Dec. 18--One person was injured in an explosion this morning at a Hanover County construction company's warehouse.
The person was taken to VCU Medical Center, where an update was not immediately available.
Battalion Chief J.T. Williams of Hanover Fire & EMS said the original call came in at 3:56 a.m. for the sound of an explosion in the area of the Hanover Air Park. But emergency crews found the explosion had occurred farther west, at a warehouse used by a small construction contractor in the 11000 block of South Washington Highway, a short distance north of Sliding Hill Road, Williams said.
The first firefighters on scene found a smoke and flames billowing from a one-story brick and masonry structure. Williams said the blast destroyed the front and rear walls and partially collapsed the roof of the approximately 10,000-square-foot building, which included garage bays for work vehicles.
Several vehicles also were struck by debris from the explosion.
It took crews about 15 minutes to control the fire.
Williams said it was not immediately clear if the injured person was found inside the structure or nearby.
Authorities would likely remain on scene all day in an effort to determine what caused the explosion, Williams said.
"Right now we don't have a lot of answers," he said.
Copyright 2013 - Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.
