Fire chief says explosion did not endanger public; cause of incident under investigation
Published 12:34 am Tuesday, April 11, 2023
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NEDERLAND — Information on the medical condition of three people injured in what officials call a small explosion at AmSpec, LLC. was not available as of Monday afternoon.
A spokesperson with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office did not have the information readily available on the medical conditions, ages or hometowns of the individuals.
A call to AmSpec was not returned by 4:30 p.m. Monday.
The facility, which suffered a small explosion Saturday, appeared busy this week as people carried in lumber Monday morning.
A person familiar with AmSpec said the cause of the explosion is under investigation by the company’s health and safety group.
Nederland Fire Chief Terry Morton said there was no danger to the outside public at any time during the weekend mishap.
The explosion occurred at approximately 5:05 p.m. Saturday at the business, which is located at 4665 Jerry Ware Drive next to Jack Brooks Regional Airport.
Three AmSpec employees were injured due to the explosion and a flash fire while conducting testing in the lab.
Morton said the three people suffered burns and were taken by air to UTMB and Hermann Memorial hospitals.
Alex Rupp, Jack Brooks Regional Airport manager, said the explosion did not impact operations at the airport.
He described the incident as more of a flash fire than a small explosion.
Morton said Nederland fire officials are not investigating the incident because AmSpec is located just outside the city limits and under the jurisdiction of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.