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Subscribe to RSSA natural gas explosion levels a strip club and causes damage to surrounding buildings in Springfield, Mass. WHDH's Adam Harding reports.
Eighteen people were hurt when a natural gas leak triggered an explosion that completely leveled a strip club in Springfield, Mass., and damaged 12 other buildings, officials said Friday.
The blast blew out all windows in a three-block radius, and prompted emergency workers to evacuate a six-story apartment building that was buckling.
People were knocked off their feet by the blast, NBC affiliate WWLP-TV reported.
Those injured in the blast included nine firefighters, four gas company employees, two police officers, one water and sewage employee and two civilians.
Two hospitals treated the injured people, though none were in critical condition, officials said.
"It really was a miracle on Worthington Street that no one was killed," Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray told reporters at a news conference in Springfield Friday night.
The blast, which leveled the Scores Gentlemen's Club, was was heard for miles.
Fire Marshall Joe Conan told reporters at the press conference that the call reporting a strong gas odor came in at 4:20 p.m., and the explosion took place at 5:25, about 15 minutes after the gas was shut off.
The club had been evacuated by the time gas leak ignited.
A dancer at the club told The Springfield Republican that she was on stage when the evacuation order came.
While she was gathering her clothes, she said, the manager came up and told everyone, "I don’t care if you’re (expletive) naked or not, get out."
Don Treeger / Springfield Republican via AP
Gas company workers stand where a building was leveled by an explosion in downtown Springfield, Mass., on Friday.
"I feel lucky we got out," said the dancer, identified only as Debbie. She said all her work clothes were lost.
At a restaurant two blocks away, waitress Stephanie Simmons said the blast shocked customers.
"It rocked us so hard the windows smashed," she told The Springfield Republican. "It felt like an earthquake or a large explosion. There was pretty much chaos."
Officials at the news conference said that teams of inspectors would be sent to look at damaged buildings on Saturday, and there would likely be controlled demolition of those that were badly damaged to make the scene safe.
Meantime, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency was assisting the city to provide shelter for people displaced by the explosion, Lt. Gov. Murray told reporters at the press conference.
Springfield is the largest city in western Massachusetts with a population of about 150,000.
NBC News' Kari Huus and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
"She said all her work clothes were lost." ??? I thought her work required no clothes.
Silly, they don't start nude! Shoes!
Usualy they start in a cocktail dress for the first song. But most guys ignore that and wait at least until she is topless to visit the stage. Buck naked (where allowed) is the final.
Just the latest example of how our country's infrastructure is crumbling. How many more incidents like this will it take before money starts getting put where it's desperately needed - into natural gas lines, water lines, telephone lines and poles, electrical systems, roads, bridges, etc.? We need to wake up before people start dying by the hundreds and thousands.
You obviously have no idea what really goes on in these companies. They don't do their safety checks!!
Does everyone know what happens when you're in an area filled with gas and it goes off? If you're lucky enough not to catch on fire you are instantly out of oxygen. I'm not sure how long it takes for the area to regain enough oxygen to keep humans alive I guess it would depend on the wind speed and where you are when it is ignited. I'm just guessing so don't take my word for it.
Not very long. At sea level, you stand at the bottom of an ocean of air that extends all the way into the upper atmosphere. If memory serves, standard sea-level air pressure is 14psi. If you're in a building, you may have some troubles, but an explosion powerful enough to consume all the oxygen will probably open the structure enough to allow the air to flood in rapidly.
Fun with natural gas, how old was the line, any work around the line lately, any service done recently? It is always a very scary outcome when a buildup blows.
If this was a mom and pop store I would feel bad but its not,it was once a mob cash cow but has worn out its usefullness.Will they rebuild,nobody cares.
Maybe they needed the insurance money and it was an "inside job."
Hey? Are all the grammar police on vacation? I thought one of the first comments would be regarding this great piece of writing :Eighteen people were hurt when a natural gas leak triggered an explosion that completely leveled a strip club in Springfield, Mass., and damaged 12 others, officials said Friday. Imagine ...13 strip clubs all damaged at once ...
Wow, and to think I used to know Springfield, Mass only because of James Naismith and the birthplace of basketball!
I live in Springfield MA, and I did indeed hear that explosion. Thought it was nearby, but it was downtown apparently.
