Public hearing held in Southampton to address recent chlorine explosion
The head of Southampton's Code Compliance Ryan Murphy says the bucket of chlorine was not properly stored and in a residential neighborhood where it was not allowed, creating a danger for the entire neighborhood.
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A public hearing was held Tuesday at Southampton Town Hall to prevent a potential major disaster from happening.
It comes following an incident earlier this month where a bucket of chlorine tablets exploded at a home in the town, forcing neighbors to evacuate and a hazmat incident response.
Officials: Hazmat teams called following chlorine explosion in Southampton
The head of Southampton's Code Compliance Ryan Murphy says the bucket of chlorine was not properly stored and in a residential neighborhood where it was not allowed, creating a danger for the entire neighborhood.
Donna Kreymborg, of North Sea, is a volunteer first responder who says she was at the scene on Ashwood Court. She says there were several chlorine explosions.
"After the scene was cleared, a series of more explosions happened and then the off gassing is what occurred," Kreymborg says.
Murphy says the hearing was geared toward ensuring the property owner complies with issues ordered by the town, requiring them to clean up the property and not use it as a commercial location.
"We put businesses where businesses need to go, residences where residences need to go and we take these proper safety precautions when we lay those type of things out in a municipality," Murphy says. "So, to just change over a residence to a chemically storing pool company, it creates a hazard for the neighbors nearby."
Town officials say the property owner has been cited multiple times for using the residential property for commercial purposes, specifically for storing pool chemicals on site.
Assistant town attorney Sean Cambridge shared photos that he says shows that the owner has complied and cleaned up the property.
"This took 10 days and an explosion to happen and a notice of enforcement action before this person cleaned this property up," Cambridge says. "It's unacceptable."
The Southampton town supervisor says he is reluctant to take further or stronger action on the homeowner since he has complied and cleaned up.
The issue will be brought up again at the next town meeting on July 11.
