Deadly Explosion At Chemical Plant
An explosion and fire at a chemical plant Saturday left three men dead and at least nine injuries. Hundreds of people in several communities were evacuated for hours.
"This was a major catastrophic incident," Riverview Fire Chief Robert Hale said of the 4:30 a.m. explosion at ATOFINA Chemicals Inc. in this community a few miles south of Detroit.
Evacuations began around 6:30 a.m. in Riverview and the nearby communities of Trenton and Grosse Ile Township, affecting hundreds of families in a 4-square-mile area. With the fire under control, evacuation orders were lifted at 3 p.m., Hale said.
ATOFINA spokeswoman Jane Crawford and fire officials said the victims were: Edwin J. Wrobleski, 47, of Riverview, a shift superintendent with 27 years of service; Kenneth J. Cox, 56, of Rockwood, an operator with 13 years with the company; and Terry Stein, 41, an operator whose hometown wasn't available.
"This is the worst thing I can remember in the plant's history," said company engineer Ron Potier. "We've always prided ourselves on plant safety."
It was unclear if the men died during the blast or the fire.
"They were like family to us. We can't feel any worse," said plant manager Joe Alli. He wasn't sure how long the plant would be closed.
The rail car that burned contained 25,000 gallons of methyl mercaptan, a flammable substance used in pharmaceutical and agricultural products, Hale said.
It appeared 15 people were at the plant when the explosion happened, he said.
Hazardous material specialists from Texas were flown in to clean up the chemicals.
Two injured factory workers were treated at Riverview Hospital for respiratory problems from inhaling fumes, said spokeswoman Jackie Swearingten. One was released.
Seven were in stable condition and being treated at Oakwood Health Care System for exposure to fumes, said spokesman Ken Bearden.
The evacuation of all of Trenton's north side put its annual Mid-Summer Festival on hold Saturday, but it reopened about 4:30 p.m. The festival drew about 250,000 people last year, said city fire Lt. Mitch Jensen.
Heidi Kisselburg of Ypsilanti was getting ready for the festival when police evacuated the area. Soon, she said her eyes stung and her throat hurt.
"It was like hot pepper oil. It was like nothing I've ever felt. Most of us who were down there even for a few minutes experienced some problems, so we knew it was for real," she said.
In Grosse Ile Township, people who live on the island's north end were ordered to leave, said Township Clerk Ute O'Connor. About 400 families were affected.
O'Connor described the chemical's smell as like "really bad body odor."
Evacuee Bessie White has lived in Riverview for decades and loves the community but said the evacuation made her nervous.
"This makes me want to sell my home. I was thinking about it before but this has put the icing on the cake," she said.
One of her neighbors, Robert DeVoy, saw a yellowish cloud over the comunity. He was philosophical.
"I've been living around here for so many years, so it doesn't bother me," he said.
Riverview is along the Detroit River. Canadian authorities and the U.S. Coast Guard closed a portion of the river to boaters until about 5 p.m. because of the fire.
Three commercial vessels were halted by the closure, and a river tour company suspended operations for the day, the Coast Guard said.
ATOFINA, headquartered in Philadelphia, has 4,000 employees in 20 plants in North America and 16 others worldwide. The Riverview plant is the company's oldest, opened in 1898. It has 212 workers, spokeswoman Connie Wickersham said.
ATOFINA is owned by owned by TotalFina Elf of Paris.
By LAURA POTTS
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