Firefighters have confirmed that a ‘high-pressure release of oxygen’ caused a fatal explosion at an industrial unit on Brunel Road in Bedford.
Nine crews were called to the scene at 3:19pm yesterday (Thursday), where a bank of 12 oxygen cylinders was involved in the incident.
Read: One man has died and three others injured in “explosion” at industrial unit
Emergency service personnel taped off a 50m area around the site to protect the public, with local roads closed while emergency services were on the scene.
The safety area was reduced once firefighters had fully vented the cylinders to make the location safe.
Crews used gas monitors to check reading levels throughout the site and deployed thermal imaging cameras to scan for remaining hot spots.
Ongoing police investigation
One man died, and three others were injured during the explosion at the industrial estate.
Firefighters have now formally handed control of the site over to Bedfordshire Police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death.
Speaking yesterday, a spokesperson for Bedfordshire Police said: “An initial cordon was put in place following reports of a suspected explosion for the safety of the public, which has now also been stood down.
“One man died at the scene, and three others have been taken to hospital to receive medical treatment.
“Officers will remain on site until the investigation is handed over to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in due course.”
