An early morning explosion at a Lexington UPS maintenance facility Wednesday sent eight people to the hospital and caused substantial damage to the building. Authorities are working to pin down the cause of the blast.
Emergency response crews were on the ground and in the air, beginning the task of determining a cause for the explosion felt at least a mile away. Of the eight taken to the hospital, two were admitted in fair condition. Considering part of the roof was blown off and sizeable damage to walls, but no serious injuries, Lexington Fire Battalion Chief Jason Wells said, quote “we’re very lucky in this scenario.”
Wells says it appears a tank containing acetylene gas exploded.
“It’s still too early to tell until the investigators are able to get in there and identify for sure. That’s the assumption that we’re working under right now.”
Fire Investigator Rob King says it’s difficult to say when an exact cause for the explosion will be determined. Three certified explosive specialists from the federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agency have also been called in.