Woman injured, airlifted after detonation at Pacific Scientific

A female worker at Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company on the 3600 block of Union Rd. in Hollister was airlifted in serious condition to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center after apparently being exposed to lead oxide during a chemical explosion Thursday morning. 

In a press release, the Hollister Fire Department reported that it “responded to an incident involving an injury sustained from a detonation. The incident was dispatched as a detonation with injuries.”

Hollister Fire crews and American Medical Response deployed to the location treated a single injury and had the patient transported to an area trauma center. 

According to NBCBayArea.com, the unidentified woman is in serious condition at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Its report said hospital staff “received a call from air ambulance provider CALSTAR of a woman they were flying in from Hollister for exposure to lead oxide and another substance containing lead, hospital spokeswoman Joy Alexiou said.”

​San Jose firefighters and hazmat crews were dispatched around 10:40 a.m., after the patient — who was first decontaminated at Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company — was air-lifted to the hospital, NBCBayArea reported.

The report said, “The woman and transport staff were decontaminated again before they entered the Emergency Room, according to officials. The additional step was undertaken to ensure that the hospital was not contaminated and no other patients or staff were threatened.”

Hollister Fire officials were not immediately available for comment. BenitoLink, which left a message with Pacific Scientific seeking comment on the incident, will update the story as details become available.