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Minor injuries in Oakhill explosion

By Associated Press July 1, 2008 - 3:48 p.m.

FITCHBURG — A boiler exploded at a minimum security prison this morning, injuring two maintenance workers and an inmate.

Oakhill Correctional Institution Warden Deirdre Morgan said the two workers and the inmate were trying to re-light a pilot light on the boiler in a basement room when it exploded at 8:45 a.m. Department of Corrections officials said the explosion involved natural gas.

The workers and the inmate suffered minor injuries that Morgan described as burns. They were taken to area emergency rooms.

The two workers were treated and released and given the afternoon off. Morgan declined to comment on the inmate’s status.

The explosion caused no structural damage, but prison officials evacuated about 200 inmates from a pair of housing units above the boiler room to the prison’s school and chapel as a precaution, Morgan said.

The prison’s perimeter was never compromised, and no inmate tried to escape during the evacuation, Morgan said.

garyprimer
Jul 2, 2008 at 8:42 a.m.
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Did anyone else think that an explosion had occurred on Oakhill Ave when they saw the lead line?

garyprimer
Jul 2, 2008 at 8:39 a.m.
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I agree. If the boiler actually exploded, there wouldn't be much left of the workers.

janesvillean
Jul 1, 2008 at 11:31 p.m.
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It actually sounds like ignition of the natural gas around the pilot light, rather than explosion of the steam boiler itself, which is what happened at UW-Whitewater in April.
http://gazettextra.com/news/2008/apr/17/...
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Three Stooges skits notwithstanding, boiler explosions used to be a major hazard, and can destroy a building or a ship in an instant. Good thing this was only a minor incident.

chad_vader
Jul 1, 2008 at 6:41 p.m.
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I think I saw this happen to the Three Stooges once. Glad everyone is ok, but I would find it hard to believe all safety precautions were followed. Safety first!

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