Man Found Dead after Minivan Explosion on Merritt Parkway

FAIRFIELD -- A Bridgeport man died in an explosive van fire late Wednesday on the Merritt Parkway in Fairfield, State Police said.

The victim was identified Thursday afternoon as 50-year-old Omar Valencia, of Bridgeport.

State police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said Fairfield firefighters found Valencia's body in the brush near the parkway about 70 feet from the van, which had exploded into flames as Valencia was traveling southbound on the parkway near exit 46.

Vance said the cause of the fire does not appear suspicious.

Connie Wocell, a Papurah Road resident who called the fire department just after 11 p.m. to report the fire, said she was asleep in her house and was awakened by a screaming sound.

Wocell said she has seen and heard coyotes in her yard, which is about four yards away from the parkway and partially blocked from the road by woods, and thought the screaming sounded like that. But then Wocell looked out one of her picture windows and saw flames.

"I heard the screaming and that was almost instantaneously followed by a huge explosion, like a bomb," Wocell said by phone. "That set the dogs barking and I heard what sounded like car horns, so I jumped up to see what was going on and saw the car was on fire. It was such a huge inferno."

Wocell said she did not hear anyone talking or see any people after the explosion and did not hear any additional screaming.

"It didn't make any sense," she said. Wocell said she did not see any other car in the area or hear a crash before the screaming and explosion. She said she could hear many more explosions as tires and other vehicle parts caught fire.

Firefighters arrived on the scene and found a 1997 Chrysler Town and Country minivan fully involved in fire, Assistant Fire Chief George Gomola said. Magnesium was exploding and burning, and the tires and gasoline tank had erupted.

After firefighters extinguished the vehicle blaze and brush fire, which took about 10 minutes, they discovered the male victim's body. There were no other occupants of the vehicle found after the fire was put out, Gomola said.

A source indicated that there were footprints, apparently the victim's, visible in the grass from the van to where the body was found.

Adding to the confusion, an elderly woman driving past the fire became distracted and struck another vehicle that had pulled over in the right lane in front of the burning car so the driver of that car could try to help, Gomola said. The woman was injured and taken to St. Vincent's Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries. The stopped Mitsubishi was not occupied at the time of the accident.

Investigators cleared the scene by around 9:30 a.m. and the minivan was taken by flatbed to the state police Troop G barracks in Bridgeport.

In a statement Thursday morning, acting First Selectman Sherri Steeneck thanked firefighters for "their professionalism and hard work."

 

Slim Jim Blows Up

Garner, N.C. — The roof of a Garner food plant collapsed Tuesday morning following an explosion inside, authorities said.

Mayor Ronnie Williams said authorities told him 12 to 15 employees in the ConAgra Foods plant suffered from exposure to toxic fumes from ammonia leaks at the plant. Some employees also suffered chemical burns, he said.

A WakeMed spokeswoman said they were preparing for 10 to 12 patients.

The 50,000-square-foot plant at 4851 Jones Sausage Road was formerly owned by Raleigh-based GoodMark Foods and is known for making Slim Jim beef jerky products.

The cause of the explosion wasn't immediately known.

Leonard Spruill, a worker at the plant, told WRAL News that he heard a loud explosion and that several of his co-workers were badly burned. Spruill suffered burns on his leg and was headed to the hospital.

Footage from Sky 5 showed several holes in the roof of the plant, and seven or eight cars smashed under part of the front of the building, which had been blown outward. Liquid could be seen flowing from pipes along the roof and inside the plant, but it was unclear whether that was water or ammonia.

The state Highway Patrol has blocked Jones Sausage Road between Interstate 40 and East Garner Road, and troopers also closed several other nearby roads. Hazardous materials teams were responding to the area to contain and clean up leaking chemicals.

Family members of ConAgra workers were told to go to the Garner Senior Center, on Garner Road, for more information. Some relatives said workers told them they had suffered burns or had inhaled fumes.

East Garner Middle School and East Garner Elementary School are located nearby the plant, but Wake County school district officials said they were keeping students inside and didn't plan on dismissing students early.

Woah!

(CNN): Nine people hurt in gas explosion in Maryland strip mall

Eight firefighters and a gas employee were injured Thursday when a gas leak at a strip mall exploded in Forestville, Maryland, officials from the Prince Georges County Fire Department said.

Two of the firefighters were admitted to the burn unit at Washington Hospital Center and both were listed in fair condition Thursday night, Prince George's County Fire and EMS spokesman Mark Brady said.

One of the firefighters sustained second-degree facial burns and injuries from flying debris, Brady said, while the other sustained chest injuries from flying debris.
The others injured in the blast were treated and released, the officials said.

Officials believe the explosion was caused by accidental ignition of natural gas, Brady said.
Watch the building explode »

The source of the ignition was not immediately determined, Brady said, adding, "we may never know exactly what happened due to the nature of the explosion."

A caller alerted the fire department to the leak at around 12:30 p.m., Brady said. Shortly after the firefighters arrived at the evacuated building, the explosion occurred, he said.

He estimated the blast caused $2.5 million in damage to six stores in the strip mall. At the time the leak was discovered, five stores were open.

The fire department evacuated 45 employees and customers from the area just moments before the explosion, Brady said.