Fire Marshal: Cause Of Saint Gobain Explosion 'Undetermined'

MERRIMACK, NH — Merrimack’s fire marshal reported this afternoon that the cause of an explosion and fire at the Saint Gobain Performance Plastics plant in town this morning is currently undetermined, according to a press statement. Firefighters were sent to the plant at 6:26 a.m. on July 10, 2017, for a report of an alarm activation while finding out that an explosion had occurred and black smoke was reported over the building. No injuries were reported, according to Fire Marshal John Manuele of the Merrimack Fire Department.

“Upon arrival, Captain Dubriel in Engine 1 was informed by St. Gobain personnel that there had been an explosion in the ductwork of a large fabric coating tower and the building was evacuated,” Manuele stated.

Dubriel requested that a full building fire assignment be dispatched which brought Merrimack Ambulance 1, Engine 4, Fire Chief Currier, Assistant Chief Borneman, and Manuele as well as apparatus from Nashua and Manchester to the scene. Crews reportedly saw smoke coming from the ductwork near the top of the tower, which is about two stories high. Personnel had already used dry chemical fire extinguisher to dampen most of the fire with firefighters extiguishing the rest of the fire.

“A Nashua Ladder company accessed the roof and found some fire in the area of the exhaust stack, which they also quickly extinguished,” he noted. “It was determined that an explosion and flash fire had occurred in the exhaust ductwork of the tower and the fire was contained to the equipment and did not spread to the building itself.”

The ductwork suffered “extensive damage” and the coating tower will be out of service until repairs are made, Manuele noted.

The cause is currently deemed “undetermined” and is still under investigation.