This afternoon there was a potentially dangerous explosion of chemicals inside the Central Medical Laboratory on Princess Margaret Drive. The 30 employees at the lab were evacuated around 3:30 pm after hearing what some describe as a loud popping sound. The sound came from the store room which is located on the ground floor of the lab where a barrel of alcohol caught fire. Joy Charley is the director of the central lab and she says she was in a meeting on the second floor when she heard the sound.
Joy Charley, Dir. Central Pathology Lab
"I was in a meeting the conference room and I heard a slight explosion and when we came out there was a fire in the corridor. We evacuated all our staff. We called the Fire Department and we informed the Ministry of Health
and we still have services because we have a lab at Karl Heusner. So lab services are still continuing."
Keith Swift,
Do you what is happening in there right now, is there still a fire?
Joy Charley,
"I don't really know but in the corridor there was a container with, we deal with a lot of chemicals, there was a container with alcohol and we have zilene and we have other flammable stuff. We work with a lot of chemicals, it is a lab and it could be explosive. The Fire Department appears to have it under control by now so that is all I can say at this time."
Marion Ali, LOVE FM
"Is this the first time something like this happened?"
Joy Charley,
"It is the first time we have had a fire like this to my knowledge. We might have had little but nothing big. It was inside the building but the Fire Department must have contained it already."
Keith Swift,
Where inside the building?
Joy Charley,
"Just a few steps from the door. It was at the back of the building."
Keith Swift,
Any idea what might have started it?
Joy Charley,
"I don't know. After the fire department investigates, then they will be able to tell us."
Tonight 7NEWS has learnt that storekeeper Ronald Crawford was handling a 55-gallon container of alcohol. Crawford received first degree burns to one of his arms. All agree the explosion could have been much worse. By the end of the work day, the fire had been put out and employees returned to the lab. The lab which conducts medical tests will be closed for at least the next day. We met Health Minister Joe Coye on the scene this afternoon and this is what he had to say.
Hon. Jose Coye, Minister of Health
"There's a fire in the lab. I was informed of this and I thought I should come."
Keith Swift,
You went inside the building, what did you
see?
Hon. Jose Coye,
"Well obviously there was a fire but we are getting an assessment of it and the preliminary assessment is that the lab will be suspended for maybe a day or two but we do have the other lab at the Karl Heusner; this the referral lab. So we will be functioning and I believe in a day or two we should be able to restore the operations here."
Marion Ali,
"We understand somebody was hurt."
Hon. Jose Coye,
"Yes there was a first degree burn on the right arm of one of the clerks and that's the extent of that damage."
Marion Ali,
"I know it is very preliminary but can you say how this occurred?"
Hon. Jose Coye,
"I understand they were pumping some alcohol and there was just an explosion in the pumping of the alcohol. That is what we have been told so far."
The Fire Department is tonight investigating to determine an exact cause. We should note that Crawford has been with the lab for three years. Again the KHMH will be conducting tests until the lab is up and running.
