Concord, NHAn explosion and fire occurred yesterday at a gun and munitions plant in northern New Hampshire, killing two people. According to a report from the Associated Press (AP), the fire accident occurred just after 1 pm on May 14 at the MDM Muzzleloader factory in Colebrook, located about 140 miles north of Concord and ten miles from the Canadian border.
There were three people in the building at the time, which contributed to the low loss of life. As it was, two of the three individuals in the plant were killed in the blast. A third, incredibly, received only minor injuries.
A series of explosions shook buildings blocks away. Dozens of homes were evacuated. State Fire Marshall Bill Degnan confirmed that the fire continued to burn for more than four hours after the multiple explosions. The Public Information Officer for Colebrook, Mia West, indicated to AP that firefighters were having trouble getting close enough to the plant to fight the blaze, as munitions inside the building were still detonating more than two hours later.
While the munitions plant isn't near a school, staff and students at Colebrook Elementary certainly heard the explosions and saw the smoke. Saralyn Boutin, a paraprofessional at the school, told AP that at first she thought she was hearing thunder. After the second boom, however, "I was hanging onto my desk."
A daycare center near the factory was not harmed in the explosion. More than 40 nearby homes were evacuated, although residents were allowed to return last night.
Residents reported hearing the explosion nearly a mile and a half away. Mishel Fenn, a local bartender, was much closer. "It's just major, major explosions and black powder," said Fenn, a barkeep with the Colebrook House motel, located two blocks from the plant. "It shook the building, and I'm in a large building."
This is not the first time the factory has had to deal with a fire emergency. In January, according to a report in the Colebrook Chronicle, a worker at the plant suffered serious injuries to his face and wrist following a flash fire that originated with a machine that processes gunpowder. The flames from that fire accident were reportedly extinguished quickly.
Nearby residents reported that entire apartment buildings shook with the blast. One resident was convinced something had hit the roof of her building.
According to AP, calls to the company on Friday were not returned. It is not known how many workers normally are employed within the plant at any given time.
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