Print
May 4, 2007 6:08 pm US/Eastern
I-Team: Chemicals Blamed For Danvers Explosion
by Kathy Curran
DANVERS (WBZ) ―
-
-
The explosion last November leveled dozens of homes.
CBS
An I-Team investigation has uncovered the cause of the devastating chemical plant explosion in Danvers.
Sources tell WBZ that according to the state's investigation, chemicals are to blame, not natural gas.
We've also learned this is being ruled an industrial accident and no criminal charges will be filed.
Sources tell the I-Team the massive explosion that rocked the neighborhood was fueled by vapors that built-up inside the plant, which housed ink producer CAI Inc. and paint maker Arnel Co.
The key chemical involved is heptane. According to OSHA, heptane is a highly flammable and explosive solvent.
Investigators believe the fumes built-up because a plant worker left a machine on.
Ed Sanborn's home was damaged in the Riverside Street neighborhood where the scars of the blast can still be seen.
He's part of a group which still believes natural gas played a role in the blast.
"I'm sure heptane contributed but from what I understand the ignition source is still being looked at and I think everything should remain open at this point," said Sanborn.
The state investigators are still working to find the exact ignition source of the explosion.
Both CAI and the neighborhood group are doing independent investigations.
We'll learn much more at a press conference set for Monday afternoon.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
