Small blast forces evacuation at Ontario BASF plant

Workers at a BASF plant in Cornwall, Ont., were forced to leave early on the morning of August 27 after a small silo ruptured inside, causing an explosion.

Police and firefighters responded to the site of the plant just after 6 a.m. and police have confirmed there were no immediate injuries.

According to Cornwall police Const. Dan Cloutier, the scale of the explosion was “relatively small” and there was no fire. The few staff on site at the time managed to leave the building safely.

Police have left and firefighters remain at the scene investigating, Cloutier said.

BASF, a global chemical corporation, has roughly 30 employees at its Cornwall plant, which manufactures monomeric and polymeric plasticizers.