Worker Burned in Fire at California's Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

An electrical accident Monday morning at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center -- described as the first serious injury incident at the facility in four decades -- sent a worker to the hospital with second- and third-degree burns on his upper body.

The accident happened about 11:15 a.m. in the lab's gallery, the two-mile-long shed in which physicists conduct high-energy experiments to reveal the secrets of matter. Stanford touts the building as the world's longest.

A contract technician employed by the lab was installing a circuit breaker when a powerful electrical arc ignited the protective clothing he was wearing, said Neil Calder, a spokesman for SLAC. The worker was transported to the burn unit at Valley Medical Center in San Jose, Calder said. There was no immediate word on his condition.

Calder said that damage to the facility was minimal but that the accelerator probably would remain closed for a couple of days while the accident is investigated. He said the lab's management wants to make sure no one else is similarly injured.

Calder said the shutdown could slightly delay the start of a new season of experiments, in particular an international investigation into antimatter known as BaBar that is being jointly conducted by 600 physicists from all over the world.

The temporary delay probably will have no adverse effects on the collaboration, Calder said, noting that SLAC scientists are ahead of schedule in getting ready for the new experiments.