Pueblo County deputies responded to a house near 57th Lane and Cherry Road, south of Boone, after nearby residents reported hearing an explosion at about 2:45 p.m. on Jan. 8, according to the sheriff’s office. By the time deputies arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flames.
Officials with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control are still investigating the explosion, but believe it’s linked to the installation of a water heater at the home, according to an update from the sheriff’s office.
Investigators found propane gas at the scene, sheriff’s officials stated.
A man and a woman were in the home when the explosion happened, according to the sheriff’s office. Search crews found one of the bodies on Jan. 8 and the second in the morning of Jan. 9.
Both victims will be identified by the Pueblo County Coroner’s Office.
A report on the completed investigation is expected to be released by mid-February, according to the sheriff’s office.
Alma Figueroa began to worry when she learned that her gas provider wanted to test a controversial solution to curb global warming: blend hydrogen with natural gas to power her stove and other appliances. Figueroa, who has asthma and recently learned her lung cancer is back, worries about health risks.
“I don’t want to be anyone’s experiment,” said Figueroa, 60, a resident of Orange Cove in California’s Central Valley.
The Southern California Gas Co. wants to blend and inject hydrogen into the town’s gas infrastructure, after the state agency that regulates utilities directed them and other companies to launch pilot projects. Proponents see it as key to helping California reduce planet-warming pollution by curbing reliance on gas while integrating cleaner energy into existing infrastructure. It’s part of a statewide effort to create safety rules for hydrogen blending. But opponents say it poses unnecessary risks, and Orange Cove’s mostly Latino and low-income residents say processes are happening without transparency or their input. Projects in states such as Colorado and Oregon have also raised concerns.
Interest in deploying hydrogen boomed during the Biden administration but has been hard hit with the Trump administration’s cancellation of billions of dollars for hydrogen technology and other clean energy projects, including $1.2 billion for a hydrogen hub in California.
The Orange Cove project is one of five proposed in California to test how gas pipelines and the appliances they fuel hold up with different amounts of hydrogen. Hawaii has been blending for decades.
Natural gas is mostly methane, a potent planet-warming gas that’s supercharging extreme weather worldwide, which often impacts low-income and communities of color the most.
Supporters see green hydrogen as one way to cut emissions. It’s made with renewable energy sources such as solar or wind to power an electrolyzer, which splits water into oxygen and hydrogen, a carbon-free gas that can be used to generate electricity and complement intermittent renewable energy. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has touted it “an essential aspect of how we’ll power our future and cut pollution.”
Some see the 18-month proposed project in Orange Cove as one step in that direction. A solar farm would power the technology and direct the mixture, up to 5% hydrogen, to businesses and the town’s roughly 10,000 residents. The estimated $64.3 million project would be paid for with ratepayer money.
A Minneapolis utility company estimated a blend of up to 5% green hydrogen would reduce carbon pollution by about 1,200 tons annually, the equivalent of removing 254 gas-powered cars.
Janice Lin of the Green Hydrogen Coalition said it’s important to test blending. The U.S. has a vast network of gas pipelines — about 3 million miles, according to the Department of Energy — which can be used to move clean hydrogen while reducing reliance on gas, she said. If scaled, it could be cost-competitive and help industries that can’t fully electrify pollute less.
“The way to move us away and really clean our air and minimize our reliance on fossil fuels is by having a viable alternative,” she said.
California needs to demonstrate that it can blend like other countries but there are still unknowns, said Alejandra Hormaza, who teaches renewable energy at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. The consensus is that up to 20% hydrogen by volume is safe, she said, but “we need more experimental work that uses real natural gas infrastructure to fully understand the impacts of hydrogen.”
In 2022, several gas companies filed a joint application to pursue hydrogen blending. The California Public Utilities Commission is expected to make a decision this year.
SoCalGas first proposed testing hydrogen blending in facilities at the University of California, Irvine, in an affluent community. But it scaled back and revised its proposal following protests. When Orange Cove leaders expressed interest, the gas company identified the city an ideal candidate — it has various pipeline materials, including steel and polyethylene, a type of plastic, and only one gas feed coming in, allowing them ample control of the blend.
Orange Cove city leaders voted unanimously in support. They did not respond to multiple calls and emails seeking comment. But in an August public hearing, Mayor Diana Guerra Silva said the project would provide workforce opportunities for youth and boost business from visitors, according to a transcript.
At the hearing, resident Angelica Martinez said the town could become a “pioneer” in hydrogen blending and “deserves the national recognition and attention for its willingness to implement such an innovative project.”
Orange Cove is a citrus farming town home to mostly Spanish-speaking Latino immigrants, with 39% of the total population living in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It’s an area with much pollution and the highest rate of asthma in Fresno County.
Figueroa said the community historically hasn’t gotten involved in city politics, though they have launched a petition against the project and voiced concerns at public meetings. “I think the only reason they are wanting Orange Cove is because they don’t think there’s going to be pushback,” she said. Some residents said they’ve asked city officials to host a town hall about the pilot, but it has yet to happen.
Research shows that burning hydrogen-blended gas into older appliances not designed for it can increase emissions of nitrogen oxides, pollutants that worsen asthma and are linked to other respiratory issues. It can deteriorate certain materials and leak more easily, increasing the risk of explosions because hydrogen is more flammable.
Ryan Sinclair, an environmental microbiologist at Loma Linda University, said homes with older appliances are more vulnerable to these risks — in older infrastructure, a 5% mix can bump nitrogen oxides emissions an average of 8%. Residents can’t opt out unless they replace their gas appliances with electric ones, and Sinclair worries Orange Cove’s low-income residents don’t have the means to replace or maintain older ones. He said more health risk assessments are needed before starting hydrogen blending.
Cal Poly’s Hormaza, who’s researched hydrogen leakage from gas systems for the last decade, said there’s insufficient research on whether hydrogen can increase leaks.
There are also concerns about hydrogen’s potential to increase Earth’s warming. Research shows hydrogen can indirectly heat the planet by interacting with other gases.
