6 Explosions At Newburyport Company Caused By Chemical Reaction
NEWBURYPORT (CBS) – A chemical reaction caused a series of explosions at a company in Newburyport, the state Fire Marshal said Friday. The company was sampling a product and there is no danger to the product.
Six explosions rocked PCI Seqens' chemical manufacturing business early Thursday morning. No one was hurt, but one blast tore a five-by-eight foot hole in the roof.
"Investigators have determined that several explosions occurred during a sampling procedure of product from a large vat," State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey and Newburyport Deputy Fire Chief Steven Bradbury said in a joint statement Friday.
PCI Seqens said Friday that they had resumed business as normal and that 85% of the building was unaffected by the explosions.
"Most of the facility was untouched and is completely operational; the affected suite represents one small, isolated room," the company said in a statement.
Three nearby businesses were closed for the day as a precaution.
