Taser weapons factory blast injures seven, one critically

[September 11, 2015]  By David Schwartz
 
 PHOENIX (Reuters) - One worker was critically injured and six hurt on Thursday in an explosion at the Arizona-based operations of the company that makes Taser weapons, fire officials said.

The male worker was taken by ambulance to a local burn unit with life-threatening injuries from the explosion at Taser International, Inc. in Scottsdale, said fire spokesman Battalion Chief Chris Schibi.

The other workers sustained concussion-related symptoms and were reported to be in stable condition at area hospitals, Schibi said.

Firefighters were called to the company’s large headquarters and manufacturing facility at about 4:15 p.m. local time following a report of a possible hazardous incident at the building.

Workers were cleaning up and shutting down the production line for the weekend when the incident occurred, said Taser spokesman Steve Tuttle.

He did not immediately know what caused the explosion.

“We’re going to do a deep dive and find out exactly what happened here,” Tuttle said. “It’s still too early to tell right now.”

About 400 employees were evacuated from the building as a precaution following the incident, he said.

Taser's electrical weapons are popular with police, with more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies in 107 countries having bought them since 1994. The company also produces body-worn cameras, selling the devices to more than 3,500 agencies.

(Editing by Victoria Cavaliere)

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