| Of course, this butane explosion takes us back to 2009 when a tank ruptured and exploded right across the street from yesterday's explosion - at the opposite corner of Mopan and Mahogany Streets. In that tragic event, the tank popped open and blew a Brown's Butane employee to pieces. Here's a small snippet of the 7News report from September of 2009:..
The ruptured tank turned rocket was found two blocks away and across a canal after it crashed through a verandah. While that was a tank that ruptured - it's very different from what happened across the street yesterday. There was no fire in 2009 - only a rocket like explosion.
But the similarity is that both explosive events happened right in front of Brown's butane gas depot.
It's a highly dangerous situation - and the Fire Department says that had yesterday's fire jumped over to the butane tanks sitting in Brown's compound, we would have been dealing with a far worse situation today.
We asked the fire department about the twice proven hazard of having a gas depot in a crowded residential neighborhood:...
Orin Smith - Station Officer, Bz City Fire Department
"In years gone past the area where that depot sits was designated as an industrial site. Over the years encroachment of residential structures has overpopulated the area. That should not have occurred in the first place. We are presently working on trying to establish specific zoning for industrial areas and residential. As such, we have ensured that no new depots can be established within the city limits."
Emanuel Pech - Reporter
"Have you spoken to City Council in that regard and what are the plans to either move the depot or reassign it to another location?"
Orin Smith
"We have touched base with City Council with both previous administration and the present and they understand our perspective and support us. In regards to having the ones within the city limits moved out, that is still on the drawing table."
Tonight, 21 year old Grayson Cadle remains in a critical but stable condition at the KHMH with extensive burn injuries.
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