Injured Residents Try To Assess Damage To Homes

BOSTON -- Hours after a blast at a chemical plant, several Danvers residents returned to the area Wednesday to try to check on their homes.

NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper several people suffered minor injuries, but there were no serious injuries reported.

Resident Kelly Lord was injured in the blast.

"Awful, but I am trying to get some clean clothes," Lord said. "I was just telling these guys, there was a big huge explosion. My bureau came up and hit me in the head. It landed on me. The windows -- everything just came in the home. Everything just landed on me, and we just got out of the house. The door blew in. The ceiling fell down on top of us. It was horrible. I got stitches, and they gave me a CAT scan. I got a big bump on my head."

On Riverside, George Merritt was able to see the damage to his house.

"Right now, most of the windows are blown out -- four or five windows. The walls are cracked because I have those old plaster walls. The house is about 80 years old. The foundation looks good," he said.

"I really thought it was terrorism. That's how high the flames were," homeowner Carolyn Dabose said.

"I feel very lucky. I feel very fortunate that the children got out, my dog, my husband -- we all got out, so I am happy that everyone is safe and that nobody was seriously injured," homeowner Lauri Atava said.

Local businesses were also damaged by the blast.

Bakery workers said they were busy making bread and pies for Thanksgiving customers when all of a sudden they heard a loud explosion.

"We were cooking bread, and then we see this big explosion and everything started to fall on top of us and we just ran out of there," said bakery owner Luis Ferreira, who needed two stitches for a cut on his head.

In a haze of flour and dust, the bakery workers managed to escape before the roof caved in.

"The more important thing was for everybody to get out of there alive. I feel sorry for my customers who have orders, but there is nothing you can do about it," Ferreira said.

Ferreira's wife, Nancy, said she wants to rebuild.

"My husband is OK and my father. We have a little baby at home, and that is what is important to us," she said.

The Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Administration plan to host meeting next week with owners whose businesses sustained damage in the blast.