to an assistant attorney general, when the company ended production in 1999, it “shut the door and just left,” leaving behind over 50,000 gallons of hazardous chemicals. Some of those chemicals posed the possibility of combining to form cyanide gas.
An investigation by federal, state and local officials in 2007 found chemicals such as hydrochloric acid, acetone, liquid nitrogen and solvents that were left behind in drums and other containers. Fire officials reported the fire alarm did not work and the sprinkler system was questionable.
Authorities demanded a cleanup. An attorney for Consolidated Pharmaceutical Group said all areas of the facility were cleaned.
The owner of the company, Mehmet Tunc Turgut of Lutherville, agreed to three years’ probation, during which the company must try to sell the site. If probationary terms are not met, the company faces a second $250,000 fine.
While the company is not operating, it still exists on paper. The site has prior history of hazardous material issues as well. Before Consolidated Pharmaceutical took over the facility from Kanasco Ltd. in 1994, Kanasco Ltd. faced indictments for illegal storage of hazardous materials and a spill. The indictment was dropped when Consolidated took over.

Staff were evacuated from an industrial laundry after a chemical spillage in Staffordshire.

Peroxides, acids and alkalines are thought to have been deliberately mixed together at Central Laundry in Burton-upon-Trent.

They spilled into the yard, a nearby road, footpaths and approximately 3,000 litres seeped into the drains.

Firefighters spent several hours clearing the scene before the all-clear was given at 0300 BST on Monday.

Seven crews from Burton, Barton-Under-Needwood, Chase Terrace, Lichfield and the Damage Limitation Unit from Hanley attended the scene.

Medical treatment
Firefighters wore breathing apparatus and gas-tight suits to clean up the spillage.

Eight workers at Central Laundry, which provides linen services to the healthcare, hospitality and education sectors, were also evacuated from the site and received medical treatment at the scene.

Paul Cullen, Assistant Area Commander for East Staffordshire, said: "The chemicals were mixing together and releasing hydrogen gas, which is extremely flammable.

"We used gas monitors to ensure it had evaporated before leaving the scene, as our main priority was to make certain there was no risk to the public."

Mr Cullen said the mixed chemicals posed no threat to the public although some people may be able to smell perfume or a bleach-type of aroma from some drains.

SHELBY COUNTY, TX (KTRE) - Hazmat crews spent hours cleaning up the scene on U.S. 59, one mile south of Timpson, after an 18-wheeler wrecked early Friday morning, killing one.
According to the Department of Public Safety, Sylvester Samuel Brown, 55, of Corinth was driving northbound at 2:20 a.m. when he left the road and rolled his rig. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:25 a.m.
The big rig was hauling muriatic acid, paint thinner and acetone. The household items can be found in most any hardware store, but quantities like this lead to problems.

The blaze at K&H Surface Technologies’ factory, on the South Gippsland Hwy, began just before 3pm, sending fireballs into the sky.
Up to 50 workers were evacuated from the factory as CFA firefighters worked to control the blaze.
Police are urging motorists to avoid the area between Greens Road and the Princes Highway in Dandenong.
Witnesses are reporting massive clouds of black smoke and huge explosions at the chemical manufacturing company.
“The explosions are for real. You can actually feel the vibrations when they go off,'' one witness told 3AW Radio this afternoon.
“With the amount of smoke that's pouring out and when they explode the smoke is just black as.
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“It's a scary moment.''
A former worker at the factory warned the fire could be very dangerous if firefighters don't get it under control quickly.
“There's hundreds of thousands of litres of chemicals in there,'' he said.

According to Allegheny County officials, an emulsifier spill required cleanup on Monday morning.
Officials told Channel 4 Action News that hazardous materials crews are not at the scene in the 1100 block of Glasshouse Road.
Several fire companies and Marathon Oil are assisting with the cleanup.
The spill came from a holding tank at a processing facility and was first reported shortly after 5 a.m.
Officials said about 1,000 gallons of a water-based emulsion product comprised of water, soap and hydrochloric acid leaked from a storage tank. Dispatchers say the leak has been located and fixed, and that a contractor is working with Marathon officials to clean up the mess.