Environmental groups say hydrogen should only be used in high-energy industries such as aviation, cement or steel-making, which can’t easily be electrified. Others say that electrifying appliances, for example, are more efficient ways to reduce emissions.
“To me, it’s just an absurd project. It’s (a) boondoggle” that exposes residents to unnecessary risks, said Michael Claiborne, directing attorney with Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, an advocacy group representing residents.
If the projects are approved, SoCalGas has said it will employ safety measures before, during and after the project, including with leak surveys and detection technology, backflow prevention to keep hydrogen within the controlled area, and developing emergency responses.
Orange Cove resident Francisco Gonzalez has friends with asthma and siblings with respiratory issues, so he worries about the health risks. His community is not against change or clean energy, he said, “but we are against being left out of the conversation.”
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Associated Press writer Jennifer McDermott contributed to this report from Providence, Rhode Island.
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What to know about the U.S. military action in Venezuela and the removal of leader Nicolas Maduro.
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Venezuela
The United States carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela’s socialist regime early Saturday morning, bombing several military and key government installations and capturing strongman Nicolás Maduro, who was flown out of the country along with his wife, President Donald Trump announced on social media.
The announcement came after a series of powerful explosions shook parts of Venezuela’s capital early Saturday, jolting residents awake. According to Venezuelan military officials, U.S. attacks were also launched in the states of Miranda, La Guaira and Aragua.
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife [Cilia Flores] captured and flown out of the Country,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow.”
The president announced that further details will be given at a press conference to be held at his residence at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach County, at 11 a.m.
In a brief phone interview with The New York Times, Trump hailed the operation to capture Maduro as a success. “A lot of good planning and a lot of great, great troops and great people,” Trump told the newspaper. “It was a brilliant operation, actually.”
Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Mike Lee reported on Saturday that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed him that Maduro had been arrested by U.S. personnel and is set to face a criminal trial in the United States. Lee added that Rubio also indicated that “he does not anticipate new (military) actions in Venezuela now that Maduro is in custody.”
Lee, sharing details of his conversation with Rubio on X, said the military actions Saturday were carried out solely to “protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant.” He maintained that the action is consistent with the President’s constitutional authority to “protect U.S. personnel from imminent attacks,” even though Congress retains the power to declare war.
Residents across multiple neighborhoods of Caracas had reported hearing loud detonations beginning around 1:30 a.m. local time. Witnesses described the blasts as distinct, spaced minutes apart, and accompanied by the sound of aircraft flying low over the city — a rare and alarming occurrence in a capital long accustomed to political turmoil but not open aerial attack.
The reported strikes and Maduro’s capture come amid Washington’s intensifying pressure campaign against the Caracas regime, which the United States considers illegitimate following disputed elections, years of authoritarian consolidation and accusations that its leadership runs a drug cartel.
Blasts near key military sites
Several residents said the explosions appeared to originate near La Carlota air base and Fuerte Tiuna, the sprawling military complex in eastern Caracas that serves as the nerve center of Venezuela’s armed forces. The locations are among the most strategically sensitive sites in the country.
“Planes keep flying by. The explosions at 2 a.m. were very loud,” said a resident of the El Marquez area in eastern Caracas, who asked not to be named for safety reasons. “I am trying to see what is going on from my window, but mostly, I am staying down on the floor.”
Other witnesses reported seeing aircraft flying at unusually low altitude over parts of the city shortly before and during the explosions. In addition to the blasts, residents across Caracas described hearing sirens and sporadic gunfire in various neighborhoods, adding to the sense of confusion and fear.
A fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. Loud explosions, accompanied by sounds resembling aircraft flyovers, were heard in Caracas around 2 a.m. on Jan. 3. LUIS JAIMES AFP via Getty Images
Videos shared on social media showed flashes of light illuminating the night sky followed by loud booms echoing through residential areas. The authenticity of the footage and the precise locations where it was recorded could not be immediately confirmed, a common challenge in Venezuela, where misinformation often spreads quickly during crises.
Reports extend beyond Caracas
The unusual overnight activity was not confined to the capital. Residents in parts of La Guaira state, along Venezuela’s central Caribbean coast and home to the country’s main port and international airport, also reported hearing explosions and observing heightened security movements.
Appearing on state television, a Venezuelan military official reported attacks taking place in Caracas and the states of Miranda, La Guaira and Aragua.
Those accounts suggested that multiple strategic areas may have been targeted, though details remained scarce. Venezuela’s tightly controlled information environment and the near absence of independent access to official sites made it impossible to assess the scale of any damage or confirm whether there were casualties.
By early Saturday morning, there had been no immediate reports of injuries or deaths from independent sources. In Venezuela, where independent journalism is heavily restricted and reporters often face intimidation, access to timely and verifiable information is limited even during major national emergencies.
Maduro denounces ‘grave military aggression’
In a lengthy statement broadcast on state television and radio, Maduro accused U.S. forces of carrying out strikes against both civilian and military sites in Caracas as well as in the nearby states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira.
He described the action as a “grave military aggression” and a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, warning that it threatened peace and stability across Latin America and the Caribbean.
“This is an attack against the sovereignty of Venezuela,” Maduro said, flanked by senior military and government officials. “It is an attempt to impose a colonial war and force political change by violence.”
The government framed the alleged attack as part of a broader U.S. effort to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its vast oil and mineral reserves. “They will not succeed,” the statement said, rejecting what it described as a renewed attempt at regime change orchestrated from Washington.
Emergency powers declared
As part of the response, Maduro signed a decree declaring a nationwide state of “external disturbance,” a constitutional mechanism that grants the executive sweeping powers during emergencies, including the ability to limit certain civil liberties and mobilize security forces.
Authorities said the measure was intended to protect the population, guarantee the functioning of state institutions and activate defense operations across the country.
A vehicle burns at La Carlota air base in Caracas after a series of explosions on Jan. 3, 2026. Loud explosions, accompanied by sounds resembling aircraft flyovers, were heard in Caracas around 2 a.m. on Jan. 3. The Venezuelan government blamed the U.S. for carrying out a series of attacks. JUAN BARRETO AFP via Getty Images
The government ordered the immediate deployment of the Command for the Comprehensive Defense of the Nation, along with regional defense entities in all states and municipalities. Officials said the armed forces were operating in coordination with police units and civilian organizations loyal to the ruling party to maintain security and respond to any further threats.
State television broadcast images of soldiers deploying to strategic infrastructure, checkpoints being reinforced and officials meeting in emergency sessions. Schools and some government offices were closed in several regions as a precaution.
Appeals to international agencies
Venezuela announced it would file formal complaints before the United Nations Security Council, the U.N. secretary-general, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and the Non-Aligned Movement, seeking international condemnation of the United States.
Invoking Article 51 of the U.N. Charter, which recognizes the right to self-defense, the government said Venezuela reserves the right to respond to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, without specifying what form such a response might take.
The statement also called on governments, political movements and social organizations across Latin America and the Caribbean to mobilize in solidarity with Venezuela, framing the alleged attack as a threat not only to the country but to regional independence.
Regional reaction, Colombian concern
The explosions and Maduro’s accusations triggered immediate concern among neighboring countries, particularly Colombia, which shares a long and porous border with Venezuela and has been deeply affected by years of Venezuelan migration and instability.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said his government viewed the situation with “deep concern,” citing reports of explosions and unusual aerial activity in Caracas and other parts of Venezuela.
“The government of the Republic of Colombia observes with deep concern the reports of explosions and unusual aerial activity registered in recent hours in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, as well as the consequent escalation of tension in the region,” Petro said in a statement published on his X account.
Earlier, Petro had stated that Caracas was being bombed and urged the Organization of American States and the United Nations to convene immediately to address the situation, though he initially stopped short of naming the United States.
After Maduro publicly blamed Washington, Petro reaffirmed Colombia’s commitment to the principles of the U.N. Charter, including respect for sovereignty, the prohibition of the use or threat of force, and the peaceful settlement of international disputes.
He said Colombia rejects “any unilateral military action that could aggravate the situation or endanger the civilian population,” and called for urgent de-escalation.
“The country adopts a position aimed at preserving regional peace,” Petro said, urging all parties to prioritize dialogue and diplomatic channels over confrontation.
As a precaution, Petro said his government had implemented measures to protect civilians, preserve stability along the Colombian-Venezuelan border and prepare for any potential humanitarian or migratory impact.
High stakes amid long-standing tensions
The reported strikes come amid years of escalating hostility between Washington and Caracas. The U.S. severed diplomatic relations with Venezuela in 2019, imposed sweeping sanctions on its oil industry, and recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president, a strategy that ultimately failed to dislodge Maduro from power.
In recent months, the Maduro had seen a widening U.S. campaign of military and law-enforcement pressure his regime as Washington amassed what analysts describe as the largest U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean in decades as part of a sweeping operation targeting Latin American drug cartels — a mission that has become a defining pillar of Trump’s foreign policy.
At the center of the campaign is Venezuela’s so-called Cartel de los Soles, which the U.S. Justice Department claims is led by Maduro and senior members of his inner circle.
In recent weeks, the Pentagon has surged additional air and naval assets into the region, including the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and several guided-missile destroyers. The expansion coincides with a series of U.S. strikes on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that officials say were ferrying narcotics for transnational criminal groups.
For ordinary Venezuelans, the night’s events revived memories of past crises and underscored the country’s vulnerability after a decade of economic collapse, mass emigration and political repression.
“We are tired of living in fear,” a resident of eastern Caracas posted on social media. “We don’t know what is true, what will happen next, or how this will end.”
A Miami Herald correspondent in Venezuela contributed to this report. This is a developing story that will be updated.
This story was originally published January 3, 2026 at 1:11 AM.
Galardonado periodista con más de 30 años de experiencia, especializado en la cobertura de temas sobre Venezuela. Amante de la historia y la literatura.
SAN FRANCISCO — A gas explosion started a major fire in a San Francisco Bay Area neighborhood on Thursday, damaging several homes and sending heavy smoke into the air.
Local outlets said there are possible injuries from the Hayward explosion.
A spokesperson with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said a construction crew damaged an underground gas line around 7:35 a.m. The company said it was not their workers.
Utility workers isolated the damaged line and stopped the flow of gas at 9:25 a.m., PG&E said. The explosion occurred shortly afterward.
It started Wednesday afternoon. When Ho Wai-ho and his fellow firefighters arrived at the scene about 10 minutes later, the blaze was already racing up the green netting and bamboo scaffolding covering the 31-story high rise.
LOS ANGELES — Dozens of firefighters were battling a blaze on a container ship docked at a Los Angeles port on Friday night, according to officials.
All of the 23 crew members were accounted for and there were no injuries from the electrical fire, which appears to have started below deck, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The ship’s cargo includes hazardous materials.
By about 7 p.m., the fire had spread to several levels of the ship, according to the fire department, and later an explosion took place mid-deck. It was not immediately clear how the fire started.
More than 100 firefighters were fighting the fire at the Port of Los Angeles, according to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. The port is known as the busiest in North America.
“LAFD Hazardous Materials companies are monitoring air quality as fire suppression continues,” she said.
The 1,102-foot-long (336-meter-long) vessel, the One Henry Hudson, is operated by One Ocean Express, a shipping company headquartered in Singapore. Before Los Angeles, the ship had most recently been in Japan, stopping in Kobe, Nagoya and Tokyo. One Ocean Express did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press requesting comment.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Videos from phones, cars and security cameras captured the tragic final moments of a UPS cargo plane as it caught fire and crashed in a massive explosion just outside Louisville’s airport, killing at least 12 people and carving a path of destruction on the ground.
A large UPS cargo plane with three people aboard crashed Tuesday while taking off from an airport in Louisville, Kentucky, igniting an explosion and massive fire.
Plumes of smoke rise from the area of a UPS cargo plane crash at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Plumes of smoke rise from the area of a UPS cargo plane crash at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
A fireball erupts near airport property after reports of a plane crash at Louisville International Airport, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
A fireball erupts near airport property after reports of a plane crash at Louisville International Airport, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
The videos provide investigators and the public with many different angles of the plane going down Tuesday in an area dotted with scrap yards and UPS facilities. No one expects to find survivors.
The plane had been cleared for takeoff from UPS Worldport, the company’s global aviation hub, when a large fire developed in the left wing and an engine fell off, said Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation.
One video of the crash taken by a vehicle’s dashcam shows flames and smoke trailing from the wing as the jet barely clears a road, clips a building and vanishes behind an eruption of black smoke.
The grim task of finding and identifying victims from the firestorm that followed a UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky, entered a third day Thursday as investigators gathered information to determine why the aircraft caught fire and lost an engine on takeoff.
Another video from a business security camera captures the deafening sound of the plane’s impact and a wall of fire and black smoke. As the flames grow, a smaller blast ripples through the wreckage as sirens begin to echo in the distance.
Surveillance video from a truck parts business near the Louisville airport shows large flames and plumes of smoke as the UPS plane crashes. The disaster killed at least 12 people on the plane and on the ground.
The blaze stretched nearly a city block and destroyed much of the plane’s fuselage, fire officials have said.
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In yet another recording, the UPS plane can be seen lifting off the runway already on fire, then disappearing seconds later in an orange fireball.
From a nearby street, a driver filmed the explosion and thick black smoke above nearby buildings. The smoke fills the sky as the vehicle backs away. Other videos from the street show a pillar of black smoke towering over buildings and traffic in the area as sirens echo and lights from emergency vehicles flash.
A UPS plane crashed on takeoff from the airport in Louisville, Kentucky, igniting a huge fire on ground, officials said Tuesday.
The recordings of the crash have deepened the shock and grief among other UPS pilots, said Independent Pilots Association President Robert Travis. The union represents 3,500 pilots who fly for UPS.
“We’re just all heartbroken,” he said. “This is a tragedy that is even highlighted further by the video that’s out there circulating around the world due to the catastrophic, violent nature of the accident itself.”
YAZOO CITY, Miss. — An explosion at a hydrogen and nitrogen product manufacturer in Mississippi on Wednesday caused an ammonia leak and forced nearby residents to evacuate, officials said.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a post on the social platform X that emergency officials from across the state were responding to the anhydrous ammonia leak at CF Industries’ plant north of Yazoo City.
No deaths or injuries have been reported, he said.
“Thank you to all of Mississippi’s first responders and emergency managers for quickly responding to the leak,” he said.
Photos and video posted online show a large plume of yellowish smoke rising above the facility, which includes an ammonia plant and four nitric acid plants, among other things.
The facility is able to store about 48,000 tons of ammonia, although the exact amount there when the explosion took place was not immediately clear.
CF Industries said in a statement that there are no injuries, and “all employees and contractors on site at the time of the incident have been safely accounted for.”
Andre Robinson, who lives about a half-mile (800 meters) from the facility, said he and his son were getting ready to make gumbo when he heard what sounded like a sonic boom or a tree crashing on his house.
“There was a boom and then the house shook,” he said.
When he looked outside, Robinson said he saw smoke rising from the facility and started to smell a strong scent of ammonia.
“We’re used to the ammonia smell, but not that bad,” he said, adding that his family has since evacuated to Jackson.
Part of U.S. Route 49E was temporarily closed, according to the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality said in a post on X that “air monitoring operations are underway and will continue as long as necessary to ensure public safety.”
Anhydrous ammonia is used as a fertilizer to help provide nitrogen for corn and wheat plants, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. If a person touches it when it is in gas or liquid form, they could be burned.
Yazoo City is a small community about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Jackson.
NEW YORK — An explosion at a New York City apartment building blew off a massive chimney that ran up the side of the high-rise, leaving residents to wait for clearance to return to their apartments as officials investigate what caused the blast.
A plume of dust covered the block in the aftermath of the explosion, which left a huge pile or bricks around the building’s base and on a nearby playground. The building stood with a 20-story gash in its side.
As residents and officials wait for more answers, here is what to know about the collapse.
No injuries or deaths were reported in the collapse of the chimney, which vents exhaust from the boiler room that provides heat to the Bronx building.
Residents reported hearing a blast just after 8 a.m. Investigators were trying to determine if there was a gas leak or whether something else triggered the explosion, Mayor Eric Adams said.
Apartments in the building weren’t seriously damaged, though some had their air conditioners ripped from windows by the falling bricks. Firefighters sifted through the rubble and sent rescue dogs bounding over the pile to look for any victims, but found none.
“We avoided a major disaster here,” Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said at a news conference.
Still, some apartments were evacuated as a precaution while inspectors assessed the damage.
The building was part of New York City’s huge and aging public housing system. Buildings in the system average roughly 60 years old, according to the New York Housing Authority. The complex of buildings where the collapse occurred was built in 1966.
A 2023 Physical Needs Assessment conducted by the city’s housing authority estimated that the Mitchel Housing complex would need nearly $726 million in repairs over the next 20-years. The highest infrastructure need was listed as “Heating.”
Around half a million New Yorkers live in the aging buildings run by housing authority, which is the country’s largest public housing system. Tenants have complained for decades about dangerous or unsanitary conditions, including rodents, mold, and heat and hot water outages.
In 2019, a federal monitor was appointed to address chronic problems like lead paint, mold and lack of heat. When he wrapped his five-year term in 2024, the monitor, Bart Schwartz, noted that the overarching issue for residents remained the “poor physical state of NYCHA’s buildings.”
City officials are investigating what went wrong.
The city’s Emergency Management Commissioner, Zach Iscol, said building inspectors are checking the building’s foundations and the apartments to make sure they are sound.
“Right now we’re kicking into the next phase of this, which is recovery,” Iscol said, adding that the city was working to restore heat and hot water services to the building. The mayor said the building will be repaired.
Iscol said that the city opened up a reception center for impacted residents to receive resources like food and other necessities.
NEW YORK — A massive brick chimney running 20 stories up the side of a New York City apartment building collapsed after an explosion Wednesday, sending tons of debris plummeting to the ground.
