DALLAS (AP) – A series of explosions at a facility that sells liquefied natural gas sent flaming debris raining onto highways and buildings near downtown. At least two people were injured, hospital officials said.

Authorities evacuated a half-mile area surrounding the Southwest Industrial Gases, Inc. facility, and shut down parts of two of the area’s busiest highways, Interstates 30 and 35.

“I thought it was artillery. It was just coming just boom, boom, boom,” said witness Tony Love, a former Army soldier.

Full Story Here:
Natural Gas Tanks Explode Near Dallas

EDIT TO ADD 1:03 PM:

DALLAS (AP) – A series of explosions at a gas facility sent flaming debris raining onto highways and buildings near downtown Wednesday and injured at least three people.

Authorities evacuated a half-mile area surrounding the Southwest Industrial Gases, Inc. facility and shut down parts nearby Interstates 30 and 35 as the explosions continued for more than half an hour. Video footage showed numerous small fires burning in the area as stacks of gas cylinders exploded.

Three hours after the explosions started, fire crews were hosing down the charred metal wreckage. About a dozen cars in a parking lot and a grassy highway median were damaged.

The canisters held acetylene and propane gas, said Texas Commission on Environmental Quality spokeswoman Andrea Morrow. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused them begin exploding around 9:30 a.m. Calls to a phone listing for Southwest Industrial Gases weren’t answered.

Full story Here:
Gas Tanks Explode at Dallas Facility

To say this is NEAR Dallas in a GROSS understatement, it’s right at the junction of I-30 and I-35, sitting directly south of down town Dallas, at the junction of what is locally called ‘The Mix Master’…

So far there are no reported deaths in this conflagration and Dallas F.D. is using a very cautious response in attacking this extremely dangerous fire…

Our local news has some seriously great coverage of this, flaming gas canisters flying thru the air and setting off secondary fires and the like, traffic is being described as a nightmare…

I’ll have more as this develops but Dallas F.D. is moving in now in a more direct attack…

EDIT TO ADD 1:05 PM: According to local reporting and a spokesman for the DFD, a leak in a connector line developed and acetylene ignited, the owner of the business and a manager attempted to contain the fire and cool surrounding cylinders with their own fire fighting system and it appears the situation got totally out of hand…

EDIT TO ADD 1:25 PM: It appears the fire is now nearly out and the situation well under control…

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