Reports say three people have been hospitalized and one severely burned following a blast at Intel’s Arizona fab. Three more injured members of staff were treated at the scene and released yesterday afternoon. Fire officials are describing the incident as a ‘small blast’ and ‘flash explosion,’ while an Intel spokesman referred to it as a ‘small fire.’
According to authorities, the fire occurred in a self-contained room that held petroleum-based solvents. Production is said to be unaffected by the explosion, which officials say took place in a support building at the Intel site in Chandler. Reuters cites a spokesperson that says the site of the fire was under construction at the time.
Chandler Fire Department Battalion Chief Brad Miller told Reuters that an automatic extinguishing system quickly took care of flames with a mix of water and foam and the building, a 3000-square-foot, single-level structure, was evacuated along with another nearby building.