The falling bricks buried a sidewalk, landed on the playground of the public housing building and sent a cloud of dust billowing over the block in the Bronx, but amazingly did not injure anyone.
“We avoided a major disaster here,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson at a news conference.
Mayor Eric Adams confirmed no injuries or deaths were reported in the collapse of the chimney, which rose up the side of the building from the boiler room. Authorities learned of an explosion just after 8 a.m. and were trying to determine if there had been a gas leak.
The mayor noted that Oct. 1 is typically the first day that heating systems are turned on for the season.
One resident, Merlyn Olivo, said she was in her apartment when she heard a large noise like a bomb.
“And the building was shaking a lot. I was so scared,” she said, feeling like it was “the end of the world.”
Olivo heard another loud noise and then her sister-in-law, who lives across the street, told her to get out of the building because of the collapse outside. Luckily, her daughters had left for school.
The mound of debris was littered with air conditioners, which appeared to have been ripped out of apartment windows by the falling bricks. News helicopter footage showed a rescue dog bounding over the huge pile of bricks at the bottom of the building, sniffing for anyone who might be buried under the rubble.
Olivo didn’t know when she might get back into the building, or whether she wanted to.
“I don’t feel safe to go in there,” she said. “I’m scared, super scared.”
City officials in charge of public buildings said they were investigating to see what went wrong, and Department of Buildings Commissioner James Oddo said he believed work was being done on the boiler.
Some apartments were being evacuated as a precaution and services for residents were being made available at a nearby community center, officials said.
The city’s Emergency Management Commissioner, Zach Iscol, said building inspectors are checking the building’s foundations and the apartments in the impacted area to make sure they are sound. The mayor said the building will be repaired.
Around half a million New Yorkers live in aging buildings run by the city’s housing authority, known as NYCHA, which is the largest in the nation.
Many of the properties date back to the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s. In 2019, a federal monitor was appointed to address chronic problems like lead paint, mold and lack of heat. When he wrapped his five-year term in 2024, the monitor, Bart Schwartz, noted that the overarching issue for residents remained the “poor physical state of NYCHA’s buildings.”
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Associated Press writers Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, Michael Hill in Albany, New York, and Bruce Shipkowski in Toms River, New Jersey, contributed.
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — Two people died when a small plane crashed and caught on fire near a suburban Denver airport on Friday, officials said.
The crash happened just south of Centennial Airport and was initially reported as an explosion, Deborah Takahara, a spokesperson for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, said.
Firefighters found the Beech BE35 airplane engulfed in flames, with the fire threatening to spread to a nearby building and some diesel-powered generators, Brian Willie, a spokesperson for South Metro Fire Rescue, said. Firefighters were able to put out the flames, he said.
The plane appeared to have crashed in the parking lot of an industrial office park.
Air traffic control audio posted by LiveATC.net includes an air traffic controller clearing the plane for takeoff just before the crash.
Another pilot later reported seeing smoke.
“Tower, there’s smoke off the left side. Looks like he went down,” came the report, followed a few seconds later by: “He appears to have crashed in the parking lot about a mile southeast of the field.”
The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the crash of the plane.
You have to walk carefully through the rubble. All that remains of three buildings entire demolished by Israeli bombs. Neighbors say the bombing killed at least five people including women and Children. The Arabic spokesman for the Israeli military will occasionally over Twitter or X put out evacuation orders for specific buildings in Beirut before they’re struck here in tire. There have been no warnings for 35 years. Baha has run *** small clothing shop next door. Now in shambles, history is repeating itself. She says *** three story building fell over our heads during the 1982 Israeli invasion. This ancient city is just 12 miles or 19 kilometers from the border with Israel. Most of the residents have fled north. Those who stayed behind live under constant threat. It was terrifying the missile hit and it collapsed. Says 70 year old Meqdad describing another Israeli strike that destroyed multiple homes in Tire’s old city for more than half *** century. Every generation has destruction and death. We’re used to. It says Med’s neighbor Yusuf, we’re used to wars. We’ve seen wars going back to the days of the Phoenicians tire has looked to the sea. Now *** forbidden zone. Israel has warned people to stay off the beaches and fishermen not to take their boats out. So in Ty’s Port Abu Ibrahim sits and smokes his water pipe. We go to sea so we can eat. He tells me now we can’t. How can we eat? An old man deprived of his Ben Wedeman CNN Tire. Southern Lebanon.
Two Lebanese soldiers were killed and three others wounded in an Israeli airstrike that hit a building near a Lebanese Army checkpoint in Kafra, Bint Jbeil province, the Lebanese Army said Friday.Since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon, Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have clashed along the border while the Lebanese army has largely stood on the sidelines.As Israeli troops made their first forays across the border and Hezbollah responded with rocket fire, Lebanese soldiers withdrew from observation posts along the frontier and repositioned about 3 miles back.On Oct. 3, a Lebanese soldier was killed and another injured in an Israeli strike in Taybeh during rescue operations. On Sept. 30, another Lebanese soldier was killed by an Israeli drone targeting a Lebanese Army checkpoint in Wazzani.Video below: President Biden discusses U.S. efforts to prevent wider war in Middle East as U.S. helps Americans leave Lebanon
BEIRUT —
Two Lebanese soldiers were killed and three others wounded in an Israeli airstrike that hit a building near a Lebanese Army checkpoint in Kafra, Bint Jbeil province, the Lebanese Army said Friday.
Since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon, Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have clashed along the border while the Lebanese army has largely stood on the sidelines.
As Israeli troops made their first forays across the border and Hezbollah responded with rocket fire, Lebanese soldiers withdrew from observation posts along the frontier and repositioned about 3 miles back.
On Oct. 3, a Lebanese soldier was killed and another injured in an Israeli strike in Taybeh during rescue operations. On Sept. 30, another Lebanese soldier was killed by an Israeli drone targeting a Lebanese Army checkpoint in Wazzani.
Video below: President Biden discusses U.S. efforts to prevent wider war in Middle East as U.S. helps Americans leave Lebanon
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached a tentative $4.2 settlement with a firm that owned and operated a major East Coast refinery that was shuttered after an explosion and fire in 2019.
