San Diego Explosion Injures 14

by comoms | May 19, 2008 at 06:51 pm | 1046 views | 11 comments

CIMG0017Downtown San Diego Hilton Explosion

The building was under construction and looks to be related to work at this point. We are still waiting on details. Story from www.signonsandiego.com below

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department reports a total of 12 injured construction workers at the Hilton Hotel being built downtown at 111 W. Harbor Drive following an explosion that blew out lower floors of the structure. Two of the injured are in critical condition, eight are reported in serious condition. Two others have minor injuries.

The explosion was reported at 2:08 p.m., according to San Diego police. A tent has been set up and paramedics are performing triage. A second-alarm assignment is in effect and additional fire units have been called in because the incident involves a high-rise building, according to a fire department dispatcher.

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cynthia yoo

at 19:05 on May 19th, 2008

news wanted:

I think this is an important story and would benefit from other NowPublic contributors working on it. I've flagged it as News Wanted and invite others in relevant locations to look for more evidence.

Rob Peters

at 19:19 on May 19th, 2008

good stuff:

Thanks, keep us posted.

everchanging

at 20:58 on May 19th, 2008

good stuff:

comoms, San Diego Deputy Fire-Rescue Chief Perry Peake said the blast occurred in an area of the building containing gas, electric and other utilities and that it appears to have been caused by a mechanical failure.

"We want to rule out all possibilities before making an official report, but we're pretty confident that's how it's going to come out," he said. via mlive.com
Some are saying it involved a boiler recently installed and being tested

politisite

at 21:53 on May 19th, 2008

good stuff:

comoms, I like this story. It's good stuff. Good local reporting!

vincois

at 21:59 on May 19th, 2008

This was taken about 30 minutes after the explosion.

vincois has contributed a photo to this story.

Rob Peters

at 22:05 on May 19th, 2008

Cool, thanks for the photo. What were your impressions when you saw it?

Sanjay Jha

at 23:22 on May 19th, 2008

good stuff:

comoms, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Rob Peters

at 00:30 on May 20th, 2008

The AP has now picked up the story:

SAN DIEGO - An explosion rocked a hotel under construction Monday,
ripping off part of the building's facade, sending debris flying and
injuring 14 workers, five critically, authorities said.

Some of the workers were burned and others were injured by debris, fire
department spokesman Maurice Luque said. The building did not burn
after the explosion, which Luque said appeared to be accidental.

San Diego
Deputy Fire-Rescue Chief Perry Peake said the explosion occurred in an
area of the building containing gas, electric and other utilities and
that it appeared to have been caused by a mechanical failure or gas.

"We want to rule out all possibilities before making an official
report, but we're pretty confident that's how it's going to come out,"
he said.

politisite

at 00:34 on May 20th, 2008

Took them long enough.

everchanging

at 02:57 on May 20th, 2008

Five construction workers were critically injured and another nine people suffered moderate injuries.

Ten of the injured were taken to UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest, adjacent to downtown.

Of those, three were treated for second- and third-degree burns; three were sent to the emergency room; and four others were treated in the urgent care department, a medical center spokesman said. Except for those being treated for burns, most of the patients were expected to be released Monday night or Tuesday.

Dr. Bruce Potenza, director of the UC San Diego Regional Burn Center, said the three burn patients were burned over 25% to 35% of their bodies from a "short, intense flash explosion of some sort." The burns were in "critical areas" such as the face and joints, he said. The three were put in medically-induced comas to compensate for the pain, Potenza said.

Four victims with moderate injuries were taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital. One firefighter was treated for a cut finger and returned to duty.

an initial investigation by the San Diego Fire Department determined the explosion was caused by a natural gas leak in a fifth-floor maintenance area that includes gas and electric utilities. The ignition point could have been a boiler or an electrical outlet, said department spokesman Maurice Luque.

Deputy Fire Chief Perry Peake said that although windows, drywall and metal railings were blown outward, the explosion did not appear to damage the concrete and steel that forms the hotel's support system. "We found no damage that would make the building unstable," he said.

As many as five floors of the building were damaged on the northeast corner, officials said. The hotel, with 1,190 rooms and 165,000 square feet of meeting space, is set to open this fall and has been touted as luxury addition to the downtown's hotel and convention industry.

The explosion was felt several blocks away by tourists, downtown residents, and employees of several businesses. The night game between the San Diego Padres and the St. Louis Cardinals was not rescheduled, officials said.

Within minutes of the explosion, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department responded with 85 personnel, 11 ambulances, nine engines and four trucks. Many of the firefighters had disaster-scene experience from the Northridge earthquake in 1994, Oklahoma City federal building bombing in 1995, and in New York after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers.

via: latimes