Police Tell Reporters That They Cannot Film Wastewater Plant From Public Street

Infowars.com
January 15, 2014

In a gross attack on the First Amendment, a police officer told Infowars reporters and crew that they could not film a wastewater plant from across a public street.

The officer said that he had the “authority” to stop them from filming even though he admitted that it was not illegal to film the facility.

“There’s no law, but like I said, based on the fact that it is a critical site, your activity is being deemed suspicious so we have the authority,” he said.

This is a perfect example of how police officers routinely use the “color of law” to deprive journalists of their First Amendment right to publicly film and cover news stories.

They use their “authority” to intimate reporters even though that authority runs contrary to basic human rights and the law.

The right to film in public has been affirmed time and time again by the U.S. Supreme Court and several federal Appeals Courts, which have all ruled that everyone – not just journalists – has an individual right to film (video, audio, photography, etc.) in public because there is “no expectation of privacy” in a public place.

In 2011, the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unambiguously that the First Amendment recognizes this right.

“It is firmly established that the First Amendment’s aegis extends further than the text’s proscription on laws ‘abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press,’ and encompasses a range of conduct related to the gathering and dissemination of information,” Circuit Judge Kermit Lipez wrote in the court’s opinion.

Additionally, in 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with a lower court ruling that a Illinois law which prevented citizens from filming police was unconstitutional.

This article was posted: Wednesday, January 15, 2014 at 1:24 pm

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Police Tell Reporters That They Cannot Film Wastewater Plant From Public Street

Amazing Discoveries: The Amazing Plant (3FM 90"s Request)

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California holds public meetings on proposed Kern County power plant

California holds public meetings on proposed Kern County power plant
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Mon Nov 11, 2013 12:18pm EST

Nov 11 (Reuters) – California regulators will hold two meetings open to the public on Nov. 13 and Nov. 20 to discuss greenhouse gas emission issues with SCS Energy’s proposed Hydrogen Energy California coal and petroleum coke-fueled carbon capture and storage project.

The California Energy Commission said on Friday the meetings will enable its staff and others to discuss issues it has found with the $ 4 billion plant’s proposed carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions.

The facility, which U.S. environmental regulators have pointed to in proposed rules limiting carbon emissions from new power plants, will use an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) system to turn coal or petroleum coke into a synthetic gas that will produce and sell electricity, carbon dioxide, and fertilizer.

Commission staff and SCS, a privately held U.S. power plant developer, disagree over how the project should be evaluated for compliance with Senate Bill 1368, which limits long-term investments in baseload generation by the state’s utilities in power plants that produce too much carbon dioxide emissions, the commission said.

The Commission said the meetings are an effort to determine if its staff and SCS can resolve their differences.

The staff released its preliminary environmental assessment on June 28.

That assessment is not a final decision by the Commission, but will be used to prepare the staff’s final assessment, which California’s Energy Department will use to decide if the state will award SCS funding for the project.

The final staff report will also serve as its testimony at hearings conducted by a Commission committee reviewing the project. The decision of that committee will be presented to the full Commission for final action.

SCS proposed to build the plant on 1,106 acres of private agricultural land in the town of Tupman in Kern County about 115 miles (188 km) north of Los Angeles near Bakersfield.

The plant would gasify coal and petroleum coke to produce synthesis gas used to generate up to 431 megawatts of electricity.

The project would also produce and sell urea fertilizer and other nitrogenous compounds and capture about 90 percent of the carbon dioxide produced. It would transport the gas by pipeline for use at the Elk Hills oil field. Occidental Petroleum Corp owns the Elk Hills oil field, located near the plant site.

SCS has projected construction will start in 2014 with commercial operation in 2018, the commission said. That schedule is dependent on receiving the required approvals from the Commission and the Energy Department.

The project is expected to create an average 1,160 construction jobs to build the plant and 200 full-time workers once the facility enters service, SCS has said.

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VIDEO: Katy Perry"s New Album Labeled a "Bio-Hazard"

Katy Perry’s new album has been labeled a “bio-hazard” down under! When Australia’s agriculture department announced they would be reviewing Katy’s album, Prism, they weren’t talking about the tunes! They wanted to check out the packaging that includes a packet of flower seeds in every copy! Here’s the issue- while Katy was urging fans to plant the seeds and spread the light, Australia doesn’t know where the seeds came from and if they are disease and pest free. Long story short, the Aussie copies won’t contain the seeds!

