Women hurt in explosion

Press, 2 May 1984, Page 6

Women hurt in explosion

PA Auckland A woman dragged an injured worker from a bum,ing laboratory after an explosion rocked a Northcote chemical factory yesterday. A drying oven exploded at the Smith Biolab, Ltd, premises in Woodside Avenue about 10.45 a.m. as two women worked nearby. Glass was sprayed across the basement laboratory as windows shattered. One of the women was thrown into a wall by the blast and cut by the glass. Miss Christine Lyne, and Mrs Gillian Wilson were taken to North Shore Hospital where they were reported to be in a satisfactory condition.

The cause of the blast was not known. It led to a fire in the laboratory and the flames were put out by the staff. Witnesses said they thought the building’s floors would cave in above the basement as the blast shook the foundations. The production manager, Mr Brian Cripsey, said the two women were extremely lucky not to have been more seriously hurt. The oven was used for drying the paper made into bacteria testing discs and Slied to hospital and cal laboratories. The police and fire safety officers were investigating the cause of the accident.