Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 1978)
0 ffFive killed t’Ot) United Press International BROOKSIDE VILLAGE — irefighters Tuesday said some of e Tuesday and he five persons killed in an inferno aused by the explosion of a buried atural gas pipeline never escaped heir beds and probably died in- tantlyin their trailer homes. Survivors said they thought the oar which shattered their sleep round 3 a.m. was an earthquake, urricane or airplane crash. One fire hief said the blazing scene fulfilled ' a Peace treah ter appealedi erations on tl* ^r 11 hours d ;tf r EzerWeij 'jense Commi. ' )in et session. 11 hardliners j er whether Ih a >ned inhertn sert under tie ortedly would ion Peres said ome the moj *xpense of tit ashed Isnrf Gas line explodes in Houston trailer court s afterward lit is image of hell. re fateful dec. Federal safety investigators were longest cabine 'dispatched from nearby Houston to i ry to determine why the under- e the treaty, ! [round, 30-inch pipeline exploded, ending a giant fireball rolling kough the Royal Mobile Trailer lourt,leaving a crater 15 feet wide. In addition to the five uniden- ified fatalities, more than 40 per is acceptable ons — many fleeing in burning But ifthisisi leepwear — suffered injuries which >tion, theniti! equired hospital treatment, o some point “It looked like hell to me, ” said 'earland Fire Chief, Lee Reagen. itfice as "veo It would be my imagination of what iell would look. I think I’m gonna to pay for Ij. >e a little bit better Christian ‘cause sure don’t want to go there. ” The more seriously burned were irlifted to Houston hospitals by S. Coast Guard helicopters. Sev- ralwere reported in critical condi tion. oendorsed irst, the noise was so loud,” said railer resident Eugene Dolan, 29. The doors on my trailer were be- [inning to melt as we ran out. I fear We lost everything.” Across a pasture from the trailer lark, Mr. and Mrs. G.C. Atkins he provision! ratched the flames reach into the tight sky. The whole house was shaking nd rumbling,” she said. “When I yptian and Is- iment sourw peace worked ever between g the special 1 draft despite le document s first edifa nwar Sadat as ed, dropping tead. ot amount!) yptian-Israei e pact to b eaty call fo, travel to tl* T thought it was a hurricane at came in the kitchen, everything was red. Everything as was bright as sunlight. There were people coming from everywhere.” Atkins said he heard “a big hiss and then the explosion.” “The flames went up 200-300 feet in the air. I saw 15 or so people run ning right off,” he saud. “That heat was so hot I couldn’t get in down there (at the trailer park). I started walking down the road. It lit up like daylight. It was so damn hot it was pitiful.” A man with two small children raced past him, he said, and he noticed all three had blistered backs. “They were in shock. It was pret ty rough. I’ve seen a lot of kids burned. The fire chief had an asbes tos fire suit and he couldn’t take it(the heat).” Firefighters said the blast crater looked like a plowed field and a part of the trailer park had been reduced to white ashes. The blast destroyed more than 20 cars and leveled ev erything within 100 yards. “We were the first ones in,” said David Armelli, a volunteer firefigh ter from Brazoria County. “I have seen pipeline explosions before, but not where people get killed. It really is a tragedy to lose lives like this.” Armelli said the explosion was so intense, some victims died in stantly. The pilot of the plane bringing the Houston Oilers back from Monday night’s game at Pittsburgh, said flames were visible 200 miles from Houston Intercontinental Air port. Two valves on the pipeline were capped and the fires were extin guished at 5:45 a.m. An employee of United Texas Gas Pipeline Co., said rb iburban Be- to cement i nilitias. starting tlie ?eping force . It also said pecting tie Beirut ots hit th ins als >ct. 7 cease- Blasts not new to Houston area United Press Internationa] A natural gas pipeline explosion Tuesday that killed at least five and injured more than 40 others at suburban Brookside Village was the second residential pipeline accident locally in the last nine years. A similar pipeline explosion in September 1969 destroyed 15 homes and injured 10 people in the Greenridge North subdivision six miles north of Houston. In other incidents involving lines that underlace Houston, 2,000 persons were evacuated from Greenridge North in 1977 after a liquid in a ditch caught fire and seven persons were hurt in a pipe blast at Shell's Deer Park refinery. There have been other, smaller incidents, such as a blast that destroyed a cafe last November. Rupture of a gas line near the cafe was blamed on road crews working nearby. campus crusade for Christ presents You'll never REALLY know till you’ve been there. WITH PAUL CARTER TOPIC: THE GOOD AG WHEIM? OCT 26 TMURS 7=00 1-45 rvisc ny : Aggieland Flower & Gift Shop Give her the Keepsake Mum If she's special — be individual and let Aggieland Flowers design your mum just for her. Select a special mum of velvet, colligate or satin trim — add roses, carnations or button poms. Individual designing creates a better mum for you. CALL 846-5825 Plants — Hallmark Cards Posters — Candles — Roses & Other Fresh Flowers Open 8-5:30 846-5825 | 209 University Dr. (Next to Campus Theatre) 846-5825 h We Wire Flowers Worldwide there was no way of determining the cause of the explosion. “These things can happen any number of ways. It may have been a rock opened up the thing and fric tion may have set it off. ” The Elegance of Lingerie For You The Soft Touch 707 TEXAS ^ 846-1972 > If you have money to invest . . . Optional Retirement Plan Tax Sheltered Annuity Deferred Compensation Financial Planning Call Hays Glover GUGGENHEIM GLOVER, ASSOCIATES 779-5555 THE BATTALION Page 5 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1978 Flowers for APO MUMS MADE BY PROFESSIONALS Five styles to choose from. Free campus delivery Saturday morning. On sale before each home football game in the MSC, dorms, Commons & Sbisa. Tues. thru Thurs. and Friday in the MSC ONLY. vu-K ^9 j&Z£/ect of yDf?/ Omepa LIMITED SUPPLY OF MUMS WILL BE SOLD ON SATURDAY MORNING IN MSC. A SPECIAL OFFER YouTl receive everything you need to build a sturdy, good - looking Peach Crate. This high quality, natural white pine crate is easy to assemble, ready in minutes. SAVING YOUR ALBUMS SAVES YOU MONEY They've been in use for years - light - weight, compact wooden crates. Now your record collection can be protected from warping, chipping, and scratching. VARIETY OF USES Handy and versatile, the Peach Crate fits anywhere and be used as a bookshelf, plant holder, : coffee table, •r a TV stand. The natural wood fits any interior. OVER 300,000 SOLD first time, great crate is offered 11 over the United States. Only $5.95 for a complete kit super value 3 for $15.50 save $2.35). © 1978 Peaches Catalog Sales Mail To: PEACHES CATALOG SALES P.O. Box 78670 Dept. 140 Los Angeles, CA 90016 Includes postage and handling. Rush my order of: one Peaches Crate for $5.95/ including postage and handling three Peaches Crates for $15.50/ including postage and handling (I save $2.35) Name Address City Mail To: PEACHES CATALOG SALES P.O. Box 78670 Dept. 140 Los Angeles, CA 90016 State. Zip. Check or Money Order payable to Peaches Catalog Sales only. No credit cards.