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VIDEO: Katy Perry"s New Album Labeled a "Bio-Hazard"

FEMA evaluating county response to Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant emergency

Beginning this week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is evaluating state and local emergency planning and preparedness agencies’ abilities to respond to an emergency at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Lusby.

“These drills are held every other year to test government’s ability to protect public health and safety,” MaryAnn Tierney, regional administrator for FEMA Region III, said in a FEMA news release. “We will evaluate state and local emergency response capabilities within the 10-mile emergency-planning zone of the nuclear facility.”  

This exercise is part of FEMA’s Radiological Emergency Preparedness program, which ensures the health and safety of citizens living around commercial nuclear power plants is adequately protected in the event of a nuclear accident, according to the release. The program, however, only covers off-site activities, such as state and local emergency planning and preparedness, the release states.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is responsible for activities within the nuclear power plant’s boundaries.

Within 90 days, FEMA will send its evaluation to the NRC for licensing decisions, and about 120 days after the exercise, the final report will be available to the public, the release states.

At 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 25, FEMA will present its preliminary findings of the emergency preparedness exercise during a public meeting at the Sheraton of Annapolis, 173 Jennifer Road, Annapolis. Speakers include representatives from FEMA, the NRC and the state.

At the meeting, FEMA may request questions and/or comments be submitted in writing for review and response by emailing FEMAR3NewsDesk@fema.dhs.gov or by mail to MaryAnn Tierney, Regional Administrator, FEMA Region III, 615 Chestnut St., 6th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106.

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Sent to us by Field McConnell who said: “What are the chances that on United Nations Day all of Congress would be herded into Air Force aircraft in the middle of a Nuclear Exercise by FEMA in Calvert Cliffs, MD?”

FEMA evaluating county response to Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant emergency

New high-radiation spots found at quake-hit Fukushima plant

1 of 2. An aerial view shows Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO)’s tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and its contaminated water storage tanks (bottom) in Fukushima, in this photo taken by Kyodo August 20, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Kyodo

Reuters: Top News

New high-radiation spots found at quake-hit Fukushima plant

Moscow, Tehran to sign agreement on building new nuclear power plant – Iranian FM

The reactor building at the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, 1200 kms south of Tehran. (Reuters/Mehr News Agency/Majid Asgaripour)

Moscow and Tehran will soon sign an agreement on the construction of a new nuclear power plant in the Islamic Republic, Iran’s Foreign Minister announced.

“Iran has held consultations with the Russian side and soon an agreement of mutual understanding will be signed on the construction of a new nuclear power plant,” Ali Akbar Salehi, Iranian foreign minister and former nuclear chief, said on Sunday.

He reiterated that Iran’s nuclear program is purely peaceful, as the country needs nuclear power for electricity generation and medicine.

The statement comes ahead of the first meeting between Iran’s newly elected President Hassan Rouhani and Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 13. The talks are part of a Eurasian summit taking place in Kyrgyzstan’s capital of Bishkek, a Russian presidential aide said Friday.

“After Rouhani’s election as president, the Iranian government sent us a proposal to hold a Rouhani-Putin meeting within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek,” Yury Ushakov said.

Last month, Russian business daily Kommersant cited anonymous sources which said that Vladimir Putin may visit Tehran to meet Hassan Rouhani in mid-August.

Rouhani was sworn in on August 4 and replaced Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as head of Iranian government.

During his first press conference on Tuesday, Rouhani said that Iran would continue negotiations with Russia on nuclear power development in the country.

“We need to get 20,000 megawatts of nuclear power. We have been negotiating on this. I hope that everything will develop according to schedule, and Iran will be able to continue to build nuclear power plants and continue to cooperate. The Iranian government will continue to negotiate with neighboring countries, one of which is Russia, to develop peaceful nuclear energy,” he said.

Russian parliament speaker Sergey Naryshkin said during his visit to Iran on August 4 that Russia intends to expand cooperation in civilian nuclear power after Iran’s nuclear power plant at Bushehr is fully commissioned in September.

