Humberto Vidal Explosion
Encyclopedia
The Humberto Vidal Explosion (sometimes also referred to as the Río Piedras Explosion) was a gas explosion
that occurred on November 21, 1996 at the Humberto Vidal shoe store located in Río Piedras
, Puerto Rico
. The explosion killed 33 and wounded more than 80 others when the building collapsed. It is considered one of the deadliest disasters to have occurred on the island.
The explosion occurred at about 8:35am, on Thursday, November 21, 1996 in the middle of a bustling commercial sector of Río Piedras
. The six-story building that housed the Humberto Vidal shoe store, a jewelry store, a music shop store and the head offices of Humberto Vidal was virtually destroyed and eventually it was demolished.
The immediate theory was that the explosion was caused by a bomb planted by local terrorists
or even arson
due to previous deliberate acts in the past. However, there was no trace of either explosives, nor were there flammable materials an arsonist could have used.
United States President Bill Clinton
declared Puerto Rico a disaster area
, which ensured the receipt of federal aid to help the victims, including the NTSB which launched an investigation. San Juan Gas Company, owned by Enron Corporation, denied any responsibility claiming that the building had no gas service at the time of the explosion.
administered last rites
.
gas was broken. A few years earlier, a water main was installed below, which bent the pipe in the process. When the pipe had been installed, it was already in tight bend, adding to its stress levels. The addition of the water main caused it to break.
The deadly gas was able to get into the shop basement from migrating around and over pipes, causing the bad smell. However the biggest problem was that the gas company technicians were unable to detect the gas before the blast. Investigators discovered that holes used to detect gas below were only 46cm (1.5 feet) deep when the gas was about 4 feet down, therefore, there was no way it could be detected in this manner. The most crucial error came in the basement inspection. The technician was supposed to turn his equipment on in fresh air before entering the building, but he instead turned it on once inside the building, thus detecting no gas.
The ignition source was an air conditioning switch with heated wiring, causing the whole building to be stripped to its skeleton.
The San Juan Gas Company vehemently denied responsibility and suggested that it could have been caused by sewer gas instead. However, the lighter-than-air sewer gas collects in the ceiling, while propane collects on the floor. The explosion showed that stored shoes were tossed up, meaning that the fuel had to be at ground level.
The area of the explosion now has a mural
in remembrance of the people who died.
The disaster was examined by the Puerto Rico Gas Explosion episode of documentary
series Seconds From Disaster
on the National Geographic Channel
.
Gas explosion
A gas explosion is an explosion resulting from a gas leak in the presence of an ignition source. The principal explosive gases are natural gas, methane, propane and butane, because they are widely used for heating purposes. However, many other gases like hydrogen, are combustible and have caused...
that occurred on November 21, 1996 at the Humberto Vidal shoe store located in Río Piedras
Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
Río Piedras is a district of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 1714, it has been the home of the University of Puerto Rico's main campus since 1903, earning the town the popular name of Ciudad Universitaria...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. The explosion killed 33 and wounded more than 80 others when the building collapsed. It is considered one of the deadliest disasters to have occurred on the island.
Explosion
Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
Río Piedras is a district of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 1714, it has been the home of the University of Puerto Rico's main campus since 1903, earning the town the popular name of Ciudad Universitaria...
. The six-story building that housed the Humberto Vidal shoe store, a jewelry store, a music shop store and the head offices of Humberto Vidal was virtually destroyed and eventually it was demolished.
The immediate theory was that the explosion was caused by a bomb planted by local terrorists
Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional (Puerto Rico)
The Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional was a Puerto Rican clandestine paramilitary organization that, through direct action, advocated complete independence for Puerto Rico. At the time of its dissolution, the FALN was responsible for more than 120 bomb attacks on United States targets between...
or even arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
due to previous deliberate acts in the past. However, there was no trace of either explosives, nor were there flammable materials an arsonist could have used.
United States President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
declared Puerto Rico a disaster area
Disaster area
A disaster area is a region or a locale heavily damaged by either natural hazards, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, earthquakes, technological hazards including nuclear and radiation accidents, or sociological hazards like riots, terrorism or war. The population living there often...
, which ensured the receipt of federal aid to help the victims, including the NTSB which launched an investigation. San Juan Gas Company, owned by Enron Corporation, denied any responsibility claiming that the building had no gas service at the time of the explosion.
Casualties
In the end, the explosion killed 33 victims and wounded more than 80 others. Most of the victims were inside the building at the moment of the explosion, but others were in the streets surrounding the building. After the explosion, bodies of victims were placed in the pavement in front of the nearby La Milagrosa Church, where Cardinal Luis Aponte MartínezLuis Aponte Martínez
Luis Aponte Martínez is the only Puerto Rican ever to be consecrated a cardinal of the Catholic Church, and for 34 years was the Archbishop of San Juan. Cardinal Aponte was a cardinal elector in the two conclaves of 1978....
administered last rites
Last Rites
The Last Rites are the very last prayers and ministrations given to many Christians before death. The last rites go by various names and include different practices in different Christian traditions...
.
Investigation
The investigation of the NTSB revealed that several persons had reported an alleged gas leak in the building in the days leading up to the explosion. The store had no gas supply, so another nearby gas line looked like the culprit. It was discovered that a gas pipe which carried the heavier-than-air propanePropane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
gas was broken. A few years earlier, a water main was installed below, which bent the pipe in the process. When the pipe had been installed, it was already in tight bend, adding to its stress levels. The addition of the water main caused it to break.
The deadly gas was able to get into the shop basement from migrating around and over pipes, causing the bad smell. However the biggest problem was that the gas company technicians were unable to detect the gas before the blast. Investigators discovered that holes used to detect gas below were only 46cm (1.5 feet) deep when the gas was about 4 feet down, therefore, there was no way it could be detected in this manner. The most crucial error came in the basement inspection. The technician was supposed to turn his equipment on in fresh air before entering the building, but he instead turned it on once inside the building, thus detecting no gas.
The ignition source was an air conditioning switch with heated wiring, causing the whole building to be stripped to its skeleton.
The San Juan Gas Company vehemently denied responsibility and suggested that it could have been caused by sewer gas instead. However, the lighter-than-air sewer gas collects in the ceiling, while propane collects on the floor. The explosion showed that stored shoes were tossed up, meaning that the fuel had to be at ground level.
Aftermath
The San Juan Gas Company was sued by the victims' families. Both parties settled, though the company admitted no wrongdoing. There was also criticism of the company's training practices, which management promised to rectify.The area of the explosion now has a mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
in remembrance of the people who died.
The disaster was examined by the Puerto Rico Gas Explosion episode of documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
series Seconds From Disaster
Seconds From Disaster
-By original broadcast date:National Geographic Channel has broadcast many episodes under multiple titles. The title currently or most recently listed on the NGC Calendar is shown first...
on the National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
.