Humberto Vidal Explosion
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The Humberto Vidal Explosion (sometimes also referred to as the Río Piedras Explosion) was a gas explosion that occurred on November 21, 1996 on the Humberto Vidal shoe store located in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. The explosion killed 33 and wounded 69 others when the building collapsed. It is considered one of the greatest disasters in the island.
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[edit] The explosion
The explosion occurred at 8:35am, on Thursday, November 21, 1996 in the middle of a bustling commercial sector of Río Piedras. The six-story building that housed the Humberto Vidal shoe store was virtually destroyed and ended up collapsing, creating a 50 feet wide hole.
The immediate theory was that the explosion was caused by a bomb planted by Spanish terrorists or even arson due to previous deliberate acts in the Carribeans through the past. However there was no trace of either explosives nor where there flammable materials an arsonist could have used.
[edit] The casualties
In the end, the explosion ended up claiming 33 victims, and wounding 69 others. Most of the victims were inside the building at the moment of the explosion, but others were in the streets surrounding the building. After the explosion, bodies of victims were placed in the pavement in front of the nearby La Milagrosa Church, where Luis Cardinal Aponte Martínez administered last rites.
[edit] Aftermath
President Bill Clinton quickly declared Puerto Rico a disaster area, which ensured the receipt of federal aid to help the victims. San Juan Gas Company quickly denied any responsibility claiming that the building had no gas service at the moment. An investigation of the explosion was quickly initiated.
[edit] The investigation
The investigation revealed that several persons had reported an alleged gas leak in the building in the days leading up to the explosion. The store had no gas supply, so another nearby gas line was looking like the culprit. It was discovered that a gas pipe that carried the heavier-than-air propane gas was broken. A few years earlier a water main was installed below bending the pipe in the process. Also, when it was installed, it was in a tight bend adding to its stress levels, causing the pipe to break.
The deadly gas was able to get into the shop basement from migrating around over pipes and the gravel which also went into over buildings causing the bad smell. However the biggest problem was why the gas company technicians were unable to detect the gas before the blast. But investigators discovered that the holes used to detect gas below was only 46cm (1.5 feet) deep when the gas was about 4 feet down, there was no way it was detected, however another error came in the basement inspection, the technician was supposed to turn his equipment on before entering the building but he turned it on inside the building thus detecting no gas.
The ignition source was an air conditioning switch with heated wiring, causing the whole building to be stripped to its skeleton.
[edit] Present
The area of the explosion now has a mural in remembrance of the people who died.
The disaster was examined by the "Puerto Rico Gas Explosion" episode of documentary series Seconds From Disaster on the National Geographic Channel.
[edit] References
- Seconds From Disaster: "Puerto Rico Gas Explosion" (December 13, 2005; Season 2, Episode 13).
