Thursday, 4:30 PM
Romney: Danvers a 'Thanksgiving miracle'
By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent
Governor Mitt Romney toured the destruction left by the massive chemical explosion in Danvers this afternoon and called it a "Thanksgiving miracle," echoing the sentiment of rescuers and firefighters who were amazed that no one was killed.
The blast at 2:45 a.m. knocked homes off foundations and damaged some 80 buildings in a 1/4 mile radius but did cause any major injuries.
"The miracle is that you have the equivalent of a 2,000 bomb going off in a residential neighborhood at night when everybody is home and no one is dead and no one is seriously hurt," Romney told reporters outside the blast zone.
About 10 people were treated at local hospitals for cuts and bruises even though the blast was so powerful it blew out windows in neighboring towns.
The head of the state police bomb squad suggested that more people weren't hurt because they were lying in their beds, Romney said. When breaking windows blew into their homes, the shards of glass flew over heads.
"Had they been standing, it could have been a very different story," Romney said.
The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined as firefighters were still trying to extinguish the flames.
Romney vowed that every type of federal and state aid for which residents were eligible would be used to help the town recover.
The governor also discourage volunteers from coming to the site.
"We don't need people showing up with shovels or chainsaws at this point," Romney said.
