A food processing company in Sherbrooke was the scene of a violent explosion early this morning.
The event occurred around 8:23 a.m. at the food recovery center (CVA).
The explosion injured five people, two of whom 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.
The authorities were not immediately able to clarify whether the doctors fear for the lives of the victims.
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“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.
CVA owner Ashley Wallis heard the news over the phone. “Right now, I’m a bit speechless. I’m in shock, time to digest all this. The priority was to see if everyone was alive,” he told the media.
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,” explains Mr. Desharnais.
The man who knows the scene understands that the explosion seems to have occurred near the kitchens located at the back, possibly near the freezers where there is propane.
One person was there when the explosion occurred.
“At one point, we could smell a slight smell of gas in the corridors […]. About 10, 15 minutes later, it exploded”, moreover confided to TVA Nouvelles an employee who escaped unscathed from the explosion.
Firefighters must therefore fight the blaze from a distance because of the fragility of the structure.
Forty firefighters are on site, on fourth alert.
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.
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A towering column of smoke was visible for miles around.
Boulevard Bourque is 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.
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