The construction of Bushehr – the first civilian nuclear plant in the Middle East – was started in 1975 by German companies, but the work was stopped in 1979 after the Islamic revolution of Iran. A contract for finishing the plant was signed between Iran and the Russian Ministry for Atomic Energy in 1995.

Bushehr nuclear power plant launched in 2011 has no link to nuclear weapons production and cannot be used to develop such technology.

The US and its allies have long accused Iran of seeking to develop a nuclear weapons capability – a claim which Tehran has repeatedly denied.

Several rounds of talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany have failed to resolve the dispute. Iran’s critics claim the country has used nuclear negotiations as a delaying tactic while continuing to develop nuclear weapons technology behind closed doors. Tehran insists its nuclear program is for entirely peaceful purposes.

Source: RT

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Gunmen kill five Yemeni troops guarding LNG plant: official

ADEN (Reuters) – Suspected al Qaeda militants killed five Yemeni soldiers in their sleep early on Sunday in an attack on forces guarding the country’s only liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal, a local official said.

Reuters: Top News

Gunmen kill five Yemeni troops guarding LNG plant: official

Gunmen kill five Yemeni troops guarding LNG export plant: official

ADEN | Sun Aug 11, 2013 4:38am EDT

ADEN (Reuters) – Suspected al Qaeda militants killed five Yemeni soldiers in their sleep early on Sunday in an attack on forces guarding the country’s only liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal in southern Yemen, a local official said.

The attack follows an escalating campaign of drone strikes by the United States over the past two weeks after a worldwide travel warning that forced Washington to close its embassy in Sanaa and evacuate some staff.

(Reporting by Mohammed Mukhashaf, writing by Sami Aboudi; editing by Mike Collett-White)

Reuters: Top News

Gunmen kill five Yemeni troops guarding LNG export plant: official

Signaling Thaw, North Korea Opens Plant Run by South

HONG KONG — North Korea said Wednesday that it would reopen the shuttered Kaesong industrial complex, a rare symbol of cooperation with South Korea whose operations were shut down by the North four months ago amid mounting tensions between the sworn enemies.

The North Korean government also proposed new talks with the South, to start next week, on the future of the complex, whose 53,000 North Korean workers were employed by South Korean firms. Pyongyang also pledged to guarantee the safety of South Korean managers who run the complex.

The announcement, released in a statement carried by the KCNA news agency in North Korea, signaled a thaw in relations between the two countries, which hit a low point over the winter when North Korea’s detonation of a nuclear device prompted tough new sanctions by the United Nations against Pyongyang.

Since that nuclear test, North Korea’s main ally and benefactor, China, has put increasing pressure on Pyongyang to modify its behavior and return to talks about the future of its nuclear program. In addition to the costly U.N. sanctions, the North has also lost badly needed hard currency earned by the tens of thousands of North Korean workers at the Kaesong complex.

The complex, where companies manufactured consumer goods using capital and technology provided by the South and a work force mainly from the North, has been closed since April 8. The two countries held talks last month in an effort to reopen the plant. A major issue in the talks had been the South’s demand that the North take responsibility for the damage caused by the abrupt shutdown of the complex’s factories. The North blamed the shutdown on the South, saying that the South’s confrontational attitude has kept the complex from reopening.

The North also withdrew its 53,000 workers from the complex April 8, blaming tensions it said were caused by joint American-South Korean military exercises. The South later withdrew its own citizens, most of them factory managers.

The Reuters news agency said the North’s decision to reopen the plant came an hour and a half after South Korea announced steps to compensate its firms for losses sustained during Kaesong’s shutdown.

The Kaesong complex was the last of a group of cross-border projects set up during an earlier period of rapprochement, which were then closed one by one as relations soured. It opened in 2004 and produced $ 470 million worth of goods last year.

NYT > Global Home

Signaling Thaw, North Korea Opens Plant Run by South

Explosions Rock Propane Plant in Central Florida; 7 Injured

Dozens of explosions rocked a propane tank servicing plant in central Florida, northwest of Orlando, late on Monday, injuring seven workers, at least three critically, and prompting the evacuation of nearby homes, authorities said.