The deal with Philadelphia Energy Solutions was announced Tuesday. There will now be a 30-day public comment period before the settlement plan can be considered for final court approval. The company does not admit to any liability in the settlement, which the EPA said is the largest amount ever sought for a refinery under a Clean Air Act rule that requires owners and operators to ensure that regulated and other extremely hazardous substances are managed safely.
The EPA found that the company failed to identify and assess hazards posed by a pipe elbow in a hydrofluoric acid alkylation unit at the refinery in Philadelphia. The pipe elbow ruptured due to “extensive” corrosion that had withered the pipe wall to the thickness of a credit card since its installation in 1973.
The explosion and subsequent fire on June 21, 2019, eventually forced the refinery to close after being in operation for 150 years. At the time, it was the largest oil refining complex on the East Coast, processing 335,000 barrels of crude oil daily.
The EPA filed the claim in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware because the company entered bankruptcy shortly after the explosion. The 1,300-acre (526-hectare) site where the refinery had stood was sold in 2020 and is being redeveloped into industrial space and life sciences labs. It remains under a complex cleanup agreement under the oversight of the EPA and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
SANTA MARIA, Calif. — A 20-year-old man tossed an explosive device into the California courthouse where he was about to be arraigned on a gun charge and the explosion left five people with minor injuries and shut down the court complex and other nearby city buildings, police said.
The incident occurred about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday in Santa Maria, a city of about 110,000 in California’s central coast region. The suspect ran away after the explosion and was captured as he tried to get into his vehicle parked nearby.
The man, who is from Santa Maria, was wearing body armor underneath his jacket, according to Santa Barbara County Undersheriff Craig Bonner, and was booked on attempted murder and explosives charges. Officials are also investigating whether the suspect is tied to a series of recent arsons.
Officials said it appeared the courthouse attack was related to his earlier arrest on a gun possession charge and not terrorism or an act of political violence.
“We do believe this is a local matter that has been safely resolved and that there are no outstanding community safety concerns,” Bonner said.
The suspect had been arrested last July for illegal gun possession and was to be arraigned Wednesday. When he entered the courthouse and approached the screening station he tossed a bag that then detonated.
Bonner said three of the five victims suffered burns. All were treated and released from a hospital. None were court employees.
Authorities evacuated a five-block radius of businesses, homes and a school after the explosion. The courthouse will be closed Thursday as police complete their investigation, and filing extensions will be offered for those affected by the shutdown.
Shane Mellon told KSBY-TV that he was at the courthouse when he heard what sounded like chairs falling over.
“It was a loud bang,” he said, adding the bailiff escorted him and others out.
Mellon said he saw what looked like a sweater smoldering and a man screaming while four or five people got on top of him, trying to keep him restrained.
“I think this could have been way worse than it was if not for the deputies just jumping on top of that guy,” Mellon said.
Santa Maria is about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles. The courthouse, which houses state and county courtrooms, was where Michael Jackson was tried and acquitted of sexual abuse two decades ago.
A methane leak sparked an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran, killing at least 30 people and injuring dozens of others, state media reported
TEHRAN, Iran — A methane leak sparked an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran, killing at least 30 people and injuring 17 others, Iranian state media reported Sunday. Another 24 miners are believed to be trapped inside.
The report said the deaths happened at a coal mine in Tabas, some 540 kilometers (335 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran.
Authorities were sending emergency personnel to the area after the blast late Saturday, it said. Around 70 people had been working there at the time of the blast. State TV later said 24 were believed to be trapped inside.
Provincial Governor Mohammad Javad Qenaat told state TV that 30 miners had been killed and 17 injured.
Iran’s new reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, preparing to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, said he ordered all efforts be made to rescue those trapped and aid their families. He also said an investigation into the incident had begun.
Oil-producing Iran is also rich in a variety of minerals. Iran annually consumes some 3.5 million tons of coal but only extracts about 1.8 million tons from its mines per year. The rest is imported, often consumed in the country’s steel mills.
This is not the first disaster to strike Iran’s mining industry. In 2013, 11 workers were killed in two separate mining incidents. In 2009, 20 workers were killed in several incidents. In 2017, a coal mine explosion killed at least 42 people.
Lax safety standards and inadequate emergency services in mining areas are often blamed for the fatalities.
ROWLEY — A man using a metal detector Thursday in the state forest off Route 1 uncovered a box of explosives that authorities say had been buried there for years.
The explosives, including a box TNT, were found in a metal container near the Newbury town line, prompting the man to call Rowley police about 2:30 p.m., acting Chief Stephen May said in a release. The container also included a small amount of plastic explosives, he said.
The explosives appeared to have been in the ground for “an undetermined number of years,” the release said.
Rowley police and the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad responded to the woods and destroyed the explosives in a series of three blasts.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI also responded. The Rowley Fire Department and Action Ambulance assisted.
No one needed to be evacuated since the box was found in a remote part of town far from homes and businesses
Due to the age of the explosives and how long they were buried, authorities determined that no further investigation was needed.
Both attacks, which are widely believed to be carried out by Israel, have hiked fears that the two sides’ simmering conflict could escalate into all-out war. This week’s explosions have also deepened concerns about the scope of potentially-compromised devices, particularly after such bombings have killed or injured so many civilians.
Here’s what we know so far.
What happened across these two waves of attacks?
On Tuesday, pagers used by hundreds of Hezbollah members exploded almost simultaneously in parts of Lebanon as well as Syria. The attack killed at least 12 people – including two young children – and wounded thousands more.
An American official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Israel briefed the U.S. on the operation – where small amounts of explosives hidden in the pagers were detonated. The Lebanese government and Iran-backed Hezbollah also blamed Israel for the deadly explosions. The Israeli military, which has a long history of sophisticated operations behind enemy lines, declined to comment.
A day after these deadly explosions, more detonations triggered in Beirut and parts of Lebanon Wednesday – including several blasts heard at a funeral in Beirut for three Hezbollah members and a child killed by Tuesday’s explosions, according to Associated Press journalists at the scene.
