Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced a $120,000 agreement that will reimburse the state for the cost of responding to a 2017 explosion and backyard fire in Shrewsbury.
Healey’s office filed a lawsuit against P&M Asphalt Services Inc., a Sutton contractor, and the property’s owners, Edgar Muntz, Jr. and 393 Oak Street Realty Trust, a realty trust Muntz owns and manages.
The lawsuit had alleged the defendants demolished a backyard shed filled with dynamite, mercury, arsenic, chloroform and sodium cyanide in violation of state hazardous material laws. When the shed burst into flames during the explosion, the chemicals released hazardous materials into the air and soil.
None of the defendants reported the explosion or contamination. A neighbor reported the explosion to local authorities, and local and state agencies responded.
Massachusetts law, intended to protect public health and the environment, requires the Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) be notified when hazardous material handling leads to contamination.
The settlement will be applied to costs MassDEP incurred while containing and removing the hazardous materials from the property.
Healey’s office is pursuing other claims in court against Muntz and the realty trust for remaining costs and penalties.
