Bio-Diesel Plant Explosion: 1 Dead
Maryland’s attempt to produce greener energy took a dangerous turn after a bio-diesel plant exploded killing one man and injuring another.
Adam May reports, the explosion happened at the Greenlight Biofuels plant around noon Sunday in Somerset County. The plant just opened last year.
Emergency crews rushed to the Greenlight Biofuels plant on the Eastern Shore in Princess Anne after the deadly afternoon explosion.
“It did blow the walls of the building out and bubble the roof out, a powerful explosion,” said a witness.
Police say one worker was killed and another hurt when they were trying to install a new methane line at the facility.
“The guy was walking around hollering, ‘My buddy’s dead! My buddy’s dead,’” said a neighbor.
That neighbor helped the injured after witnessing and feeling the blast.
“I just walked up the deck, heard a large blast, and it blowed me clear off the deck. I looked around and seen dust and smoke coming from the plant over there,” said the witness.
Safety investigators planned to report to the scene, but state officials already say there are no environmental concerns.
Biodiesel is made from a soybean bi-product leftover from chicken feed.
Because there’s so much of it on the Eastern shore, many new companies and investors, interested in selling a cleaner alternative to regular diesel, are attracted.
The process used to make the fuel is usually safe, but it does involve flamable liquids.
Before Sunday’s explosion, at least two other bio-diesel plants in the U.S. have had fatal accidents.
Both victims of the Greenlight plant explosion are from Michigan, but their names have not yet been released.
Authorities are continuing their investigation.
Source: CBS Broadcasting Inc
Tags: bio-fuel, biodiesel, explosion, Greenlight Biofuel