Cleanup Begins at Bostik Plant

Cleanup efforts at Bostik Inc. in Middleton began Saturday, a week after an tore through the adhesive manufacturing plant and .

Bostik workers and contractors began securing and removing loose materials and debris as a safety precaution for investigators and cleanup crews, the company said in a statement Monday. Workers are following requirements for the removal of hazardous debris, sealing windows and skylights, and assessing site inventory, the company said.

"This cleanup phase of our incident response puts us on the path toward eventual re-opening of this important facility," Bill Campbell, Bostik's president and CEO, said in the statement. "However, there is much significant work to be done to determine what caused this incident."

The explosion occurred shortly after 7:30 p.m. on March 13. Police and fire crews from across the North Shore, , responded to the four-alarm fire. 

The four injured employees were treated at Beverly Hospital for non-life threatening injuries and were released by the following day.

Local and state officials said last week that the explosion was not the result of a criminal act. An investigation into the cause is ongoing.

"Bostik personnel continue to fully cooperate with all of the various governmental and agency personnel who are collaborating to investigate the cause of the incident," the company said in its statement. "Among other activities, Bostik and the authorities are examining pictures and files from the site and interviewing emergency workers to better understand what the workers saw when they entered the affected buildings."

The company also said there is as a result of the explosion. since the incident.

Bostik announced on Thursday that it has established a hotline for area residents to report possible damage that may have resulted from the explosion. Property owners may call 1-866-242-1802 to report potential damage.