Week in Review

Bostik Employees Go Back to Work; EMTs Help Boy Battling Disease

This week Peabody saw news filled with compassion and hope.

This week in Peabody saw several stories where people in the community rallied around those in need either by participating in fund-raisers to help the developmentally disabled or playing hockey to help one boy battling a deadly disease. On Monday, Peabody Patch reported that Northeast ARC's 16th annual Wine Tasting and Auction at the Kernwood Country Club in Salem the previous weekend was a smashing success. Northeast ARC, a non-profit based in Danvers that operates the ARC Works Community Art Center on 22 Foster St. in Peabody, helps adults and children living with developmental and physical diabilities. The 300 guests who enjoyed the event helped the organization meet its target goal of $50,000. Also on Monday, Bostik's long road to …

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Bostik Employees Return to Work at Middleton Plant

The company is still weeks away from resuming operations, according to a statement.

Bostik Inc. employees began returning to work at the Middleton adhesives plant Thursday, while cleanup efforts continue after the March 13 explosion and fire, the company announced. Some employees returned to the site several days ago, as cleanup efforts began Saturday, the company said in a statement Thursday. All employees have been advised to report for work Monday, the company said. Cleanup efforts are ongoing, with an immediate focus on restoring steam, electricity, gas and information technology capabilities, the company said. Some of those services have been restored in the past 24 hours. Workers also are assessing the condition of the plant's equipment, raw materials and finished goods. "I must stress this does not mean we will be …

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Cleanup Begins at Bostik Plant

An investigation into the March 13 explosion continues.

Cleanup efforts at Bostik Inc. in Middleton began Saturday, a week after an explosion and fire tore through the adhesive manufacturing plant and injured four employees. Bostik workers and contractors began securing and removing loose materials and debris as a safety precaution for investigators and cleanup crews, the company said in a statement Monday. Workers are following requirements for the removal of hazardous debris, sealing windows and skylights, and assessing site inventory, the company said. "This cleanup phase of our incident response puts us on the path toward eventual re-opening of this important facility," Bill Campbell, Bostik's president and CEO, said in the statement. "However, there is much significant work to be done to …

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Week in Review

Peabody Residents Rocked by Bostik Plant Explosion

Peabody Police and Firefighters were among many North Shore emergency responders at the scene.

The Bostik Plant explosion Sunday night reverberatted with news during and after the event for several days this week as authorities continue to probe the cause of the blast which injured four company employees. On Sunday evening just after 7:30 p.m., several West Peabody and Peabody residents heard a loud sonic boom and some said their houses actually shook making some believe they had experienced an earthquake. Peabody firefighters and police officers rushed to the scene of the Bostik Plant explosion on 211 Boston St. in Middleton along with many other North Shore emergency responders. Four employees were injured, but the city and the region breathed a collective sigh of relief that the damage wasn't worse. On Monday, officials with the …

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Bostik Establishes Hotline to Report Property Damage

The company urges residents to call the toll-free number to report any damage that may have resulted from Sunday's explosion, which remains under investigation.

Bostik Inc. has established a toll-free number for property owners to report potential damage from an explosion and four-alarm fire that rocked the Middleton plant Sunday night, the company announced in a statement Thursday afternoon. Area residents and property owners may call 1-866-242-1802 to report potential damage. "Getting information out in a timely way and making it easier for people with concerns to contact us directly is part of our current focus," Bostik Inc. President and CEO Bill Campbell said in a statement. "If people have a claim or any concern, we want to know sooner than later so that we can address it." Crews from across the North Shore responded to the Middleton adhesive and sealant plant shortly after 7:30 p.m. Sunday …

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Rep. Jones: Response Protocols Worked at Bostik

House minority leader toured the damaged Bostik plant in Middleton on Monday and said the situation could have been much worse.

Emergency response protocols and training, some of which were instituted after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, worked during Sunday night's explosion at the Bostik Inc. plant in Middleton, state Rep. Bradley H. Jones Jr. said after touring the damage. Jones, the House Republican leader from North Reading whose district includes the area around the plant, toured the site with state Rep. Brad Hill on Monday. In an interview at his State House office on Tuesday, Jones said public-safety agencies from across the North Shore appeared to have responded by the book Sunday night. "One of the interesting things for me to observe was how professionally all the agencies seemed to interact," Jones said. "There were protocols in place on who to call." …

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Daily PatchCast

PatchCast: Explosion Rattles the Region and Westford Wipeouts

A roundup of the region's major developments for Monday, March 14.

Welcome to PatchCast. Every weekday at 6 p.m. we'll fill you in on the top stories from across the region. Today is Monday, March 14. Follow these links for more on today's featured stories:

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