Explosion, Fire Disrupts Operations at Saint Gobain Plant

An early morning explosion and fire at a Saint Gobain Performance Plastics plant in Merrimack, NH forced an evacuation of employees as firefighters worked to snuff out the fire.

Officials told television news station WMUR that the explosion occurred in a ventilation unit, which led to a fire near a coating machine. Merrimack Fire Chief Michael Currier told the New Hampshire Union Leader that the fire apparently started in the ductwork for a piece of equipment.

“En route we were told that there was a potential fire in some ductwork inside the building from one of the machines,” said Currier in an interview with NH1.com. “Crews went to work and extinguished the fire.”

No injuries were reported as a result of the incident and damages were minimal, according to officials.

“At this point in time, it’s just a normal fire in their duct work from their processes, I don’t see where any hazardous materials were released,” said Chief Currier in the Union Leader’s article.

The cause of the incident remains undetermined. The Merrimack fire marshal is investigating the explosion and fire.

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