For Immediate Release

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: ben@jgpr.net

Taunton Fire Department Declares Hazmat Incident after Industrial Explosion

Three Workers Treated and Released from Morton Hospital

TAUNTON — Chief Timothy J. Bradshaw reports that the Taunton Fire Department responded to an industrial facility early Sunday morning after three workers were injured in a chemical explosion.

Firefighters responded to IQE, located at 200 John Hancock Road, at 12:25 a.m. for a reported explosion inside the pant. Upon arrival, the first arriving engine company found three employees suffering from flash burns on their faces and hands. Firefighters were notified about the possibility that hazardous materials were released into the air.

A Tier 2 Hazardous Materials Response was requested, bringing in resources, personnel and equipment from around the region.
Officials on-scene determined that the incident involved compressed hydrogen and arsine. The hazmat crew determined that there was no release of materials into the environment and that the danger was confined to a piece of equipment used in manufacturing.
At the time of the explosion, the equipment was under going maintenance.

The three employees were transported by Brewster Ambulance to Morton Hospital, where they were treated and released. No firefighters were injured.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation.

According to its website, IQE is “the global leader in the design and manufacture of advanced semiconductor wafer products.”

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