A rapid succession of explosions late Wednesday — one equal to 21 tons of TNT — killed at least 56 people, injured more than 720 and left several firefighters missing. They were sparked by a fire at what authorities said were shipping containers containing hazardous material. They struck a mostly nonresidential warehouse district late at night — otherwise the death toll could have been much higher.
However, the toll included at least 21 firefighters among the more than 1,000 sent to the disaster. Firefighters initially responded to a fire at the warehouse and many of them apparently were killed by a series of explosions triggered 40 minutes after the fire was reported.
"Reinforcements had just arrived on the scene and were just getting to work when the explosions occurred and therefore there was no chance to escape, and that's why the casualties were so severe," Tianjin Fire Department head Zhou Tian said at a news conference Friday. "We're now doing all we can to rescue the missing."
One firefighter was pulled from the zone at about dawn Friday and taken to a hospital, where he was being treated for face, chest and foot injuries, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Authorities have publicly assured a skeptical public that the blasts have not contaminated the air but have been relatively reticent about other concerns raised, such as whether residences were too close to the warehouse and whether firefighters may have sparked the blasts by spraying water on volatile chemicals.
Many Tianjin residents weren't taking any chances and could be seen Friday wearing air-filtering masks.
"I don't usually wear a mask but I don't quite trust what the government says," said Ma Wiehan, wearing a mask while walking with her 6-month-old daughter. "I'm doing this for my child."
One report in the Chinese press suggested that water used by first responders may have come into contact with a chemical that explodes on contact with water, but an official was quoted as saying the first wave of firefighters could not have sparked the blasts.
Many of the fire trucks seen at the site hours after the blasts use a kind of firefighting foam.
Authorities have not said what caused the explosions, saying only that they originated at the warehouse owned by Ruihai International Logistics. Its website says the company is authorized to handle chemicals ranging from flammable gases and liquids, including compressed natural gas and ethyl acetate, to chemicals that explode on contact with water, including sodium cyanide and calcium carbide.
However, the warehouse was a transit point and authorities have no clear picture of what was there at the time of the blasts. Records at the site were destroyed in the disaster, meaning that authorities must rely on customs documents, said Gao Huaiyou, deputy director of occupational safety in Tianjin.
City officials so far have confirmed only that calcium carbide, potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate were at the warehouse.
Zhou said further firefighting efforts must go slowly because of the potentially complex mix of chemicals at the site.
"Many types of different materials with different characteristics are mixed together and could at any time result in a chemical reaction or explosion," Zhou said.
At one point early Friday evening, a small explosion could be seen inside the cordoned-off zone, in what may have been a controlled blast by firefighters.
In an interview with the Shanghai-based publication The Paper, a fire official at the Ministry of Public Safety, Lei Jinde, was quoted as confirming that the first wave of firefighters used water to cool down areas on fire. When asked whether he knew there was calcium carbide at the warehouse, he said yes and that firefighters would not have sprayed water on the substance.
When asked whether the initial firefighter response could have sparked the second blast, Lei said "No. The response procedure must have been scientific."
On the day after the blasts, Tianjin environmental protection chief Wen Wurui told a news conference that there had been no apparent contamination of the air, based on samples taken at five air monitoring stations throughout the city. He also said all waterways leading from the disaster site to the sea had been sealed to contain any potential water leaks.
(AP)
Charred remains of new cars are seen in a parking lot near the site of
an explosion at a warehouse in northeastern China's Tianjin
municipality, Friday, Aug. 14, 2015. Explosions that sent huge fireballs
through China's Tianjin port have disrupted the flow of cars, oil, iron
ore and other items through the world's 10th largest port.
A window shattered by the shockwaves frames the site of an explosion at a
warehouse in northeastern China's Tianjin municipality, Friday, Aug.
14, 2015. Explosions that sent huge fireballs through China's Tianjin
port have disrupted the flow of cars, oil, iron ore and other items
through the world's 10th largest port.
A rescue worker walks on an elevated highway looking over the site of an
explosion at a warehouse in northeastern China's Tianjin municipality,
Friday, Aug. 14, 2015. Explosions that sent huge fireballs through
China's Tianjin port have disrupted the flow of cars, oil, iron ore and
other items through the world's 10th largest port.
Chinese firefighter Zhou Ti is treated in Taida Hospital in north
China's Tianjin municipality Friday, Aug. 14, 2015. Rescuers pulled Zhou
from an industrial zone about 32 hours after it was devastated by huge
blasts in China’s Tianjin port. Meanwhile, authorities are moving
gingerly forward in dealing with a fire still smoldering amid
potentially dangerous chemicals.