Intel conducting investigation after explosion at Chandler Fab 22

Something went wrong at one of the Intel fabs where computer chips are produced yesterday and an explosion occurred. Luckily, no one was killed in the explosion, but there were four people inside the room when the explosion happened and six more workers were right outside the room. The explosion happened in one of the fabs Intel operates in Chandler, Arizona called Fab 22. The photo below is of Chandler Fab 32, which is adjacent to Fab 22.

The explosion happened in one of the solvent waste treatment rooms at the facility. Intel’s Josh Walden said that the internal investigation could take days to determine the cause of the explosion. Walden said, “We’re trying to ascertain what happened,” he said. “All we know is that there was no damage or release of chemicals to the community.” The treatment room where the explosion happened is one of several used to treat chemicals used in the chip making process before it is shipped offsite for disposal.

The workers in the room were just starting the treatment process when the explosion happened. One of the workers was taken to Maricopa Medical Center with serious but non-life threatening injuries. Two others were taken to a local hospital and a fourth was later taken to the hospital. Intel notes that the fire suppression system in the building worked as intended and that an evacuation was ordered as a precaution. An explosion in China at a Foxconn facility last month killed several workers.