Kittyhawk, which provides hot isostatic pressing (HIP) services for aerospace and defense manufacturers, suffered an explosion earlier this month at its facility in Canby, Oregon, The Oregonian reported.
The 27,000-square-foot site opened in 2019 and operates several high-capacity HIP vessels.
Portland television station KGW said the blast came from a 15-foot vessel, which "heavily” damaged the building. A spokesperson for Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue stated the company uses argon and that a hazmat team responded to the scene.
A separate Portland station, KATU, reported that the blast injured one of the three workers present at the facility, who received hospital treatment. KGW added that the incident damaged nearby buildings and property, with a large piece of shrapnel striking a truck and debris piercing a home’s drywall and leaving a hole in the floor.
Police and fire officials declared a Level 3 "hazardous materials emergency” following the explosion, instructing people in the area to evacuate immediately. Authorities lifted the evacuation orders the following morning.
The incident comes nearly five years after an employee at the company's California location died of asphyxiation while performing maintenance on an HIP vessel.
Kittyhawk is headquartered in Garden Grove, California, and operates another facility in Albany, Oregon. It also serves the automotive, medical and oil and gas industries.
The company has not responded to Manufacturing.net’s request for comment.
