MONTREAL – THE CSST has released their findings about the deadly explosion and fire that killed two workers at the B.E.M. firework factory last summer.
Investigators spent months analyzing the remains of the building, though they admit there wasn’t much left to piece together.
The fire happened on June 20, 2013 when the warehouses were full of fireworks as they prepared for the busiest time of the year.
As the fire spread, the scene exploded like a huge firework display and continued until there was nothing left to burn.
CSST investigators say their main concern was figuring out what started the fire that killed two female employees.
It might have been a spark from metal tools or an electrostatic shock – or simply a dropped firework.
WATCH: Two fireworks explosion victims identified
“There was nothing left. Nobody saw what happened,” explained Claude Lemire of the CSST.
“The people around just saw the building go up and down and it’s finished. We tried to pick up some things, tried to make some evaluations, send to the laboratory, and they came back and said there’s nothing we can do with that. It’s too burned.”
Although investigators weren’t able to find the cause of the explosion, they did find evidence of something that raised a red flag.
Some of the boxes they opened had fireworks with igniters already inserted – something that is only supposed to happen at show sites.
Firework companies aren’t allowed to ship products like this because it’s extremely dangerous.
Companies are also not supposed to modify the explosives, which B.E.M had evidently done.
The company will likely be fined and have to prove they understand the rules and regulations around safely storing and shipping fireworks before they’ll be allowed to undertake large contracts again.
The CSST report will also be shared with other fireworks companies.
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