OT: Monster Explosion

[mu_hilltopper]

Channel 12 is reporting a monstrous explosion at 8:12am this morning somewhere around 30th and Canal, which is just north of Valley Fields.

WISN is on 19th and Wells, and they heard, and felt the explosion, with lights swaying in their building a mile away. (wow!).  Their electric and phone is down, which could also mean Marquette is cut off as well.

No idea what happened yet, but the flames are pretty high.  Now reporting a building collapse of some sort, 30 are injured.  Possibly the Falk Corporation.  http://falk.rexnord.com/no-ie.asp

[77ncaachamps]

Hope everyone is okay.

[spiral97]

JSOnline has some details  Current update is (check the link for more recent updates):
Fire officials report a minimum of 30 injured in an explosion at the Falk plant that has caused a complete collapse of a building and four-alarm fire, according to fire Lt. Lawrence Jenkins.
"There are a significant amount of injuries," Jenkins said.
The blast occurred shortly after 8 a.m. today at the plant in the Menomonee Valley.
Heavy black smoke and flames could be seen engulfing a smokestack with the word "Falk" on it.
Traffic was backed up eastbound on I-94 past the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds.
The blast could be felt as far south as Bay View and as far east as Juneau Village.

Fox news has an article with a picture.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Not good.  I'm hoping for the best but expecting the worst with an explosion that big and the collapse of a building.

Prayers to all

[mu_hilltopper]

All 4 local channels have preempted programming for the past 2 hours repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating the 9 facts they know.

Sounds like there was a tank with 170,000 gallons of LP gas that may have leaked, filled a building, was evacuated (whew!) and blew up.  The overhead pictures are like 9/11 ground zero.  Sounds like the injuries aren't as bad as expected, with 4 serious injuries, and a few dozen lesser injuries.  But 1 person is missing. -- Which is amazing, because man, the amount of destruction is just giant.

[muhoosier260]

@ mashuda hall 19th and wisconsin it was loud enough to wake me up and make me jump out of bed. literally sounded like a  bomb went off outside teh window. all is well at marquette though

[MU gimp ONE]

latest reports say 40+ have been reported injured and it is now a 5 alarm fire with the rumble still burning.  complete destruction of the builiding and some surrounding structures.  The Domes are only a couple blocks from there, i wonder how the glass is doing there?

[mu_hilltopper]

Actually, the fire is mostly out .. just a few hot spots here and there.

Gus Gnorski was at the Domes when it happened .. I think he said all was well, but it's not like he did a big examination of all the glass.

[spiral97]

jsonline reports more details.. noteably:
- A propane-fueled explosion in one of Milwaukee's oldest businesses this morning injured dozens of Falk Corp. workers, destroyed one of the manufacturer's buildings in the Menomonee Valley and shattered windows blocks away.
- "There will be a significant number of injuries but there are no fatalities yet," Milwaukee Fire Lt. Lawrence Jenkins said shortly before 9 a.m.
- There are numerous underground propane tanks on the property and fire officials fear additional explosions, she said.
- Initial reports suggest a 10,000-gallon propane tank exploded in a warehouse that was destroyed in the blast.

[spiral97]

another update:
- One Falk Corp. worker remains missing nearly three hours after an explosion destroyed a manufacturing building in the company's 1.5-million square foot complex in the Menomonee Valley.  Fire Chief William Wentland said rescue workers would continue to search the complex.
- Initial estimates put the number of Falk workers injured at 25.
- A Falk Corp. worker smelled gas shortly before an explosion tore through a manufacturing building called the "Annex," according to a witness account.  Dave Mays, 61, a machinist, said he and other workers informed a supervisor, who then told them the gas had been shut off and it was okay to return to work. Some left. Some stayed behind.  Mays said he turned his back and an explosion knocked him to the ground a few moments later.

[TallTitan34]

We were sitting in Olin Engineering Building on 16th and Wisconsin.  The lights flickers and moments later the whole building shook for a couple seconds.  Very powerful condersidering they are saying the strongest shock waves were felt north and south of the site and Marquette is east of the site.

[IAmMarquette]

I felt and heard it this morning at my apartment, near Prospect & Ogden. Scary stuff. Keep those involved in thoughts and prayers...

[Tommy Brice for Coach]

I surprisingly didn't hear or anything this morning. I live in (Carpenter) Tower Hall at 11th and Wisconsin, and I was taking a shower when I noticed the lights flicker, but nothing else. I didn't really think of it. My roommate slept through it, though it supposedly woke up a few of my friends. I didn't actually know it happened until I went to class.

Scary stuff.

[marquette09]

I live in Straz (Wisc and 10th) and I slept through it..........but my roommate who was up said that he felf the building shake a bit.  Like it was said earlier, lets just hope and pray that everyone will be ok.

[mu_hilltopper]

Just to conclude the story .. 3 dead, 2 more with very serious injuries, and some 30 odd other injured folks, most have been released from the hospital.

[TVDirector]

driving into work, 13th and highland or so at 8:06, huge blammm like a wayword firework exploded above me...
people ducked.
very strange indeed

[tower912]

As a Fire Lieutenant, I have worked bad scenes before, including explosions and their aftermaths with fatalities.   My heart goes out to everyone involved, from the employees and their families, to the rescue workers who had to deal with that horrific scene.   May God's peace and grace be with them all.