TIANJIN, China (AP) — The rapid chain of explosions that destroyed a warehouse district in the Chinese port of Tianjin could become one of the world's deadliest disasters for fire crews, with at least 21 firefighters confirmed dead and scores of others still missing. [...] questions are being raised about whether the crews were properly trained and equipped to deal with the emergency at a warehouse that stored a volatile mix of chemicals, including compounds that become combustible on contact with water. For a third day Monday, angry relatives of the 64 missing firefighters flocked to a hotel to demand information about their loved ones from government officials. Police have cordoned off the area of still-smoldering fires in a mixed industrial and residential zone, and more than 6,000 people have been forced into temporary shelters or are staying with friends and family. State media have already called the accident the single deadliest for firefighters since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. [...] the Global Times newspaper, citing chemical industry experts speaking on condition of anonymity, said the blast was probably triggered by a flammable substance such as industrial alcohol stored on the site. Other reports suggested that high summer temperatures may have been a factor, along with the possibility of a chemical reaction sparked by water being sprayed by the firefighters. Zhong Shengjun, a social scientist who studies industrial safety at Northeastern University in Shenyang, said we can't rule it out that when firefighters tried to cool down the area, they sprayed some water on some alkali metals that should not be in contact with water. In the United States, firefighters regularly visit industrial sites to become familiar with hazardous materials and how they are used and stored.
Families Of Chinese Firefighters Seek Answers In Port Blasts
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle: World
Tue, 08/18/2015 - 2:10am
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