An investigative team is expected to probe the cause of Wednesday’s explosion and fire at Aristech Chemical Corporation’s Haverhill plant.

Thursday, February 01, 2001

An investigative team is expected to probe the cause of Wednesday’s explosion and fire at Aristech Chemical Corporation’s Haverhill plant.

The blast sent at least one person, Barry Click, to the hospital. He was listed in good condition at Cabell Huntington Hospital this morning.

Officials are investigating other reports of possible minor injuries that may have occurred, said plant manager Barry Elswick, who was working in the plant’s office at the time of the blast.

"No Aristech personnel was injured, but we do have a maintenance contractor who was injured," Elswick said. "Plant personnel have said that he was burnt, but conscious when he was airlifted out. We have other reports that we are looking into at this time."

The plant’s own fire fighters responded to the 2 p.m. blast and contained the fire quickly, he added.

"There was some event that occurred before the fire," he said. "The incident occurred in our Phenol-1 unit. Our fire brigade responded to the fire rather quickly and they were able to contain the fire shortly after it started."

The unit makes a chemical known as phenol, which is a compound used in wood resins to make wood products such as plywood, he added.

In addition, phenol is used to make compact discs and other plastic products.

When the unit exploded, neighbors reported observing flames shooting over 300 feet into the air and heavy clouds of black smoke belching into the sky.

Details of what exactly caused the blast are still sketchy, Elswick said, but employees will be working to ensure the rest of the facility operates in a safe condition.

"The incident occurred in the concentration section of the unit," he said. "This section purifies the reacting material before it goes to the reactor. We had a decontamination of the area last night to ensure the safety of all personnel who may enter the area."

Despite the nature of the incident, he said residents of the area and surrounding counties were in no danger as a result of the blast.

"The good news is that no chemicals were released or caught on fire," Elswick said. "Basically, when the fire occurred, smoke went up into the air, traveled north and dissipated. The smoke was not considered dangerous."

Hamilton and Green Township volunteer and Porter Township fire departments were called to the scene to assist.