2 dead in explosion on West Haven VA campus hospital

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    West Haven, CT (WFSB) — Two people were killed and one was hurt in an explosion on the West Haven Veterans Affairs campus.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal confirmed the deaths to Channel 3.

The VA hospital is located on Campbell Avenue, but the incident appears to have happened near the rear of the building in the Crest Street area.

Crews were called there on Friday morning, state police confirmed.

The explosion happened while some kind of repair was being made, Blumenthal said.

The two people who were killed were workers, according to West Haven firefighters.

Blumenthal identified one as a VA worker. He said the other was a contractor.

There’s no word on who the person the injured person was.

The Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs extended condolences.

“The Leadership and Staff of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) are deeply saddened by the tragic accident at the Federal VA in West Haven and extend our condolences and prayers to the families of the victims and to our Federal colleagues who continue to care for Connecticut’s Veterans,” said DVA Commissioner Thomas J. Saadi.

State Sen. James Maroney offered condolences to the families of those impacted by what happened.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their life in the explosion at the VA [Friday],” Maroney said. “I have nothing but gratitude and appreciation for the first responders who are on hand dealing with the situation as we wait to find out what caused the explosion.”

Sen. Chris Murphy said he was closely monitoring the situation.

“My heart goes out to those affected and I stand ready to assist local and federal officials as we learn more,” Murphy said.

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