Crews Find Body Of Missing Worker At Newburyport Chemical Explosion

NEWBURYPORT, MA — Crews have recovered the body of a missing man following a seven-alarm hazardous materials incident at an industrial park, according to a statement from the Newburyport Fire Department.

The worker, identified as Jack O’Keefe, 62, was recovered at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Another four workers were taken to local hospitals, where they were treated and released. All workers at the site are now accounted for, according to the statement.

Firefighters are expected to continue working at the scene into Friday, as they remove chemicals from the building.

The body will be turned over to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The Essex County District Attorney's Office will conduct a death investigation.

An explosion occurred just before 1 a.m. Thursday at a facility along Opportunity Way. Firefighters arrived to find an industrial-sized vat in the parking lot that had been thrown by the explosion.

Firefighters searched early Thursday for O'Keefe but had to move slowly due to how badly the structure was damaged.

Air meters have been set up around the scene's perimeter and have shown no hazards in the air, according to the fire department release.

Newburyport fire officials emphasized that there is no danger to the public.

Officials from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection also are assisting on scene.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation by the Newburyport Fire Department and State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit attached to the State Fire Marshal's Office.

The address of the explosion is a facility operated by PCI Synthesis, which advertises "contract chemical manufacturing" services for the pharmaceutical industry, according to the company's website.

The PCI Synthesis facility was previously shut down in 2021 after a fire, according to the Newburyport Daily News. No one was injured during that incident, but the fire ripped a hole in the roof of the building.

See related: Air Monitoring In Place After Newburyport Chemical Explosion