Officials have yet to release the name of the worker who was killed in the explosion and fire. Watch video
WEST SPRINGFIELD - Investigators will return to Balise Honda on Riverdale Street today to continue their investigation into the cause of the explosion and fire that claimed a worker’s life Wednesday morning.
“They haven’t come up with any cause yet,” Fire Chief William Flaherty said Thursday morning of the explosion which occurred inside the rear of the facility at about 9:40 a.m.
Officials have yet to release the name of the male victim who worked for Real Clean Automotive Detailing, a subcontractor that performs reconditioning work at the dealership.
Flaherty said investigators are reviewing surveillance video from a camera inside the building that captured what Mike Balise, vice president and owner of Balise Motor Sales, described as a “fairly substantial explosion.”
Another man, a Balise employee, was taken to a hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, Balise said.
Investigating are West Springfield fire and police departments and state police assigned to Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan’s office and to the Hampden district attorney’s office, said Jennifer Mieth, Coan’s spokeswoman. The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is conducting a separate investigation.
The presence of solvents in the building hampered firefighters’ efforts to extinguish the blaze. Flaherty said it took firefighters about an hour to put out the flames.
Dale MacDonald, a spokesperson for Balise, said in an e-mail to The Republican that the explosion happened in the wash bay.
Investigators could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday.