RAYNHAM, Mass. — The Raynham Fire Department was called to a lithium battery manufacturing facility in Raynham Tuesday afternoon following an explosion. It happened at Electrochem Solutions on Paramount Drive around 2:45 p.m.
Raynham Fire Chief Bryan LaCivita said when crews got to the scene, they found smoke coming from the corner of the building, but there was no active fire.
LaCivita said two to three cells exploded, blowing out metal doors to the facility, which he said likely weighs more than 1,000 lbs.
Crews initially looked for a few people believed to be missing when they got to the scene, but everyone was accounted for. No injuries were reported.
It’s still unclear what caused the explosion to occur, but LaCivita said it happened in an area designed to contain explosions like the one on Tuesday.
Two of the ovens used to test the cells were damaged along with the blast doors. LaCivita said it is now safe to be in the building.
Chief LaCivita said they’ve been called to Electrochem a couple times over the last couple years.
More than 15 years ago, Boston 25 reported five workers were hurt in an explosion in 2009, when a lithium battery exploded on a production line. The victims were rushed to the hospital with cuts, burns, and smoke inhalation. At the time, investigators said it was the second blast in one week at the facility.
In 2010, the building was forced to evacuate during another reported explosion. It also happened in a specially designed blast room, and a sprinkler system put out the resulting fire. No injuries were reported.
According to OSHA, several violations were documented in June of 2009, involving safety management of hazardous chemicals. OSHA documented four violations totaling $24,500 in penalties.
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