Sprint Print staff in Preston were taken to hospital after one worker discovered a cache of World War 2 grenades in a disused cellar.
Five members of staff at the Preston-based Sprint Print were sent to hospital on 18 October following a live grenade catching fire in a stockpile of World War 2 grenades in a disused cellar beneath the company’s finishing department, reports PrintWeek.
Attributed to PrintWeek
The cellar was being evaluated for damp, and the phosphorus hand grenade is said to have been accidently dislodged by workman Robert Farrar using a spade. Two workmen and three members of staff were present when the grenade caught fire.
Sprint Print owner Stuart Smith commented: “Workmen went into the cellar to investigate some damp problems we were having. They had only been there for ten minutes when one of them ran upstairs with his clothes on fire and smoke and fire started pouring into the building.”
The fire service and hazardous materials unit were dispatched and a 50m exclusion zone was established. The workmen and staff were treated by paramedics and hospital staff.
Smith spoke of the financial impact of the incident, noting that a customer cancelled an order for 10,000 leaflets – stating “they haven’t gone anywhere else with the job – it’s just been lost all together” – and, with phosphorous containing potentially toxic elements, a chemical cleaning firm has been called in to clean the premises and equipment. Smith stated that the bill would amount to £3,600 ($5,810/€4,472).
Six other devices were reportedly found on the site, and have since been disposed of in a controlled explosion.