BRP explosion in Quebec leaves 2 workers with severe burns
Wounded men in Quebec City hospital in induced comas
CBC News
Posted: Nov 9, 2012 8:22 AM ET
Last Updated: Nov 9, 2012 8:54 PM ET
Related
Related Stories
An overnight explosion at Bombardier Recreational Products' research and development centre in Valcourt in Quebec's Eastern Townships has left two employees with severe burns.
Provincial police said officers on patrol in the area heard the explosion just after midnight and saw a ball of fire shoot from the vast complex. They witnessed two men run out of the building.
"They fled the building. It was in flames," said Quebec provincial police spokesman Bruno Beaulieu.
The 38-year-old employee and a security guard, 54, were transported to L'Enfant-Jésus Hospital in Quebec City. Both were in induced comas.
Beaulieu said it appears the explosion happened in a laboratory, causing a fire that firefighters quickly brought under control.
Police are saying they are confident the explosion was accidental.
The plant is currently being expanded and there is speculation that the explosion was related to the construction.
A police investigation is underway.
The research centre is in the same complex as Bombardier's headquarters in Valcourt, about 130 kilometres east of Montreal.
Bombardier Recreational Products — known as BRP — makes motorized recreational vehicles including Ski-Doo brand snowmobiles, Sea-Doo jetskis, Evinrude outboard motors and all-terrain vehicles.
Share Tools
Latest Montreal News Headlines
- CBC's Top Tweets: How are you dealing with the boil water advisory?
- CBC asked members of the twitterverse to share how they're dealing with the City of Montreal's boil water advisory. more »
- 1-day Quebec private daycare strike affects 25,000 kids
- Thousands of parents are finding alternate babysitting arrangements in the face of a one-day walkout by about half of the 600 private, subsidized daycares in Quebec, with the strike affecting about 25,000 kids. more »
- Aretha Franklin cancels Canadian shows
- Aretha Franklin is extending her current break and has cancelled performances for the month of June, including apperances in Montreal and Ottawa. more »
- Conrad Black defends Harper's former chief of staff
- Conrad Black tells Jian Ghomeshi of CBC's Q radio program that he doesn't believe the prime minister's former chief of staff did anything wrong by writing a personal cheque to Senator Mike Duffy for ineligible expenses. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Harper 'not consulted' about Duffy Senate expense repayment
- Prime Minister Stephen Harper says that not only did he not know about his chief of staff's "gift" to repay Senator Mike Duffy's expenses before the story broke in the media, he was not consulted and did not sign off on Nigel Wright's decision to write a personal cheque. more »
- Mayor Ford stays silent while his brother defends him
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford continues to stonewall the media over allegations that he was recorded on video smoking what appears to be crack cocaine, but his brother Coun. Doug Ford told reporters Wednesday that the story is untrue. more »
- 'You will see him again in heaven,' Sharlene Bosma tells daughter
- Sharlene Bosma told more than 1,000 people at the public memorial service for her slain husband, Tim Bosma, about the love they shared. more »
- Obama to visit Oklahoma following deadly tornado
- Rescue workers raced to complete the search for survivors and the dead in the Oklahoma City suburb where a mammoth tornado destroyed countless homes, cleared lots down to bare red earth and claimed 24 lives, including those of nine children. more »
Most Viewed/Commented
- Over 1 million Montrealers face boil water advisory
- 'Lightly felt' earthquake west of Montreal
- Taking a look at graffiti tagging hotspots in Montreal
- Molotov cocktail targets St. Léonard business for 2nd time
- Crucifix to stay in National Assembly: Drainville
- Service restored on Montreal metro lines
- CBC's Top Tweets: How are you dealing with the boil water advisory?
- 1-day Quebec private daycare strike affects 25,000 kids
- Thousands push for rejection of Bill 14
