A violent explosion, which occurred in a food processing company in Sherbrooke, left five injured early Wednesday morning.
The event occurred around 8:23 a.m. at the Center de valorization des aliments (CVA), located on Bourque Boulevard.
The explosion injured five people, including two people who were taken to hospital with minor injuries and nervous shock. Two other people suffered serious injuries and will possibly be transferred to the major burns unit of the CHUM in Montreal due to the severity of their injuries.
“Injured people were evacuated and taken to hospital. Our teams are hard at work fighting the fire,” said Sherbrooke Mayor Evelyne Beaudin on Twitter.
About ten employees were inside the building when the first explosion took place, possibly in the industrial kitchens of this 24,000 square foot building.
Woman thrown by the explosion
The spouse of a worker taken to hospital told TVA Nouvelles that she was blown away by the blast of the explosion. “It was projected almost halfway across the room,” explained Mr. Desharnais.
The man who knows the scene thinks that the explosion occurred near the kitchens located at the back, possibly near the freezers where there is propane. One person was there when the explosion occurred.
Hard work for firefighters
Forty firefighters were at work to try to fight the blaze from a distance, due to the fragility of the structure.
Although there are fire hydrants on site, they are not enough to fight the blaze, said the fire chief.
A second explosion occurred a few minutes after the first as the sappers began to intervene.
An imposing column of smoke was visible for miles around on Wednesday morning, while Bourque Boulevard was closed to traffic.
Nearly 14 companies work on the premises of the Center de valorisation de Sherbrooke on a daily basis, but more than fifty use the facilities for various purposes, including storage.