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May 7, 2007 2:43 pm US/Eastern
Danvers Blast Leads To Probes Of Small Companies
DANVERS (WBZ) ―
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The explosion last November leveled dozens of homes.
CBS
State inspectors will target small companies handling dangerous materials in residential areas to try to prevent a repeat of the devastating explosion last November in Danvers.
That announcement came in a Monday afternoon news conference, in which the state confirmed a WBZ I-Team report that said build up of chemical vapor caused the explosion.
The state fire marshal's finding supports a preliminary conclusion by federal investigators that the vapor build up caused the blast at a paint and ink factory Nov. 22, damaging 70 homes and businesses and leaving hundreds homeless. No one was killed or seriously injured.
The explosion leveled the building used by ink manufacturer CAI Inc. and Arnel Co., Inc., a custom paint maker. Both companies used highly explosive chemical solvents in manufacturing, investigators said.
The ignition source could not be determined because the building was destroyed, State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said, but possibilities included refrigerator and vending machine motors and condensers, space heaters, electrical exhaust fans and the furnace.
Officials from CAI and Arnel did not immediately comment on the report.
A new inspection program was unveiled along with the cause Monday in hopes it will prevent similar problems.
Inspectors from the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Fire Services and local fire departments will conduct hazard assessments at small- and mid-sized companies.
If companies resist, "access may be compelled though various means, up to and including administrative search warrants," according to a news release.
Inspectors already have identified 40 facilities across the state, selected because of proximity to densely populated areas, types of chemicals or waste materials used and stored and site history. The first 15 will be inspected in the next two months.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board will issue what it calls a preliminary report on the explosion Wednesday.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
