At least one person was injured after a boiler exploded at an energy plant in southwest Center City Wednesday afternoon.
The blast occurred at the Veolia Energy Plant on 2600 Christian Street around 3:15 p.m. Officials say a boiler exploded inside the facility. Ten employees at the plant were evacuated, according to police. Fire officials say one person across the street from the plant was struck by shattered glass and was treated at the scene. A spokesperson for Veolia released a statement on the incident.
"Veolia North America experienced an eruption at our Schuylkill Station steam facility shortly after 3 o'clock today," the spokesperson wrote. "The incident was contained to the inside of the facility and there was no fire. There was one minor injury treated at the scene and all employees have been accounted for and are OK. Thermal energy services are uninterrupted at this time and we are shifting the steam load to our satellite facility as a backup. This plant provides thermal energy to approximately 300 clients in Philadelphia. The company will conduct a full investigation to determine what happened."
Boiler Explodes at Southwest Center City Steam Energy Plant
Christian Street was closed as inspectors and L&I officials investigated. It was later reopened.
Residents in homes and buildings as far as a mile away from the plant said the blast shook their windows.
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"All of a sudden I hear a boom," a witness told NBC10. "It looked like a thousand bricks exploded. Like a mushroom cloud of red brick that went up in the sky."
Another witness told NBC10 she felt her entire house shake during the blast.
"[It felt] like someone hit my house," she said. "I looked outside and nothing was going on so I assumed it was something underground because the entire house shook. Things fell off my walls and everything."
Officials continue to investigate the cause of the explosion.