At least 20 people were killed and another 450 were wounded, the Health Ministry said, in this apparent second attack.
When speaking to troops on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant made no mention of the explosions of electronic devices, but praised the work of Israel’s army and security agencies and said “we are at the start of a new phase in the war.”
What kinds of devices were used?
A Hezbollah official told the AP that walkie-talkies used by the group exploded on Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Lebanon’s official news agency also reported that solar energy systems exploded in homes in several areas of Beirut and in southern Lebanon, wounding at least one girl.
While details are still emerging from Wednesday’s attack, the second wave of explosions targeted a country that is still reeling from Tuesday’s pager bombings. That attack appeared to be a complex Israeli operation targeting Hezbollah, but an enormous amount of civilian casualties were also reported, as the detonations occurred wherever members’ pagers happened to be – including homes, cars, grocery stores and cafes.
Hezbollah has used pagers as a way to communicate for years. And more recently, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned the group’s members not to carry cellphones, saying they could be used by Israel to track the group’s movements.
Pagers also run on a different wireless network than mobile phones, which usually makes them more resilient in times of emergency. And for a group like Hezbollah, the pagers provided a means to sidestep what’s believed to be intensive Israeli electronic surveillance on mobile phone networks in Lebanon – as pagers’ tech is simpler and carries lower risks for intercepted communications.
Elijah J. Magnier, a Brussels-based veteran and a senior political risk analyst who says he has had conversations with members of Hezbollah and survivors of the attack, said that the newer brand of pagers used in Tuesday’s explosions were procured more than six months ago. How they arrived in Lebanon remains unclear.
Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said Wednesday it had authorized use of its brand on the AR-924 pager model – but that a Budapest, Hungary-based company called BAC Consulting KFT produced and sold the pagers.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs said that it had no records of direct exports of Gold Apollo pagers to Lebanon. And Hungarian government spokesman later added that the pager devices had never been in Hungary, either, noting that BAC had merely acted as an intermediary.
Speculation around the origins of the devices that exploded Wednesday has also emerged. A sales executive at the U.S. subsidiary of Japanese walkie-talkie maker Icom told the AP that the exploded radio devices in Lebanon appear to be a knock-off product and not made by Icom.
“I can guarantee you they were not our products,” said Ray Novak, a senior sales manager for Icom’s amateur radio division, in an interview Wednesday at a trade show in Providence, Rhode Island.
Novak said Icom introduced the V-82 model more than two decades ago and it has long since been discontinued. It was designed for amateur radio operators and for use in social or emergency communications, including by people tracking tornadoes or hurricanes, he said.
What kind of sabotage would cause these devices to explode?
Tuesday’s explosions were most likely the result of supply-chain interference, several experts told the AP – noting that very small explosive devices may have been built into the pagers prior to their delivery to Hezbollah, and then all remotely triggered simultaneously, possibly with a radio signal. That corroborates information shared from the U.S. official.
A former British Army bomb disposal officer explained that an explosive device has five main components: A container, a battery, a triggering device, a detonator and an explosive charge.
“A pager has three of those already,” said the ex-officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he now works as a consultant with clients on the Middle East. “You would only need to add the detonator and the charge.”
This video grab, shows a walkie-talkie that was exploded inside a house, in Baalbek, east Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.
AP Photo
This signals involvement of a state actor, said Sean Moorhouse, a former British Army officer and explosive ordnance disposal expert. He added that Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, the Mossad, was the most obvious suspect to have the resources to carry out such an attack. Israel has a long history of carrying out similar operations in the past.
The specifics of Wednesday’s explosions are still uncertain. But reports of more electronic devices exploding may suggest even greater infiltration of boobytrap-like interference in Lebanon’s supply chain. It also deepens concerns around the lack of certainty of who may be holding rigged devices.
How long was this operation?
It would take a long time to plan an attack of this scale. The exact specifics are still unknown, but experts who spoke with the AP about Tuesday’s explosions shared estimates ranging anywhere between several months to two years.
The sophistication of the attack suggests that the culprit has been collecting intelligence for a long time, explained Nicholas Reese, adjunct instructor at the Center for Global Affairs in New York University’s School of Professional Studies. An attack of this caliber requires building the relationships needed to gain physical access to the pagers before they were sold; developing the technology that would be embedded in the devices; and developing sources who can confirm that the targets were carrying the pagers.
Citing conversations with Hezbollah contacts, Magnier said the group is currently investigating what type of explosives were used in the device, suspecting RDX or PETN, highly explosive materials that can cause significant damage with as little as 3-5 grams. They are also questioning whether the device had a GPS system allowing Israel to track movement of the group members.
N.R. Jenzen-Jones, an expert in military arms who is director of the Australian-based Armament Research Services, added that “such a large-scale operation also raises questions of targeting” – stressing the number of causalities and enormous impact reported so far.
“How can the party initiating the explosive be sure that a target’s child, for example, is not playing with the pager at the time it functions?” he said.
Israel was behind the deadly explosion of pagers across Lebanon on Tuesday, sources told ABC News on Wednesday.
At least 12 civilians were killed and more than 2,750 people injured in the explosions, according to Lebanese authorities. Around 200 of the injuries were critical and required surgery, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said.
The civilians killed include an 8-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy, according to Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad.
The Hezbollah militant group said it is conducting a “security and scientific investigation” into the explosion of pagers across Lebanon on Tuesday.
Hezbollah said 11 of its members were killed on Tuesday, though — as is typical in its statements — did not specify how they died.
“We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression, which also targeted civilians and led to the deaths of a number of martyrs and the injury of a large number with various wounds,” Hezbollah said of the pager explosions in a Tuesday statement.
In a Wednesday morning statement, Hezbollah said it would continue operations to “support Gaza,” and vowed a “reckoning” for Israel for the “massacre on Tuesday.”
The dead and injured included people who are not members of Hezbollah, such as a 10-year-old girl killed in the eastern village of Saraain, according to Hezbollah-owned Al-Ahed News.
Israel has not commented on its alleged involvement in the apparent attack, which prompted chaos in the capital Beirut and elsewhere in Hezbollah’s south Lebanon heartland.
