‘I was scared to death’: Workers, residents react to explosion at CSX facility in Curtis Bay

By Tommie Clark

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    BALTIMORE, Maryland (WBAL) — Marylanders miles out from Curtis Bay had their homes shake Thursday as a coal dust explosion at a CSX facility caused the scare, felt across the harbor.

Baltimore City fire crews responded to the explosion Thursday morning.

According to city fire officials, contractors at CSX Curtis Bay Coal Terminal were moving coal around 11:30 a.m. on a conveyor belt in a tunnel when a build-up of coal dust happened, causing the explosion.

Fire officials said there was no fire, but there was damage to the equipment to the facility.

Officials said there was no risk to the surrounding community, but some workers and residents were still shaken up.

“I was scared to death. I’m still scared. I’m still shook up,” Patrick Galliher, who works in Curtis Bay, said.

Baltimoreans were working just a couple hundred feet from the plant when they felt the ground shake.

“We all ran out to see what was going on and that’s when we noticed that the plant blew up,” Galliher said.

Anthony Tasker and his neighbors live just down the street.

“I heard this boom. And I looked out the window then I heard four more after that. Then I see the smoke roll up, so I took off down there to see if anybody was hurt or anything,” Tasker said.

The damage from the explosion was felt hard, according to Curtis Bay resident Dennis Bright.

“All the windows imploded. Every one of them,” Bright said.

Bright lives directly across the street from the plant. Glass shattered in front of his face as his entire building rattled.

“I was having a cup of coffee in the kitchen and I’m standing about this far from the window and I’m looking at my coffee and the explosion happened. I don’t know why I didn’t realize it. All the glass from the window came right at me,” he said.

He wasn’t hurt. Bright and his neighbors are now picking up the pieces left behind by the burst.

“It shook the whole ground. Busted windows all out of the street down there. It was bad,” Curtis Bay resident Christopher Ashbrook said.

CSX officials told 11 News all employees were accounted for and there were no injuries reported.

The cause of the incident is under investigation, CSX officials said.

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