No one outside the plant was hurt by the blasts, which began at about 10:30 p.m. local time at the Blue Rhino propane gas filling station in the town of Tavares, about 40 miles (60 km) northwest of Orlando, said John Herrell, a Lake County sheriff’s spokesman.

Fifteen workers out of the two dozen on duty were initially reported missing, but all subsequently were found unscathed, Herrell said. Two others were safe from the outset.

“Obviously it was a very, very dangerous scene” when firefighters arrived, Herrell said.

The chain reaction of explosions, ripping through 20-pound propane cylinders one after another — one tank every few seconds at its peak — unleashed tall columns of flames into the night sky. Homeowners several miles away reported feeling shocks from the explosions.

“We are hearing the booms here inside the restaurant,” said Jessica McClure, 23, a waitress at a Denny’s restaurant 7 miles north of the scene in the town of Eustis.

She said a bright orange glow from the fire was visible in the distance as she arrived at work at about 11 p.m.

What caused the explosions was not immediately known, Herrell said.

He said seven workers were injured.

Three men from the Blue Rhino plant were flown by helicopter to the Orlando Regional Medical Center, all of them in critical condition with burns, Sybrina Childress, a spokeswoman for the trauma center told Reuters.

Lake County emergency dispatchers said homes located within a mile of the facility were ordered to evacuate as a precaution.

Aerial views of the facility from footage shot by a local television station about 90 minutes after the first explosions showed a large fire, apparently being fed by continuing explosions, surrounded by smaller blazes.

After another 30 minutes, the main fire appeared to be dying down, and the wreckage of what appeared to be burned-out trucks could be seen.

Speaking by telephone to local NBC affiliate WESH-TV, former plant supervisor Don Ingram said the company took in propane tanks used for home gas grills, cleaned them, checked the valves and refilled them. He said that tanks were stacked on plastic pallets four and five high behind the filling station.

Herrell said an estimated 53,000 propane cylinders were kept on the property.

He said a late crew typically refills 4,000 to 5,000 tanks overnight. The nearest residential neighborhood is located about a quarter-mile from the facility behind a row of trees, Ingram said.

© 2013 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.

Newsmax – America

Explosions Rock Propane Plant in Central Florida; 7 Injured

Massive explosions rock central Fla. gas plant

Firefighters stand by near the scene of an explosion at a propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Firefighters stand by near the scene of an explosion at a propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Fire crews pour water on a fire after an explosion at the Blue Rhino propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Law enforcement officers arrive at a command post near the site of an explosion at a propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Fire crews pour water on a fire after an explosion at the Blue Rhino propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Fire crews pour water on a fire after an explosion at a propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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TAVARES, Fla. (AP) — A series of explosions rocked a central Florida propane gas plant and sent “boom after boom after boom” through the neighborhood around it. Several people were injured, with at least three critically injured.

All the workers at the plant were accounted for early Tuesday after officials initially could not account for more than a dozen employees.

John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night.

“Management is comfortable saying all of those they knew were there tonight have been accounted for,” he said.

One person injured in the explosion was listed in critical condition at University of Florida Health Shands Hospital. Two others were listed in critical condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center and a spokeswoman there said a third patient was en route, also listed as critical.

Herrell said some others drove themselves to area hospitals.

The Blue Rhino plant, which is northwest of Orlando, refilled propane tanks typically used for barbecues and other uses.

Herrell said a crew of 24 to 26 people was working at the plant on an overnight shift when the explosions occurred around 11 p.m.

Video footage on WESH-TV in Orlando showed fires burning through trucks used to transport propane tanks, which were parked at the plant. The fire was sending plumes of smoke into the air hours after the blast. Emergency crews could also be seen massing nearby.

Herrell said an evacuation zone was initially a one-mile radius but had been reduced to a half-mile radius. No injuries have been reported from residents in the neighborhood and residents were later allowed to return to their homes.

Marni Whitehead, 33, who lives less than a mile from the plant, said she was in bed ready to go to sleep when she heard a loud boom.

“It was like a car had run into my house, is what I thought had happened,” she said.

She ran outside and saw other neighbors outside and then they saw the explosions.

“We knew right away it was the plant, the propane plant,” Whitehead said. “After that, it was just sort of panic.”

Whitehead likened the explosions to Fourth of July fireworks. “And it was just boom after boom after boom,” she said.

