Blasts at central Florida gas plant injure workers, spark massive blaze

Updated

A series of explosions has rocked a propane gas plant in central Florida, injuring several workers and sparking a massive blaze.

The blasts at the Blue Rhino facility in the town of Tavares, north-west of Orlando, forced emergency officials to declare an 800-metre exclusion zone around the plant.

Lieutenant John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff's Office told a televised media conference that the plant housed 53,000 20-pound gas cylinders.

He said seven workers were injured in the blasts, which according to US media began about 11pm on Monday night (local time) and continued for about an hour.

While fears were initially held for 15 workers, all employees had now been accounted for, Lt Herrell said.

They had merely "scattered" when the explosions began and had since been contacted and "are OK", he added.

Tavares city administrator John Drury was cited by US media as saying that 24 people had been working the night shift at the plant on Monday.

Ashley McCormick, who lives in the neighbouring town of Mount Dora, told America's ABC News that she could see the fire from more than 11km away.

"We've probably heard close to 100 or more [explosions]. I mean there are hundreds of propane tanks out there," she said.

"You could hear the explosions just... one after another and then after it would explode, a fireball would shoot up into the sky."

ABC/Reuters

Topics: disasters-and-accidents, oil-and-gas, united-states

First posted