An explosion at Dow Chemical Company in North Andover has left four people critically injured, WHDH reported. The explosion, which happened around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, reportedly took place in a lab where employees came into contact with trimethal aluminum, an irritant to anything it comes into contact with. The explosion was so loud that nearby residents reportedly felt the shock from the explosion.
“I heard a loud boom, the house shook a little bit,” Kaela Hennessey, a woman who lives nearby told WHDH. “My dog went a little crazy, and I looked out my back window to see if there was an accident on Route 125.” Employees who were injured by the explosion were removed from the scene and brought to the hospital, where they were reportedly decontaminated outside and then brought in for treatment.
“Due to a chemical explosion, we received four critical patients with shrapnel injuries and burns,” Lawrence General Hospital said in a statement. “The patients were decontaminated outside the hospital, per our policy. Three of the patients where [sic] stabilized and transferred to Boston tertiary medical centers. The fourth patient is staying here at Lawrence General.” Employees who were uninjured by the explosion were reportedly evacuated on school buses from the company grounds.
Firefighters assured those living nearby the plant that they had nothing to worry about.
Matt Lee is a Web producer for Metro New York. He writes about almost everything and anything. Talk to him (or yell at him) on Twitter so he doesn’t feel lonely@mattlee2669.
