Man charged after small acetylene explosion at Newfoundland refinery

COME BY CHANCE, N.L. — Police have charged a man with mischief endangering the lives of others after a small bag of acetylene exploded in a welding area last fall at an oil refinery in Newfoundland.

The 40-year-old man from Carbonear is also charged with mischief over $5,000.

No one was hurt in the incident and there were no property damages at the North Atlantic oil refinery in Come By Chance.

RCMP say the small bag of acetylene was placed in a temporary fabrication building at the site and caused a small explosion.

Acetylene is a gas that becomes highly explosive when liquefied, compressed, heated or mixed with air.

Nighttime construction on Hwy 3 in Lethbridge starts April 17

Apr 17, 2025

SASHA launches #BuyABed fundraiser to support vulnerable Lethbridge residents

Apr 04, 2025

$20K grants available: TELUS STORYHIVE Pan-Asian Edition opens applications April 1

Mar 18, 2025

The company last fall blamed “malicious activity by non-North Atlantic employees” after the incident, but few details were released.

It announced in November it was laying off 128 of almost 500 workers due to economic pressures and regulation changes.

The Canadian Press

For local news delivered daily to your email inbox, subscribe for free to the Lethbridge News Now newsletter here. You can also download the Lethbridge News Now mobile app in the Google Play and the Apple App Stores.