Due to the explosion at the chemical factory in Newburyport, Massachusetts early on Thursday, one employee has yet to be located. There was a fire at Seqens North America at 9 Opportunity Way, and firefighters were summoned at around midnight.
An industrial-sized tank from within the building had been blown about 30 feet and was now sitting in the next parking lot when firefighters arrived.
The fire chief stated that five employees were present in the premises at the time of the explosion. All four people who were taken there were eventually discharged after receiving treatment.
Firefighters and technical rescue personnel were unable to enter the structure due to extensive damage, officials said, hampering their hunt for the missing worker.
Chief Steve Bradbury of the Newburyport Fire Department said, “We want to make sure the structure is safe before we search.” We view this building as extremely dangerous.
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The local populace is safe, according to authorities, but those who normally commute to the industrial park for work are being asked to stay away.
Seqens North America, Located At 9 Opportunity Way, Called The Fire Department At 12:59 a.m
Firefighters arrived to find a large industrial vat that had been inside the building displaced by the explosion, traveling 30 feet to rest in the parking lot next door.
The fire chief stated that five employees were there at the time of the explosion. The four patients who were taken there were treated and released from the hospital.
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Officials said that due to the building’s extensive structural damage, fire, and rescue personnel have been unable to enter and begin searching for the missing worker.
Residents are safe, according to officials, but those who would normally commute to the industrial park for work are being asked to stay away. According to the official website, Seqens North America is a producer of APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients).
The same company was shaken by a series of explosions in 2020. Numerous explosions greeted the responding fire crews. In the end, nobody got hurt. According to the fire department, the roof was damaged when a chemical storage drum exploded upward after experiencing a reaction.
2020: Explosions At The Same Firm
The website boasts that Sequens, formerly known as PCI Synthesis, has been in the chemical manufacturing business for 20 years. This facility dominates the New England market for the production of small molecular medicinal substances.
According to the Newburyport Daily News, all operations were paused in June 2021 while an inquiry was conducted following a chemical fire at the business. The Gloucester Daily News reports that an explosion in February 2020 caused significant damage to the building’s roof.
Despite Bradbury’s assurances that the area is safe, he has encouraged his other employees in the industrial park to avoid Opportunity Way. In total, there were five workers in the building at the time, and four of them were injured.
The fifth individual has yet to be located. Firefighters and technical rescue workers are unable to enter the building to conduct a search due to the extensive damage sustained by the building’s structure.