Around 100 hospitals received wounded people, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said, with hospitals in Beirut and its southern suburb quickly filling to capacity. Patients were then directed to other hospitals outside the region.
Most of the injuries were to the face, hand or abdomen, officials said.
The Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was among those who had one of the pagers and was injured in an explosion Tuesday, according to Iranian state TV. The diplomat said in a phone call that he was “feeling well and fully conscious,” according to Iranian state TV.
At least 14 people were also injured in targeted attacks on Hezbollah members in Syria, according to the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The alleged Israeli operation has again piqued fears of escalation in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict ongoing since Oct. 8, when members of the Iranian-backed group began cross-border attacks in support of Hamas’ war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.
Frontier skirmishes, Israeli strikes and Hezbollah rocket and artillery salvoes have been near-constant through 11 months of war in Gaza. Israeli officials have repeatedly threatened to launch a new military operation against Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border. Tens of thousands of Israelis have left their homes in border regions due to the fighting.
The Israel Defense Forces said warplanes hit Hezbollah targets in six locations in southern Lebanon overnight into Wednesday. Artillery strikes were also conducted, it added.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is due to make a public address on Thursday afternoon to address the situation. In February, Nasrallah urged members to stop using their cell phones, describing the technology as “a deadly agent.”
Schools across Lebanon will be closed on Wednesday, Lebanese state media reported, citing the country’s Minister of Education. Schools and offices closed include public and private schools, high schools, technical institutes, the Lebanese University and private higher education institutions, Lebanese state media reported.
The Lebanese Council of Ministers collectively condemned “this criminal Israeli aggression, which constitutes a serious violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a crime by all standards.”
It added that “the government immediately began making all necessary contacts with the countries concerned and the United Nations to place it before its responsibilities regarding this continuing crime.”
The United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon condemned the attack on Lebanon, calling it an “extremely concerning escalation in what is an already unacceptably volatile context,” in a statement released by the U.N. Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary General.
U.S. officials said Washington, D.C. had no role in — or pre-knowledge of — the apparent attack. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the administration was “gathering information” on the incident.
Both Miller and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to speculate on whether Israel was responsible.
The U.S. and the European Union have both designated the Hezbollah militant group a foreign terrorist organization.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A surprise eruption in Yellowstone National Park shot steam, water and dark-colored rock and dirt high into the sky Tuesday and sent sightseers running for safety.
The hydrothermal explosion happened around 10 a.m. in Biscuit Basin, a collection of hot springs a couple miles north of the famous Old Faithful Geyser.
Video posted online showed a couple dozen people watching from a boardwalk as the eruption sprayed and grew in front of them. As water and debris began to fall, they ran to keep clear, some yelling “Back up!” and “Holy cow!” People then turned to watch the spectacle under a huge cloud of steam.
No injuries were reported, but the Biscuit Basin area was closed for visitor safety. The eruption damaged a boardwalk that keeps people off Yellowstone’s fragile and often dangerous geothermal areas.
Vlada March was on a tour in the basin when her guide said something unusual was happening. March started taking video.
“We saw more steam coming up and within seconds it became this huge thing,” said March, a California real estate agent who was with her mom, husband and their two kids. “It just exploded and became like a black cloud that covered the sun.”
“I think our tour guide said ‘Run,’ and I started running and I started screaming at the kids, ‘Run, run, run,’ and I continued filming what I could,” she said.
Rocks that fell from the sky smashed the boardwalk they had been walking on. March’s mom, who had been sitting on a bench near the explosion, was shaken and dirty but otherwise fine, she said.
Walking back on the broken boardwalk “was a little scary,” she said, “but thankfully it didn’t break under us.”
Photos and video of the aftermath showed damaged guardrails and boards covered in rock and silt near muddy pools.
The explosion could have resulted from a clogged passageway in the extensive natural plumbing network that underlies Yellowstone’s world-famous geysers, hot springs and other thermal features, said scientist Mike Poland with the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.
A clog would have caused a buildup of heat and pressure such as happens inside a pressure cooker, he said, until the water suddenly flashed to steam, causing an instantaneous and huge expansion in volume and triggering the explosion.
After viewing video from the event Poland estimated that the explosion sent material about 100 feet (30 meters) into the air.
He said the explosion was “on the big side” of eruptions that occur periodically — usually when no one is around let alone throngs of tourists.
On occasion they get much bigger: The largest known crater from a hydrothermal explosion on Earth is in Yellowstone and measures 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) across, Poland said. Scientists theorize that a series of hydrothermal explosions created that crater some 13,800 years ago in the Mary Bay area on the northeastern side of Yellowstone Lake.
By comparison, the crater from Tuesday’s explosion will likely be measured in feet, Poland said.
“What we saw today was spectacular and definitely hazardous. But on the scale of what the Yellowstone system has done in the past, it was relatively small,” he said. “It’s a very good reminder of an underappreciated hazard in Yellowstone.”
The explosion happened in or near Black Diamond Pool, a 120-foot-log (37-meter-long) hot pool that is the basin’s widest thermal feature.
A National Park Service aerial photo taken afterward showed the pool somewhat enlarged near the boardwalk compared to recent satellite images and its water turned a muddy beige. The deep Sapphire Pool about 100 yards (91 meters) away retained its usual blue hues.
Park geologists were investigating what specifically happened in this case.
Similar blasts have happened in Biscuit Basin in 2009, 1991 and after the magnitude 7.2 Hebgen Lake earthquake 40 miles (64 kilometers) away in 1959.
Yellowstone is centered on a huge, dormant volcano. The hydrothermal explosion did not indicate new activity within the volcanic system, which remains at normal levels, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
At least 22 people are known to have died from injuries related to thermal features in and around the 3,471-square-mile (9,000-square-kilometer) national park since 1890.
Visitors are warned to stay on the boardwalks and trails in thermal areas, where some of the pools and springs have a thin, breakable crust covering the scalding and sometimes acidic water.
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Hanson reported from Helena, Montana, and Brown reported from Billings, Montana.
