NEWBURYPORT — Acting Chief Stephen H. Bradbury III reports that the Newburyport Fire Department and its mutual aid partners remain on scene of a seven-alarm hazardous materials incident at an industrial park.
As part of the on-going response, air meters have been set up around the scene’s perimeter and have shown no hazards in the air.
Newburyport Fire officials would like to emphasize that there is no danger to the public.
Environmental cleanup crews are on scene assessing any impact the incident may have caused to local streams.
While the fire has been extinguished, emergency crews are expected to remain at the scene throughout the day, and likely into tomorrow.
Five workers were in the building at the time of the explosion. Four were taken to a local hospital, where they were treated and released.
A fifth worker remains unaccounted for.
Mutual aid was provided by State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey, East Kingston, N.H. Fire and Chief Ed Warren, Amesbury Fire and Chief Jim Nolan and Deputy Chief David Mather, Northeast Technical Rescue Team, North Reading Fire, Department of Fire Services Technical Rescue, Hazardous Material, and Incident Rehab Units, North Andover Fire and Chief John Weir, Cataldo Ambulance, and the Ipswich, Salisbury, Newbury, Seabrook, West Newbury, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Rowley, Salem, N.H., Exeter, N.H., Hampton, N.H., and North Hampton, N.H. Fire Departments.
Station coverage is being provided by the Danvers, Lawrence, and Topsfield Fire Departments.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is on scene at this time.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) also are assisting on scene.
About 12:45 a.m. on Thursday, 911 operators received a report of an explosion at 9 Opportunity Way. Upon arrival, fire crews saw that an industrial-sized vat from inside the building had moved about 30 feet because of the explosion, and it was now sitting in an adjacent parking lot.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation by the Newburyport Fire Department and State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit attached to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
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