APRIL 21, 2015
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI)
An explosion Tuesday night damaged a well-known East
Providence bakery, badly injuring a worker.
East Providence Fire Chief Oscar Elmasian said the worker
was inside 208 Taunton Avenue Bakery when the blast happened around 10:15 p.m.
Elmasian said the worker got out of the building on his own.
He was taken to the hospital with first and second-degree burns to about 20
percent of his body.
Crews worked to shut off gas lines that were intensifying
the flames. National Grid was also called to the scene.
Officials are trying to determine what caused the explosion.
Elmasian said most of the damage appeared to be to the building’s facade.
“The structural integrity of the building, I don’t think has
been compromised due to the structural steel that’s still there,” said Chief
Elmasian, “that is all glass and aluminum frame. But the local building inspector
will determine the structural integrity of the building.”
The owner of the business told Eyewitness News, that there
were four workers inside at the time of the explosion.
The Portuguese bakery had customers arriving at 5 a.m., the
time it normally opens, to an unwelcome surprise. The bakery also makes bridal
cakes and other pastries for parties, which potentially could cause problems
for customers.
The name of the victim who suffered burns has not yet been
released.