The explosion recorded on Wednesday night at the Cordero bakery, in San Rafael Arriba de Desamparados, originated near a 600-liter gas cylinder or pipe that may have had a leak in the connection, or due to some failure in the oven. which was supplied by liquefied petroleum gas.
One person remains hospitalized at the San Juan de Dios Hospital in delicate condition due to burns and the effect of the blast wave from the explosion. The medical center was consulted about the evolution of the patient, who is about 30 years old, but it will be in the next few hours when they will announce his state of health. Three other people, in less serious condition, were transferred to the Marcial Fallas clinic by units of the Red Cross and Firefighters who attended the site.
This Thursday morning, Fire Engineering personnel attended the site to analyze what happened and determine if the appropriate requirements for this type of connections were followed.
This morning Firefighters were at the bakery facilities to determine the causes of the explosion. Photo: Albert Marín.
According to Allen Moya, head of Fire Engineering, the inspection seeks to determine the causes of the accident and whether the regulations that have been in force since 1998 for the use of gas are complied with. Preliminarily, he said that everything seems to indicate that the failure was not in the gas pipe and now it is concentrated in the oven and other elements.
A system like this must use metal piping between the cylinder and the oven, since at these industrial levels a leak can be very serious. In this case, people suffered burns and the impact of the wave. The emergency was not major, possibly because the concentration of gas in the environment was low at the time an ignition source generated the explosion. At the moment, it is unknown if the premises had an insurance policy.
The company was called, but at 11 am the receptionist said that the Firefighters were inspecting and that they were not going to address the matter for now. They did not reveal the identity or health status of the affected workers.
A community leader from San Rafael Arriba, who preferred not to identify herself, said that the explosion sounded like a very loud roar. She stated that there is discontent among neighbors about the baking company, since it is in a residential area. The entry and exit of large vehicles also disturbs them.
The explosion occurred at around 7:43 pm in a 900 square meter premises, of which there were 15 square meters where the emergency was concentrated. Although there was no serious structural damage, only in one of the ovens, the explosion affected the four workers.
Last year, firefighters responded to 2,562 gas emergencies that left 12 people injured and two dead. In 2022, the total number of emergencies was 2,551, the majority in homes.
Collaborated: photographer Albert Marín
