Fridge explosion injures canteen worker

UK: A canteen worker is reported to have been slightly injured this morning when a refrigeration cabinet at a Northern Ireland college exploded.

The incident at the North West Regional College (NWRC) in Derry led to the evacuation of part of the building in Strand Road at around 8.30am.

A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) confirmed that three appliances had attended the incident and said: “A refrigeration unit had exploded in a first floor canteen in the building. Using gas monitors firefighters confirmed that no gases were present.  Firefighters isolated the power and ventilated the area. There was no fire.  

In a statement, the NWRC said it was due to “a failure in one of the aisle chilling units in the Tower canteen.”

A female member of staff was taken to A&E with minor injuries sustained during the incident and has since been released.

No other details have been revealed and the incident is now being investigated by the Health & Safety Executive of Northern Ireland.