Jul 26, 2007 6:43 pm US/Central
Sources Say Explosion Site Was Inspected In 2005
Federal Investigators Tour Explosion Scene
Final Recommendations Could Take A Year
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
A five-person team of federal chemical safety inspectors arrived on the scene of a charred Southwest Industrial Gasses where a malfunctioned cylinder ignited thousands of cubic feet of gases Wednesday morning.
Investigators spent the day scouring the area, sifting through debris and interviewing employees.
Sources tell CBS 11 News there was an inspection at Southwest Industrial Gasses in October, 2005 and the facility was again set for inspection in two months.
Now some leaders say they want to make sure the City of Dallas is properly managing potentially hazardous facilities.
Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert says he wants the City Manager to make sure Dallas is protected from other potential hazards. "If there's additional steps that should be taken, looking from other situations for best practices across the nation, then those are the steps we'll need to take," he said.
Officials with Dallas Fire Rescue say there were no sprinklers in place at Southwest Industrial Gasses. A lead investigator for the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board told CBS 11 News that a two year old recommendation called for a heavy-duty sprinkler.
"Including, they lose systems or fire monitors that would allow automatic fire suppression without having to put firefighters at risk," said Robert Hall, CSB.
The co-owner and manager of the company used water hoses to cool the cylinders after the initial spark led to explosions that set off bursts of flames and a stack of black smoke that could be seen for miles.
Wednesday's fire will likely now become part of their study as they look for ways to prevent future catastrophes, officials said.
"We will examine physical evidence, examine documents – if any remain," Hall explained. "We've got a lot of work to do because there is so much destruction."
City of Dallas code will permit Southwest Industrial Gasses to rebuild onsite, but City of Dallas Emergency Operations Manager Kenny Shaw says policymakers can prevent that. "Can a city come in after the fact and place requirements on businesses? Sure. Cities do that all the time," he said.
CSB investigators could be in town up to two weeks, but it will take up to a year before they have completed their report and made recommendations.
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