THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 27, 1996 TAG: 9607270360
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL NEWBERRY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: 44 lines
A massive explosion rocked Centennial Olympic Park early today, injuring hundreds of people, fire officials said.
A spokeswoman for the Atlanta Fire Department, who would not give her name, said that 150 to 200 people were injured at about 1:20 a.m. when the explosion struck a tower near a stage where thousands of revelers were watching a concert.
There were no immediate reports of any fatalities in the explosion, which rocked neighboring buildings and could be heard throughout the downtown area.
``I thought it was fireworks, like a big boom, and I saw three guys laying in the street,'' said Terry Tyson, who witnessed the explosion. ``They all had leg injuries. Blood was running down the street. It was horrible.''
Tom Williams was standing just across the street when he heard the tower ``blow up.''
``I was walking along and three people were laying in the street,'' he said. ``I didn't see any fire, just smoke.''
He said the three men he saw must have been ``blown over the fence'' which surrounds the park, since there was no other debris in the street.
The tower, apparently used for lighting and sound near the main concert stage at the park, was still standing after the blast, but debris littered the base of the structure.
Another witness, Chris Bender, said he heard what sounded like a cannon. ``I saw a bunch of smoke come up and saw particles in my eyes,'' he said.
Police and other security officers swarmed through the streets trying to clear the area, forcing people away from the park, which sits at the hub of the Olympic Games. Three major sports arenas are adjacent to the park, though sports competition had ended when the explosion occurred.
The park was packed with people, many of whom ran through the streets in tears.
Witness Snenetricus Warford said the explosion appeared to come from a garbage can.
``I looked up, there was fire and smoke going up,'' she said. ``People were there. It blew them over. Some people got hit, some people didn't get hit. People were dancing, watching the concert, having a good time and it went up. I saw flames.'' by CNB