Herrell said officials believe the fire was contained and wouldn’t spread to another part of the plant but they could not guarantee that.

Herrell said the plant usually has 53,000 20-pound propane tanks.

According to the Leesburg Daily Commercial, the plant was built in 2004 and employs fewer than 50 people.

Associated Press

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Top Headlines

Massive explosions rock central Fla. gas plant

Massive explosions rock central Fla. gas plant

Firefighters stand by near the scene of an explosion at a propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Firefighters stand by near the scene of an explosion at a propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Fire crews pour water on a fire after an explosion at the Blue Rhino propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Law enforcement officers arrive at a command post near the site of an explosion at a propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Fire crews pour water on a fire after an explosion at the Blue Rhino propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Fire crews pour water on a fire after an explosion at a propane gas company Tuesday, July 30, 2013, in Tavares, Fla. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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TAVARES, Fla. (AP) — A series of explosions rocked a central Florida propane gas plant and sent “boom after boom after boom” through the neighborhood around it. Several people were injured, with at least three critically injured.

All the workers at the plant were accounted for early Tuesday after officials initially could not account for more than a dozen employees.

John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night.

“Management is comfortable saying all of those they knew were there tonight have been accounted for,” he said.

One person injured in the explosion was listed in critical condition at University of Florida Health Shands Hospital. Two others were listed in critical condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center and a spokeswoman there said a third patient was en route, also listed as critical.

Herrell said some others drove themselves to area hospitals.

The Blue Rhino plant, which is northwest of Orlando, refilled propane tanks typically used for barbecues and other uses.

Herrell said a crew of 24 to 26 people was working at the plant on an overnight shift when the explosions occurred around 11 p.m.

Video footage on WESH-TV in Orlando showed fires burning through trucks used to transport propane tanks, which were parked at the plant. The fire was sending plumes of smoke into the air hours after the blast. Emergency crews could also be seen massing nearby.

Herrell said an evacuation zone was initially a one-mile radius but had been reduced to a half-mile radius. No injuries have been reported from residents in the neighborhood and residents were later allowed to return to their homes.

Marni Whitehead, 33, who lives less than a mile from the plant, said she was in bed ready to go to sleep when she heard a loud boom.

“It was like a car had run into my house, is what I thought had happened,” she said.

She ran outside and saw other neighbors outside and then they saw the explosions.

“We knew right away it was the plant, the propane plant,” Whitehead said. “After that, it was just sort of panic.”

Whitehead likened the explosions to Fourth of July fireworks. “And it was just boom after boom after boom,” she said.

Herrell said officials believe the fire was contained and wouldn’t spread to another part of the plant but they could not guarantee that.

Herrell said the plant usually has 53,000 20-pound propane tanks.

According to the Leesburg Daily Commercial, the plant was built in 2004 and employs fewer than 50 people.

Associated Press

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Top Headlines

Massive explosions rock central Fla. gas plant

No fatalities after Fla. gas plant blast

TAVARES, Fla. (AP) — All workers at a Florida gas plant rocked by a series of explosions have been accounted for after as many as 15 were initially feared killed, authorities say.

John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that all the workers at the Blue Rhino propane plant had been accounted for and that no fatalities had been reported after explosions hit the plant late Monday night. Seven people were injured and transported to local hospitals.

Herrell earlier had said 15 workers were unaccounted for after the blasts, but all were later found safe.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

A series of major explosions at a Florida gas plant has injured several workers and left others missing.

John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday that 15 people who worked at the Blue Rhino propane plant were still unaccounted for. Herrell’s news conference was carried live by WNET.

The Blue Rhino plant refilled propane tanks typically used for barbecues and other uses.

He said a crew of 24 to 26 people were working at the plant on an overnight shift when the explosions occurred late Monday. He said seven people were injured and transported to a local hospital and two employees escaped unharmed.

Video footage on WESH-TV in Orlando showed fires burning through trucks used to transport propane tanks, which were parked at the plant. The fire was sending plumes of smoke into the air nearly two hours after the blast. Emergency crews could also be seen massing nearby.

Herrell said an evacuation zone was initially a one-mile radius but had been reduced to a half-mile radius. No injuries have been reported from residents in the neighborhood.

