One person taken to hospital with burns after ‘explosion’ at fireworks factory
One person was taken to hospital with severe burns following an “explosion” at a fireworks factory in Peterborough.
The roof at the Le Maitre pyrotechnics factory in Fourth Drove, Fengate was visibly damaged after the incident on Tuesday.
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said units were called to the scene at 10.43am and one person was taken to hospital by air ambulance with severe burns.
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters arrived to find a “fire in an industrial unit, with smoke issuing from roof, following an explosion”.
An investigation to determine the cause of the fire is under way.
A worker was killed in a previous incident at Le Maitre in 1990.
Michael Darroch, 27, was packing a giant firework with a mixture of gunpowder and titanium when it blew up, killing him instantly.
The company admitted at Peterborough Crown Court to failing to ensure the safety of an employee and was fined £15,000.
The court was told Le Maitre had been fined £2,000 after a separate accident in 1988, in which another employee died while fitting fuses to display fireworks.
