Quarry blast sends rocks flying into Taunton neighborhood

TAUNTON - After a quarry blast that sent rocks flying into their yards, many residents of Fremont Street are surveying their yards and studying the dings and dents, wondering whether they're safe outside,

Scott Schofield was gardening last week when a scheduled blast sent a rock hurling into his yard.

"You have some heads up, but it doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling," he said.

That 'heads up,' comes as recorded calls 24 hours and two hours prior to the blasts from Holcim NER quarry and warning sirens in the moments leading up to the events. Things Fremont Street families are used to - or so they thought.

"She said, "Oh yeah, you wouldn't have liked this one. We heard rocks hitting the train, and they reverberated and caused an echo," Jen Elsinger recalled, of how her daughter described last week's blast.

Investigators say Maine Drilling and Blasting and the quarry had the right permits, but the incident may have been because of a mistimed detonation. With warmer weather here, people are uneasy - especially parents like this military veteran.

"I want a peaceful place to live. Right now it's not safe feeling. This can never happen again," said Jeremiah Elsinger.

In a statement to WBZ, Taunton Mayor Shaunna O'Connell said: "An incident occurred at the Holcim NER quarry in Taunton on Monday, April 29, 2024, in which debris from a quarry blast resulted in rocks leaving the quarry property. The Taunton Fire Department has broad discretion over blasting activities within City limits, and they declined to re-issue a permit to Holcim pending the results of an investigation. An investigation has been completed and the Fire Department is prepared to issue a new permit as they are satisfied that the issue which resulted in the flying debris has been identified and procedures put in place to ensure such an incident does not occur again."