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UPDATED: Fire And Explosions Rock Central Dallas
(CBS 11 News) DALLAS Several explosions and a large fire rocked an industrial company near downtown Dallas Wednesday morning.The business, Southwest Industrial Gases, Inc., is a welding supply company. It went up in flames at about 9:30 a.m. Dallas Fire officials tell CBS 11 the fire started when a truck in the back of the business caught fire. The flames then spread to the rest of the building. Several tanks of material believed to be acetylene fuel could be seen exploding and throwing large pieces of shrapnel throughout the area. Acetylene is used in welding. Joel Lebovitz, who was in the area when the first explosions happened, said, "An unbelievable amount of shrapnel was flying through the air." Field investigator Jim Kerlin of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality noted acetylene fuel burns clearly, so its smoke is not more dangerous than smoke from other fires. However, he noted there may be some concern based on materials the fuel could set on fire. The scene was located near the I-30 and I-35 interchange. Both highways and many other roads in the area were closed. Traffic was backed up for miles in several directions. You can find alternate routes in our Traffic Section. Police were evacuating within a half-mile radius of the blasts. As of 10:23 a.m., two people had been taken to the burn unit at Parkland Memorial Hospital. By 10:30, the flames had consumed a large part of the business. Aerial video from Chopper 11 showed much of the building in charred ruins. Video from Chopper 11 also showed shrapnel and debris littering the area around the business, several parts of which were still in flames. Stay with cbs11tv.com for the latest information as this story develops. Posted by: Delphi 2007-07-25 |
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