4-Alarm Fire Creates Runoff Problem

AN EXPLOSION THAT TRIGGERED A LARGE FIRE in Middleton, Massachusetts, Sunday night created a potentially hazardous threat to the Ipswich River from firefighting runoff.  The blast hit an adhesive factory owned by Bostik, Inc. that was filled with large quantities of several chemicals used in the glue-making process.

WHDH-TV

Four people were injured by the event, but their conditions have not been released yet.  The Boston Herald adds:

The blast caused heavy damage inside Bostik, a company that manufactures glue as well as other chemicals for industrial uses, state police said. The state fire marshal declared a tier-three hazardous material response, due to the toxins in the plant.

“It’s a serious event from the fire marshal’s perspective,” said Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency spokesman Peter Judge. “Initially there was an explosion that many people thought was an earthquake. There wasn’t a significant fire, but there was some fire involved.”

He said firefighters are now accounting for the chemicals in the plant, checking to see if their containers have been damaged, and making sure none of them are in danger of contaminating the area around the plant.

This good video report from WHDH-TV includes some aerial views that show significant damage to the plant:

The explosion shook homes in the vicinity for several seconds causing some worry by the residents.  The Boston Globe reports:

Boston Street resident Beverly Peterson, in a telephone interview, reported hearing “a big bang’’ from the direction of the Bostik campus.  “We’re really concerned,’’ said Peterson. “We saw a bunch of ambulances head down toward the plant.’’

Another local resident, Amy Fuller, said she thought a tree fell on her house as she was putting her kids to bed.  She said her house shook for 40 seconds. “It shook [the house] like an earthquake,’’ she said.

AP

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