Updated at 11:58 a.m.
A chemical reaction was the cause of a series of explosions at the PCI Synthesis chemical plant in Newburyport, Mass., early Thursday morning, state officials said in a statement on Friday.
The explosions did not injure any workers, but blew a hole in the roof of the plant and forced the evacuation of the chemical company and two nearby businesses.
The explosions "occurred during a sampling procedure of product from a large vat," according to a joint statement released by State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey and Newburyport Deputy Fire Chief Steven Bradbury.
Just months ago, federal regulators from two agencies cited and fined PCI Synthesis for several safety and environmental violations.
It’s also the third explosion at one of the company's chemical factories in the state since 1997. The other two were at the company’s Leominster plant.
“That is pretty frightening,” said Newburyport Mayor Donna Holaday, referring to the Leominster explosions.
Holaday said the city has not been concerned about safety issues at Polycarbon headquarters and factory, which sits across the street from a workshop and center for people with disabilities and just a half mile from a K-8 charter school.
But the mayor said she wants to learn more about serious safety violations, numbering more than a dozen, that regulators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have flagged during inspections over the last 10 years. Many of the violations cited unsafe storage of hazardous chemicals at the site.
Jodi Sugerman-Brozan, the executive director at the workers’ advocacy group MassCOSH, said that Polycarbon’s safety track is putting workers at risk.
“It’s miraculous this didn’t happen sooner and workers were not injured,” she said.
The company said Thursday on its website that it follows extensive safety protocols at the Newburyport plant.
Last fall, Polycarbon paid a $200,000 settlement to the EPA over complaints about its hazardous waste practices.
Newburyport Deputy Fire Chief Stephen Bradbury said that firefighters responded to the plant at about 4:30 a.m. and saw black smoke. Three explosions took place while firefighters were inside the building.
Just minutes after firefighters left the building, another three explosions tore a 5-by-8 foot hole in the roof. State hazmat teams were called to the scene and emergency crews deployed a robot to enter the building and assess conditions and safety.
WGBH News' Kaitlyn Locke contributed to this report.
