SEOUL, May 19 (UPI) — Dozens of gas explosions at a U.S. military base in South Korea sent debris flying into the air and set off a fire at a nearby greenhouse and thrift store.
The incident occurred at Camp Carroll, less than 200 miles from Seoul in North Gyeongsang Province, when oxygen tanks exploded in a chain reaction, the Korea Herald reported Thursday.
The explosions began at exactly 2:28 p.m., according to local news agency Yonhap.
The oxygen tanks, which each weighed about 110 pounds and were used for welding and air injection, exploded for three minutes.
As the oxygen tanks exploded, adjacent containers of nitrogen collected pressure and burst.
A wall of an adjacent residential complex collapsed as a result of the explosion, and shook the glass windows of homes about 200 meters from the site.
A South Korean resident who was about 50 meters from the site said the explosions “occurred in chain reaction” and that vibrations could be felt.
The witness also said the explosion sent debris flying, and set off a fire at a nearby greenhouse and thrift store.
The debris that flew was about “three times the size of a portable butane gas cylinder,” the source said.
A local South Korean fire department dispatched 15 engines to extinguish the fire. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the explosion.
No casualties were reported.
