Firefighters Rush To Explosion, Fire At Berlin Manufacturer

BERLIN, CT — An explosion and fire at a Christian Lane manufacturing facility Tuesday prompted a response from all four Berlin fire companies and left several employees needing medical evaluation, according to the Berlin Volunteer Fire Department.

Firefighters were dispatched at 11:24 a.m. to Precision Punch and Tooling, 304 Christian Lane, for a reported explosion and fire.

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Serving Berlin is the Berlin Fire Department (Berlin/Worthington), the East Berlin Volunteer Fire Department, the Kensington Fire Department, and the South Kensington Fire Department.

First-arriving crews encountered moderate to heavy smoke in the facility's manufacturing area as employees evacuated the building, the department said.

Several employees initially used portable fire extinguishers to contain the flames, the BVFD reported.

Firefighters then deployed a hose line inside the building and quickly extinguished the remaining fire.

Crews also conducted extensive ventilation operations to clear smoke from the facility.

One employee was evaluated at the scene for a minor laceration, while several others were evaluated for smoke inhalation.

None required hospitalization, according to the department. No firefighters were injured.

Fire officials said the incident occurred during a grinding process when a stray spark ignited cooling oil that entered part of the facility's ventilation system.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection responded to assist with identifying chemicals and mitigating potential hazards.

Mutual aid was provided by Task Force 51 partners, who supplied additional personnel at the scene and provided coverage elsewhere in Berlin while local crews responded to the incident.

Roads in the area were temporarily closed during the response but have since reopened.