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At least three workers were injured in an explosion aboard a pair of Mobile River barges. Per the U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday, the fire caused by the incident has since been stopped. Reports from Mobile fire officials stated that three of the workers who were getting the barges ready for reloading Wednesday night were severely burned as a result of the boat explosion. Another report released on Thursday stated that the injured workers were in critical condition. They were transported to a hospital and can be found at the University of South Alabama Medical Center. Detectives working on the case believe that as of now there are no missing workers. During the first initial explosion authorities found that the barge was mostly empty. They believe that it was a spark that ignited the vapors inside of it, which then caused an explosion that ignited a second barge. Coast Guard Lt. Mike Clausen told reporters that it is believed that a total of seven explosions occurred on the barges. A manager at an Inn across the river told reporters that the sound was incredibly loud, it sounded like “planes above you dropping bombs.” “We were up on a second floor balcony and the sky lit up in orange and yellow,” he said. A safety zone at the scene was lifted by the waterway after the fire was out. The U.S. Coast Guards deemed it safe for others to pass through the area and now the shipping channel is open once again. Carnival Triumph is moored across the river from the barges. It is the same cruise ship that lost power in February and drifted in the Gulf of Mexico for days before being towed to Mobile for repairs. Reportedly 800 employees working on the ship were evacuated for safety reasons. They were all transported to the Civic Center to wait until it was once again deemed safe to return to work. They were given food and drinks while they patiently waited for the U.S. Coast Guards and fire fighters to finish their work. It wasn’t until morning time that the workers were once again allowed to return to work on the ship. Per reports, no one aboard the cruise ship was injured. Perhaps it was due to the protocol that emergency respondents decided to abide by in extricating the cruise ship workers from the ship in case of another serious problem. About the author: Paul E. Lee is a car accident lawyer who cares about the community.
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