Darlington blast causes serious injuries to worker
21 September 2012
An explosion at an industrial unit on Darlington's Cleveland Industrial Estate left a man seriously injured and caused the UK East Coast Main Line to shut, the fire service said on September 20. The 63-year-old casualty was flown from the scene to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle suffering burns to his arms and face.
Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said the unit was used to convert cars to use liquid petroleum gas, and propane and oxyacetylene cylinders may have exploded.
The resulting blaze caused the evacuation of businesses up to 200m from the site and trains using the main line between Northallerton and Newcastle - which include services linking London and Edinburgh - were stopped as a precaution due to the proximity of the fire to the tracks.
The Health and Safety Executive said it had been informed of the incident and that an investigation into the cause of the explosion and fire would begin in due course