Plainville Fire and Hazmat Crews Investigate Chemical Leak

PLAINVILLE — Plainville fire crews and the state's Hazardous Materials Emergency Response division contained a large refrigerant leak at a business in town Wednesday afternoon.

The fire department said in a release later Wednesday that the leak triggered a Tier 2 Hazmat response.

It started at the Thermo Fisher Scientific building, which is under construction at 5 Commerce Blvd., at around 1 p.m. Wednesday.

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Around 200 people were inside the building but quickly evacuated, according to the fire department.

No injuries were reported.

The incident is thought to have taken place after a refrigerant system being installed on the second floor was activated and a frozen pipe cracked, leaking around 2,000 pounds of liquid refrigerant.

However, an investigation into the cause is ongoing.

The State Fire Marshal and representatives from MassDEP, the EPA, and OSHA were notified of the incident, the fire department stated.

Crews contained the spill and worked into the evening to clean up the chemicals and ventilate the building.

The fire department asked members of the public to avoid the area while they worked.

Fire departments from Wrentham, Norfolk, Bellingham, Sutton and North Attleboro assisted at the scene, and station coverage was provided by the Foxborough fire department.

“I want to thank our local and state partners for their quick and efficient response to this incident,” Plainville's Acting Fire Chief Richard Ball said.

“We are grateful that those inside the building were able to quickly and safely evacuate and that no one was injured as a result.”