For Immediate Release

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Concord Police and Fire Departments Respond to Tier 1 Hazmat Incident Inside Home

No Active Threat or Danger to Public

CONCORD — Police Chief Joseph O’Connor and Fire Chief Thomas Judge report that the Concord Police and Fire Departments responded to a Tier 1 hazardous materials incident at a home on Old Bedford Road Tuesday night, July 9.

Police have determined that there is no threat or danger to the public at this time and at no point were any homes evacuated as a result of the incident.

At approximately 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, Concord Police and Fire received a 911 call reporting smoke coming out of a home at 96 Old Bedford Road.

Upon arrival, police and firefighters observed smoke coming from the single-family home.

Firefighters made entry to the home and located a substance smoldering in a pot on the stove inside the kitchen. Firefighters quickly extinguished the smoldering pot and determined that the substance inside was not food, but a mixture of chemicals.

The District 3 Massachusetts Department of Fire Services Hazardous Materials unit was called to the scene to determine what the mixture of chemicals was. The Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad was also called to the scene.

Police spoke to an adult teen male resident of the home who allegedly told investigators that he was trying to create a putty-like substance that when ignited would create large amounts of different colored smoke.

A passerby driving by the home heard smoke detectors sounding and saw the smoke and called 911.

Out of an abundance of caution, the teen and two of the first responding firefighters were transported to local hospitals for evaluation. No injuries were reported.

“Anytime you have a mixture of chemicals that ignites it creates a concerning situation and it is important that all safety precautions are followed, which is represented by the large emergency response here this evening,” Chief O’Connor said. “Thankfully the investigation has indicated that there was no threat to the community.”

Crews are currently searching the home for any potentially dangerous or harmful materials.

“As first responders, we never know what type of situation we will be responding to when going out on a call. What looked like a routine call for food burning on a stove was obviously something much different,” Chief Judge said. “I want to commend our firefighters for quickly taking action to put out the smoldering chemicals and thankfully no one was seriously hurt.”

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