Herrell said officials believe the fire is contained and won’t spread to another part of the plant but they cannot guarantee that.

Bryan Koon, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said he was still getting “preliminary information” from local authorities.

The blasts began about 11 p.m.

Herrell said the plant usually has 53,000 20-pound propane tanks.

According to the Leesburg Daily Commercial, the plant was built in 2004 and employs fewer than 50 people.

Associated Press

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No fatalities after Fla. gas plant blast

Massive explosions rock central Fla. gas plant

This frame grab from an Associated Press video shows flames from a gas plant explosion in Tavares City, Fla., Monday July 29, 2013. A series of major explosions at has injured several workers and left others missing. The Orlando Sentinel reported Monday night that Tavares City Administrator John Drury said 10 of 24 people working at Blue Rhino, a propane gas plant, have not been accounted for after the blasts. Lake County Sheriff Gary Borders says the blasts occurred inside the plant and blew the roof off. The newspaper reports that the blasts began about 11 p.m. and continued for about an hour. (AP Photo)

This frame grab from an Associated Press video shows flames from a gas plant explosion in Tavares City, Fla., Monday July 29, 2013. A series of major explosions at has injured several workers and left others missing. The Orlando Sentinel reported Monday night that Tavares City Administrator John Drury said 10 of 24 people working at Blue Rhino, a propane gas plant, have not been accounted for after the blasts. Lake County Sheriff Gary Borders says the blasts occurred inside the plant and blew the roof off. The newspaper reports that the blasts began about 11 p.m. and continued for about an hour. (AP Photo)

Map locates Tavares, Fla., where a propane gas plant exploded; 1c x 2 inches; 46.5 mm x 50 mm;

This frame grab provided by WKMG TV shows the fire at the Blue Rhino plant in Tavares City, Fla Tuesday July 30, 2013. A series of major explosions at a Florida gas plant has injured several workers and left others missing. The Orlando Sentinel reported Monday night July 29, 2013, that Tavares City Administrator John Drury said 10 of 24 people working at Blue Rhino, a propane gas plant, have not been accounted for after the blasts. Lake County Sheriff Gary Borders says the blasts occurred inside the plant and blew the roof off. (AP Photo/WKMG TV)

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TAVARES, Fla. (AP) — Massive explosions rocked a central Florida propane gas plant, sending seven people to area hospitals.

All the workers at the plant were accounted for early Tuesday after officials initially could not account for more than a dozen employees.

John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night.

“At this point we have no fatalities being reported,” he said. “Management is comfortable saying all of those they knew were there tonight have been accounted for.”

One person injured in the explosion was listed in critical condition at University of Florida Health Shands Hospital. Two others were listed in critical condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center and a spokeswoman there said a third patient was en route, also listed as critical.

Herrell said some others drove themselves to area hospitals.

The Blue Rhino plant refilled propane tanks typically used for barbecues and other uses.

Herrell said a crew of 24 to 26 people was working at the plant on an overnight shift when the explosions occurred around 11 p.m.

Video footage on WESH-TV in Orlando showed fires burning through trucks used to transport propane tanks, which were parked at the plant. The fire was sending plumes of smoke into the air hours after the blast. Emergency crews could also be seen massing nearby.

Herrell said an evacuation zone was initially a one-mile radius but had been reduced to a half-mile radius. No injuries have been reported from residents in the neighborhood and residents were later allowed to return to their homes.

Marni Whitehead, 33, who lives less than a mile from the plant, said she was in bed ready to go to sleep when she heard a loud boom.

“It was like a car had run into my house, is what I thought had happened,” she said.

She ran outside and saw other neighbors outside and then they saw the explosions.

“We knew right away it was the plant, the propane plant,” Whitehead said. “After that, it was just sort of panic.”

Whitehead likened the explosions to Fourth of July fireworks. “And it was just boom after boom after boom,” she said.

Herrell said officials believe the fire was contained and wouldn’t spread to another part of the plant but they could not guarantee that.

Herrell said the plant usually has 53,000 20-pound propane tanks.

According to the Leesburg Daily Commercial, the plant was built in 2004 and employs fewer than 50 people.

Associated Press

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Massive explosions rock central Fla. gas plant