Sure has been a lot of gas explosions lately.. Coincidence, or something more?
looks like someone got "blowed" at the stripclub !!
had edit myself inappropriate. sorry
I think it would be much safer if people started moving away from natural gas towards a safer alternative. On-site energy systems, such as corn furnaces, are much safer. Perhaps a product could be developed that burns garbage cleanly on site.
But there is this ridiculous notion of historic preservation standing in the way. Some people feel that adding anything modern to a house is a sacrilegious.
Repairing pipelines requires willing labor and management as well. I am beginning to think that some of our companies are now run by idiots who just collect our money and do nothing to maintain the pipelines. If you ask me, allowing some of our pipelines to approach 100 years of age without replacing them is nothing short of willful negligence.
Maintaining these stupid pipelines is proving to be not worth the effort.
"I feel lucky we got out," said the dancer, identified only as Debbie. She said all her work clothes were lost.
Now that there is funny, I don't care who you are.
Useless strip clubs. I'll try to destroy many more in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Thank you for coming clean about this. Now turn yourself in to the police, you could have killed someone!
R.H. If it wasn't for the men, there wouldn't be any need for a strip club. And why are they useless, it does give people a job. Besides the strippers, you have bouncers, bartenders, waitress, sound tech's, and who knows who else working there.
And it never fails, always a loud mouth punk spouting nonsense like R.H.
Seems God doesn't think so from the headline ,we all know he's the only one who dishes out them miracles!!!! And by the way don't be surprised if someone flashing a badge appears at your door !!!
No SallyAnn. If it weren't for the WOMEN there wouldn't be a need for strip clubs. Picky, prudish, and generally non-amorous women.
Bob's got a point, SallyAnn. When men get what they need at home, they don't go out looking.
It was a "miracle" that no one died in the blast? So, there would have surely been deaths at this strip club, had "god" not performed a "miracle" to prevent them? At a strip club?? Perhaps the magical sky-dude is not the uptight, petty tyrant that so many of his followers believe he is! In what way was this a "miracle" anyway? Was the blast so strong or people so close to it that it was a total impossibility of zero deaths? Is a magical, supernatural intervention the only way no one could have died? And why did the "miracle" worker not prevent injuries as well?
The miracle was how He turned two ones into enough fiat currency to stuff the G-strings of the multitude. Just like Ben Bernanke.
The lesson here - have a few beers, enjoy the girls but if they serve food stay away from the burritos.
And go easy on the Boston Baked Beans.
. . All this talk about our infrastructiure....you would think Washington is a different planet....
cut, cut, cut.....THEY are the direct cause of these problems - - - and get re-elected over and over again.
Does anyone even realize there were third party candidates ??
. . WASHINGTON....THE LAND OF TWO PARTIES.............F U N .....and .... G A M E S
anyone who voted for these people should be ashamed of themselves.
....worried about tax cuts for the rich. .
. . . looking to start another WAR to keep their secret budgets secret - - the election is over and its too late.....so tell me how many people enjoy five week paid vacations.....vote their own raises......
Interesting a strip club had a gas problem. Sounds like arson to me. Gas lines and appliances are pretty safe these days, it isn't aging infrastructure. Very suspicious.
Please educate yourself. Underground gas lines with a predicted 50 year lifespan have now been used for over 80 years.
The only money that needs to be spent in Springfield is to bulldoze it down what a septic tank !!!! It is a total scum hole and a total embarrassment to the state of Massachusetts. I wouldn't be worried about explosions I would worry more about being shot !! UGH! pit hole
That must have been about 10 ozs. in total. The heels can always be used for stakes though in the re-construction.
She said all her work clothes were lost.
You mean, her G strings? Two feathers? Oh no!
Probably more like several thousand dollars worth of exotic footwear. Have you ever priced Red Bottom heels?
Mafia hit, plain and simple. Someone didn't pay their protection money.
How come not one of the tree hugging liberals are questioning where the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities is in all of this?
The board members are routinely selected from retired contributors and board members newly retired from the companies they are charged with overseeing.
Does anyone care that we have allowed foreign companies to acquire our utilities providers? That Saudi money controls our major gas utilities companies?
Nope doesn't bother me one bit. Why? Because if I let it bother me it would just cause me grief and as there is not a damned thing I can do about it so why should I let it bother me..
Let it bother you enough for the both of us....
you're giving me gas.
Judgement for lusting after the flesh.
I thought this was going to be a story about a hate crime commited against Catholics.