An unidentified worker was injured early Monday morning by a small chemical explosion at the former Smurfit-Stone facility in Frenchtown.

Frenchtown Fire Department Public Information Officer Mel Holtz said the incident occurred at about 8:15 a.m. on Monday.

"Upon arrival, we found we had one patient who was burned," Holtz said. "He was rapidly extricated and taken to St. Patrick Hospital. The explosion ignited a small fire that we were able to knock down quickly."

Holtz said there was a chemical involved in the explosion, as well.

"There was a chemical at the scene that created some dust, and while he was demolishing part of the building, that sparked the explosion," he said. "The hazardous materials team was called in just to verify the chemical we were dealing with which turned out to be corn starch which is non-toxic, so we're just cleaning up now."

Holtz said no one else was injured in the explosion and fire.

"No other people were injured in the explosion," Holtz said. "It appears that it was a small explosion that occurred on the exterior of the building where he was working.This was part of the regular process of demolition as workers continue to try to clean up the site. M2 Green is the company that owns the facility and is working on redeveloping the area, but it is unknown who the injured man was actually working for at the time."

Frenchtown Fire Department Public Information Officer Mel Holtz

 

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