No injuries in 'minor' flash fire at Longwood lab

(Video by John R. Ellement)

Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Fleming briefed reporters on the incident.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A chemical reaction at a medical research laboratory in Boston's Longwood area this morning caused a brief flash fire that prompted authorities to evacuate 315 employees from the building, but no injuries were reported, the fire department said.

Deputy Fire Chief Chief Joseph Fleming said that the fire at Merck Research Laboratories at 33 Avenue Louis Pasteur was a "minor incident."

He said that the lab, during its weekly cleanup of chemicals, placed chemicals in various containers. A leak resulted in a chemical reaction that caused "a little bit of a flash fire," he said.

Firefighters who entered the lab found that all the chemicals were consumed by the fire. The fire happened inside a special chemical handling room that has sprinklers and a special ventilation system so no one in the building was exposed to the chemical, he said.

The company has already agreed to change its disposal procedures, Fleming said. He said it wasn't clear yet which chemicals had caused the reaction.

The incident, which happened at about 9:26 a.m., was designated a Level 3 hazmat incident, which means firefighters must don full protective gear before approaching the area.

According to its website, Merck is "dedicated to discovering and developing medicines for cancer and neurodegenerative disorders." The phone went unanswered this morning at the company's office in Boston. Merck's building on Avenue Louis Pasteur is a shiny glass and steel structure that is over 10 stories tall.

At nearby Emmanuel College, authorities also evacuated Alumnae Hall, where 15 students were watching a film in a basic drawing class. Sarah McIntosh, a 22-year-old senior from North Attleboro, said the size of the response from public safety officials was "a little nerve-wracking."

• Comment
• Permalink
• Email