▁clean ing ▁operation , ▁ 4 2 ▁workers ▁were ▁inside ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁T ET Co ▁natural ▁gas ▁t anks ▁which ▁had ▁supposed ly ▁been ▁completely ▁dra ined ▁ten ▁months ▁earlier . ▁However , ▁ign ition ▁occurred , ▁causing ▁a ▁pl ume ▁of ▁comb ust ing ▁gas ▁to ▁rise ▁within ▁the ▁tank . ▁Two ▁workers ▁near ▁the ▁top ▁felt ▁the ▁heat ▁and ▁r ushed ▁to ▁the ▁safety ▁of ▁sc aff old ing ▁outside . ▁The ▁other ▁forty ▁workers ▁were ▁not ▁so ▁fort un ate . ▁They ▁all ▁died ▁as ▁the ▁concrete ▁cap ▁on ▁the ▁tank ▁rose ▁ 2 0 – 3 0 ▁feet ▁in ▁the ▁air ▁and ▁then ▁came ▁crash ing ▁back ▁down , ▁cr ushing ▁them ▁to ▁death . ▁ ▁Com mer cial , ▁but ▁not ▁resident ial , ▁development ▁acceler ated ▁rapidly ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 2 0 0 0 s , ▁when ▁several ▁large ▁office ▁buildings ▁were ▁constructed ; ▁this ▁in ▁turn ▁led ▁to ▁the ▁establishment ▁of ▁other ▁business es , ▁including ▁two ▁hot els , ▁Hil ton ▁Garden ▁Inn ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 1 ▁and ▁Ham pton ▁Inn ▁& ▁Su ites ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 7 ▁on ▁South ▁Avenue , ▁the ▁main ▁thorough fare . ▁Blo om field ' s ▁vast ▁exp ans es ▁of ▁open ▁space ▁have ▁made ▁it ▁the ▁focus ▁of ▁many ▁am bit ious ▁propos als ▁in ▁the ▁ 2 0 0 0 s , ▁including ▁a ▁failed ▁proposal ▁to ▁build ▁a ▁NAS C AR ▁rac et rack ▁at ▁the ▁site ▁of ▁the ▁former