NEWBURYPORT — Acting Chief Stephen H. Bradbury III reports that the Newburyport Fire Department and its mutual aid partners have recovered the body of a missing man at a seven-alarm hazardous materials incident at an industrial park.
The body of a missing worker, one of five who were in the building at the time of the explosion, was recovered about 5:30 p.m. All workers are now accounted for. The other four workers were taken to local hospitals, where they were treated and released.
Firefighters are expected to continue working at the scene into Friday, as they remove chemicals from the building. Crews will stop working overnight and return on Friday morning.
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.
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, Westborough, 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.
The body will be turned over to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The Essex County District Attorney’s Office will conduct a death investigation.
MA State Senator Bruce Tarr(l), Newburyport Mayor Sean Reardnon get update
