Salvation Army chapel in Muskogee damaged by Yaffe Iron and Metal plant explosion

A lot of folks near the blast site in Muskogee didn't know how bad the damage was in the neighborhoods near Yaffe Iron and Metals Company until daylight. <br/><br/>Crews evacuated people all around

Wednesday, December 29th 2004, 4:44 pm

By: News On 6

A lot of folks near the blast site in Muskogee didn't know how bad the damage was in the neighborhoods near Yaffe Iron and Metals Company until daylight.

Crews evacuated people all around the Yaffe plant around 10:30 Tuesday night, moving them out of harm's way. A lot of them came home early Wednesday morning to find the damage left behind.

Marvin Dare works as the custodian at the Salvation Army Chapel and lives just a couple blocks away. He said just a few pictures were knocked off his walls at his home, but the damage was much worse at the chapel, which was closer to the blast site. The impact of the explosion shook the church, busting out the windows all along the south side of the building and the east wall of the chapel.

The explosion's force also shook the ceilings loose in many of the Salvation Army's classrooms and brought down the ceiling in this rest room. Marvin says it could be quite a while before all the mess is cleaned up. "If it was all done at one time, we could get it done within three days, but they won't do it that a way. See, the Salvation Army operates when we've got money. These may be here two months or more before we get the money to put the windows in."

Everyone at the Salvation Army says they're thankful their building wasn't full when the explosion happened.