Toxic cloud

Just getting ready to head out the door, and I give CNN.com a glance... this is what I see: Toxic cloud from plant fire forces thousands to evacuate:

    APEX, North Carolina (CNN) -- Half of the 32,000 residents of Apex, North Carolina, have been asked to evacuate Friday after explosions and fire at a hazardous waste plant released noxious gases and flames 150 feet high over the town.

    People "are putting themselves in very grave danger by being near or around this smoke. If you see smoke, get away from it." said Bruce Radford, town manager of the Raleigh suburb.

    "There are pesticides, oxides, chlorine gases, there are all grades of contaminated material in this fire and in this smoke," he said.

    No deaths have been reported from the fire at the plant, called Environmental Quality Industrial Services, but more than 100 people have been hospitalized.

I live in Apex, NC. I'm about a mile from the edge of the evacuation zone.

    "This is the worst possible hazardous materials incident you could have," Radford said.

    "There are all grades of contaminated materials in this smoke and the fire," he said. "If you see this smoke, get away from it."

    ...

    Weatherly said the fire had spread to a nearby petroleum farm and had ignited four storage tanks containing a total of about 200,000 gallons of fuel. Officials were unsure if the fire had spread beyond that, however, he said.

The evacuation area sits between me and my job. Maybe I'll go in late stay home today.

12 thoughts on “Toxic cloud”

  3. cleek

    hanging out at home with the cat. have a slight headache, and a sore throat. but i can’t tell if it’s allergies, a cold, or invisible toxic death.

  4. Rob Caldecott

    Will Mrs Cleek be able to get home or will she have to drive through the death cloud with the car windows shut?

  8. Rob Caldecott

    :(

    I admit I use CxImage, but it hasn’t been changed since 2004 and I’ve had at least one example of a dodgy spam-type GIF that will crash the code. John Simmons (!) recommended another free library (FreeImage?), but it isn’t as rich as CxImage in terms of image manipulation. I had no idea you sold a library of your own, else I would definitely of evaluated it.

  9. cleek

    i (ahem, my company) have/has a package called ImgSource. it (IMO) crushes CIxImage in terms of features, but it’s tough to compete with free for casual users. GDI+ is even worse because it’s right there.

    i do it for fun, mostly. no big deal.

  10. Dbati

    You still with us cleek?

    I’m in HazMat and related industries and that shit is really, really serious.

    Godspeed.

    OT: I’m taking my kids (5 and 8) to see the Evens tomorrow (Ian Mackeye from Fugazi). If you haven’t listened, do so, they are great. My kids love the Evens, so do I and I got an email from the owner of the Venue saying they’d let us in early and let us listen to the soundcheck.

    Excited.

  11. cleek

    yeah, still here.

    they are being ultra-cautious about this. but the last i heard, the only people injured were firemen (and, well, firemen are always injured in fires). a bunch of elderly people from a nursing home got sent to the hospital, but… well, that’s probably just being safe – i don’t think any of them were actually affected.

    air sensors say the air two or three miles out (downtown) is fine – don’t know about closer to the fire. and they’ve been on the edge of calling “all-clear” since noon – just double checking things here and there. some people, on the edges of the evacuation zone, have been let back in already.

    so, i think it’s going to turn out OK, overall.

  12. Dbati

    Glad to hear that! I’ve been to many training sessions covering just that scenario and it is a bear. I work in those types of facilities a lot, and it is pretty sketchy to see some of the guys that are maintaining the equipment (a little too “into” the chemicals–if you get my drift).

    Still, check out the Evens.

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