Danvers factory faulted in blast
Firms exceeded limits on chemical storage, state report says
The Danvers factory that exploded in November 2006 had been storing at least twice the amount of flammable chemicals than had been authorized by the town, according to a report released by the state fire marshal yesterday.
The report found that the two companies jointly operating in the facility, CAI Inc. and Arnel Co., were approved by the town to store 12,000 gallons of explosive chemicals on the Danversport property.
However, the companies had 24,000 gallons in underground tanks, mixing vats, and 55-gallon drums inside the ink and paint factory and on its grounds.
The report "puts a spotlight" on the issue of regulation of business using significant amounts of chemicals routinely, said Susan Tropeano, who lost her home and has since helped some of her neighbors form the community group, Safe Area For Everyone. "Communities need to be watching the licensing process, it's just not nearly what it needs to be," she said.
The report also found that while the town repeatedly approved increases in the amount of chemicals that could be stored at the Water Street property, it did not reclassify it under the state building code, which could have brought increased regulatory scrutiny.
State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan said in an interview at his Stow office that he did not think enhanced enforcement would have prevented the explosion.
"We believe that this was most likely the result of human error," he said, referring to the explosion.
Safety "codes aren't going to be able to prevent an incident that occurs from human error," he said. "It may have made a difference in the scope of the incident, but I'm not prepared to sit here and say it would have prevented it."
CAI and Arnel jointly used the factory, which has been processing chemicals for decades, at the time of the Nov. 22, 2006, detonation that leveled the Danversport neighborhood but also did not cause any serious injuries or deaths.
Earlier this year, CAI was cited by state officials for having an excessive amount of chemicals on site and for not meeting state licensing requirements. Officials said the firm faces a $400 fine, stemming from the violations that resulted from the probe of the blast.
The report also found that the companies were storing nitrocellulose, a flammable solid that requires a special license if more than 100 pounds are kept on site. "The existing license contained no provision for the storage of flammable solids," Coan's office said.
In a telephone interview, W. Paul Needham, lawyer for property owner and plant operator CAI, disputed Coan's conclusions about the volume of chemicals stored on site.
He said the state investigation assumes both that the tanks were completely full all the time and that they were always filled with flammable materials. Needham said that was not the reality. The companies shipped 2,500 gallons daily, cutting into the total volume of chemicals on site every day, he said.
"They take the capacity of every tank, and it's a rare day when every tank is full," Needham said. "To say every one of them was full to the brim with flammable hazardous material, I think that's unwarranted."
Needham said the company is negotiating with authorities over the citations. He said the companies were properly licensed and permitted and had undergone periodic inspection by the Danvers Fire Department and private insurance companies before the explosion. "Nobody ever raised any issue," he said.
Investigators had previously concluded that the explosion was caused when a vat of heptane overheated, causing a buildup of flammable vapors that found an ignition source and detonated. The early morning blast injured 20 people, destroyed 19 buildings and 300 motor vehicles, and damaged or destroyed 65 boats.
Coan said the devastation has focused his attention on the need to expand the fire marshal's responsibility and expertise by adding an office that oversees factories using chemicals in the manufacturing process.
He said he hopes the Legislature will approve the changes, giving his office some regulatory oversight while providing technical specialists for local departments.
Town Manager Wayne Marquis said the town has since changed its procedures and now requires an annual fire inspection of the 34 companies licensed to use chemicals in the town.
Marquis supported Coan's idea of a specialized unit in the fire marshal's office.
"We need help at the local level to deal with these specialized manufacturing facilities," Marquis said.
Since the explosion, tensions have grown between Coan's office and the US Chemical Safety Board. The mutual frustration surfaced again yesterday as Coan insisted in the report that federal investigators have not shared their conclusions with him in a timely way.
Daniel Horowitz, spokesman for the board, said in a statement that the agency's report will be released in May. He said the board has been in contact with Coan's office, but is supposed to produce an independent investigation. 