11 Injured in Plant Explosion
On a Tuesday April morning, Saul Acevedo was working at the La Habra chrome-polishing plant. There was a huge explosion and the plant then a wave of “intense heat”. 45 year old Saul, said that he was near the entrance of the plant and quickly ran outside as the smoked filled the air. According to him, just moments later his co-workers had already been badly burned.
Saul’s statement about the Plant Explosion
They suffered burns all over their bodies,” Acevedo said in Spanish as he stood on a grassy area about half a block away from the plant. “Their skin was hanging off.
The inspector, Scott Miller, said that the explosion had left 11 people injured and two were in pretty critical condition. They suffered burns over 90% of their bodies. Four injured people had some intermediate injures and five others only had minor injuries. Saul doesn’t know what happened. He said he has worked at the plant for three years now and he just doesn’t know what happened. He also feels for the victims.
According to the hospital spokesman, John Murray, three of the burn victims were ranging from mild to severe. There were also Five other victims, four were in pretty fair condition while one was in critical condition.
There were around 30 workers that was polishing some wheel rims when the explosion took place. It happened around 9:50 in the morning at the Gorilla’s Polishing. The Los Angeles County firefirghters responded to the scene, they found smoke and flames at the building. Luckily the fire was under control by 10:45 in the morning.
The investigation showed lint and dust in the duct system. This could have caused the explosion and fire. The other materials in the building then contributed to the fire’s spread. The lint and dust can be a “volatile” combination of flammable materials. The explosion caused some “extensive damage” to the building. This would include: fire, smoke, wind, and water damage to the inside of the building.
Source: https://www.ocregister.com/articles/people-611793-explosion-habra.html
Daniel A. Gibalevich
