A small block of data in a Google data center in western Iowa exploded late Monday night, injuring employees and Some facilities have temporarily closed. Google's most popular services, including Gmail, YouTube, and the Google search engine.
Three employees were injured in an explosion at a data center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, local officials said.
"Three workers were accessing an electrical cabinet when the ark flashed and all three were on fire," said the Council Bluffs fire chief. Justin his James told his CBS Moneywatch. "Everyone was taken to a trauma center for treatment."
Used in buildings to store and process information that people typically generate while working on their personal computers. Google owns 14 data centersin the United States, including his second data center outside Omaha in Papillion, Nebraska.
An arc flash is a sudden burst of light and heat that occurs when a powerful electrical current flows through a conductor, fails to reach its intended destination, and reaches the ground. The heat emitted from an arc flash can reach35,000 degrees Fahrenheit according to theOccupational Safety and Health Administration.
First responders headed to the Council Bluffs data center around midnight after being told there had been a "massive explosion," said Council Bluffs Fire Department aide Jim Wood.toldOmaha World-Herald.
On Tuesday, Google did not immediately respond to the request. The Council Bluffs data center was built in 2007 and currently employs more than 900 people, according to the company'scompanywebsite.
This is a work in progress.
Christopher J Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch, covering business, consumer and financial topics ranging from economic inequality and housing to bankruptcies and the sports business.
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