Three injured in explosion at hazardous waste plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- A fire and explosion at a hazardous waste plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut, forced people to evacuate their homes.
Neighbors heard the explosion and saw a plume of smoke filling the air over the plant just after 2 p.m. Friday.
Fire officials said the building belongs to Tradebe Environmental, a company that disposes and recycles hazardous waste.
Tradebe Environmental confirmed one of their tanks exploded and further say they are cooperating and working closely with first responders and regulators.
"It appears there was some type of offload of a low-grade oxidizer at the time, about ,4000 gallons, and somewhere along the line, the first explosion occurred," said Bridgeport Fire Chief Lance Edwards.
Officials say three people were injured and sent to local hospitals. Two were being treated for burns and one was being treated for smoke inhalation.
Fire marshals said the building was secure and residents were allowed back into their homes. Air quality testing proved the air was safe.
"Right away we worked closely with Bridgeport PD and they were able to at least notify the residents on the closed streets here to shelter in place, and anyone that was outside, we're able to get them to a cold zone until we're able to monitor the air quality ... and DEEP was able to confirm that it was safe to be outside, but we wanted to take proactive measures," Edwards said.
Into the night, Bridgeport fire crews remained on the scene.
Some living nearby heard and felt the explosion.
"It was like, it shook you. It shook the car. It shook your body. It was just like a really-- I had never heard anything like it before," resident Patricia Ocasio said.
"Me and my son, we just left. We saw the fire, the smoke," resident Valerie Williams said. "I told my son to get his clothes, put on his shoes, get the dog."
Residents were told to continue staying indoors with their windows closed.
Officials are also monitoring the pH levels in the water runoff and are asking residents to avoid walking through puddles in the area.
"My concerns are, will it happen again?" resident Luz Ocasio said. "Now, we are really scared with that boom, that could have exploded and everything could've fallen on here."
The cause of the explosion is under investigation.