Explosions Wisconsin

A methane gas explosion ripped through an evacuated sewer tunnel under construction in Milwaukee, killing three workmen who had reentered the shaft to check whether it was safe for other workers to return. Rescue workers found the bodies of two men about 2,000 feet from the entrance of the 30-foot-deep tunnel more than five hours after the blast. The third body was recovered several hours later from the same area.

Explosions and flames tore through a fireworks factory Thursday, killing two workers and injuring three others, authorities said. The blasts, at Bartolotta's Fireworks complex, "took out the southern half of the building," Waukesha County Sheriff's Inspector Gary Paluszcyk said. Kris Luterbach, who lives nearby, said she heard the explosions and one of her friends tried to approach the complex. "She could see some injured people and other people screaming to stay away. . . .

Fines Proposed in Tunnel Blast: The Labor Department proposed $1.15 million in fines for two contractors cited for 115 safety violations in a methane gas explosion last year that killed three sewer tunnel workers in Milwaukee. S. A. Healy Co. of McCook, Ill., was cited for 68 willful violations carrying fines of $680,000 and CH2M Hill Central Inc. of Corvallis, Ore., was cited for 47 willful violations carrying penalties of $470,000. An OSHA official said the agency found that electrical power had not been turned off after workers were evacuated from the tunnel Nov. 10 after dangerously high levels of methane were detected.

Bids to build a section of the Metro Rail subway through ground peppered with methane gas have been thrown out after the contract nearly was awarded to a company convicted in the deaths of two Milwaukee tunnel workers killed in a methane explosion. In the wake of the bid rejections, new methane gas safety regulations are being drafted for future tunnel contracts. The standards, Los Angeles County officials said, probably will bar Illinois-based S.A. Healy Co.

Explosions and flames tore through a fireworks factory Thursday, killing two workers and injuring three others, authorities said. The blasts, at Bartolotta's Fireworks complex, "took out the southern half of the building," Waukesha County Sheriff's Inspector Gary Paluszcyk said. Kris Luterbach, who lives nearby, said she heard the explosions and one of her friends tried to approach the complex. "She could see some injured people and other people screaming to stay away. . . .

Bids to build a section of the Metro Rail subway through ground peppered with methane gas have been thrown out after the contract nearly was awarded to a company convicted in the deaths of two Milwaukee tunnel workers killed in a methane explosion. In the wake of the bid rejections, new methane gas safety regulations are being drafted for future tunnel contracts. The standards, Los Angeles County officials said, probably will bar Illinois-based S.A. Healy Co.

Fines Proposed in Tunnel Blast: The Labor Department proposed $1.15 million in fines for two contractors cited for 115 safety violations in a methane gas explosion last year that killed three sewer tunnel workers in Milwaukee. S. A. Healy Co. of McCook, Ill., was cited for 68 willful violations carrying fines of $680,000 and CH2M Hill Central Inc. of Corvallis, Ore., was cited for 47 willful violations carrying penalties of $470,000. An OSHA official said the agency found that electrical power had not been turned off after workers were evacuated from the tunnel Nov. 10 after dangerously high levels of methane were detected.

A methane gas explosion ripped through an evacuated sewer tunnel under construction in Milwaukee, killing three workmen who had reentered the shaft to check whether it was safe for other workers to return. Rescue workers found the bodies of two men about 2,000 feet from the entrance of the 30-foot-deep tunnel more than five hours after the blast. The third body was recovered several hours later from the same area.