FreaknDavid

Officials: 1 killed, 16 hospitalized when storm collapses St. Louis tent

By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 10:06 AM EDT, Sun April 29, 2012


Weather blamed for tent collapse.


One person was killed and 16 others hospitalized Saturday afternoon when a sports bar tent collapsed during a storm that swept through the St. Louis area, fire officials said.
Five people suffered serious injuries. Nearly 100 others were treated at the scene, mostly for bruises, cuts, twisted ankles and one broken arm, officials said.

St. Louis Cardinals baseball fans had gathered at Kilroy's, which had a tent set up in the rear, according to fire Capt. Dan Sutter.

Wind gusts estimated to be about 50 miles per hour lifted the tent, according to Eddie Roth, the city's public safety director. While the tent had received a city permit, manufacturer guidelines called for it to withstand winds of up to 90 miles per hour, said building commissioner Frank Oswald.

Oswald said officials had not yet determined whether there was a manufacturing or installation failure. The fire marshal was to conduct an investigation into the incident.

Up to 150 fans may have been under the tent, built of aluminum poles and guy wires, when the storm struck shortly before 4 p.m. (5 p.m. ET). They went to Kilroy's, south of Busch Stadium, after the Cardinals defeated the Milwaukee Brewers. "We had live wires lying on the ground. We have severe injuries to quite a few people," said St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson. "This gives us nightmares."

"The music was loud and people had been in attendance at the ball game all afternoon," Deputy Fire Chief John Altmann told reporters. "I don't think they were really aware of the seriousness of the situation."

The tent came to rest on a railroad trestle.

The area had been under a severe thunderstorm watch, with a warning issued shortly before the incident. "Anytime we put a lot of people in open areas and you have hazardous weather, it is a dangerous situation," Altmann said.

Oswald said he believed the tent met manufacturer construction specifications. The city inspects such structures for fire safety and exit lights, but installation is up to the contractor. Inspectors were on site after the permit was issued earlier this month, according to Oswald.

"Like the chief said, it is important that people are aware of the weather situation," he said. "These are temporary structures. They are certainly not designed to any stretch of the imagination to handle a severe weather event like this. Be aware of your surroundings and try to get somewhere safe."

Video shot by KSDK showed remains of the crumpled tent and dazed patrons standing outside.

A strong thunderstorm north of the city produced golf-ball-sized and larger hail, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Kramper.
A tornado warning for downtown St. Louis expired before 7 p.m.

__________________
Rock Out With DreamTeamDownloads1-The Best Place To Be For Downloads.

You Can Help the site If You Donate, Please Click Here: DONATE

Thank You For Your Support & Membership To DTD1.

photostill

I'm always sad to hear some one lost their life in such a freak storm. One would think by now we would all be used to it but somehow, it never works out that way.

I distinctly remember a tent episode from my military days. Seems there was a tornado came through and a couple of soldiers were assigned to 'guard a tent', while it aired out before storage. Only while they were on the job, the tornado took it. Wasn't to be found anywhere, never did hear if they ever recovered it.

But the two guards? The military was considering giving them punishment for the loss of the tent. Whoever said military intelligence was an oxymoron, was closer to the truth than most of us realize.

__________________

You can help this site, by clicking on the link below to buy a Premium Account.
& Thank you for helping us. Click;