The eruption tossed back a 51-year-old worker and spewed steam at him, burning more than half his body. By late afternoon, his condition was growing worse at The Ottawa Hospital's General campus.
(...)
The explosion blew out two doors, damaged the roof and buckled an exterior wall, said Nitschmann, crippling what he says is the largest heating plant in Canada. It may also be one of the oldest, built in 1918. The equipment was up to date, however, with six high-pressure boilers, fired by natural gas. They bring the water to superheated temperatures of 480 degrees at pressures of about 185 pounds per square inch or more. By comparison, a car tire takes about 35 pounds per square inch.
(...)
Nitschmann understood that there was a natural gas explosion in one of the boilers. "The discussion is going to be why."
Let us pray.
