An MRI machine exploded at a New Jersey animal hospital leaving a construction worker in critical condition and injuring two other workers . The explosion took place at the Oradell Animal Hospital in Paramus on Friday around 11.51am while the repairmen were disassembling the machine to replace with a new one . The man critically injured was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center after suffering from lacerations and crushing-related injuries to his body . Two other workers reported respiratory complaints and other minor injuries , according to NBC New York . The three men injured , who have not been identified , were not employees of the hospital but were contractors from an unidentified company . All hospital employees and animals in the building escaped without injuries . Scroll down for video . An MRI machine exploded ( scenes from the incident above ) at a New Jersey animal hospital leaving a construction worker in critical condition and injuring several other workers . Staff relocated the animals from the hospital to The Home Expo Children 's Furniture Store across the street where they were kept for shelter ( above animals and staff being evacuated from the building ) Around 100 hospital employees and 60 animals were in the building at the time of the explosion and escaped without any injuries ( above hospital staff comfort a dog following the incident ) The explosion ( pictured above ) took place at the Oradell Animal Hospital in Paramus on Friday around 11.51am while workers were disassembling the machine to replace with a new one . Police were called to the scene after receiving reports of fire , explosion and people trapped in rubble . When they arrived , they found the roof of the east wing of the facility collapsed , but the remainder of the building still structurally safe , according to North Jersey . It has not been determined what caused the MRI machine to explode . Following the blast , there was a helium leak , which was tended to by a hazardous materials crew . Responding officers and firefighters were able to bring everyone out safely and also found no evidence of fire . At the time of the explosion , there were around 60 animals and 100 staff members , who were in the western part of the building , with some animals being operated on when it occurred . Charlotte , a five-month-old cat , was being spayed and had to have staples used on her instead of stitches to complete the surgery quickly , according to her owner Cheryl Dearborn . Some of the animals , who were already in critical condition from previous medical issues , were transferred to other veterinary hospitals to continue their treatment ( above animals , staff and pet owners are evacuated from the hospital ) When responding officers arrived , they found the roof of the east wing of the facility collapsed , but the remainder of the building still structurally safe ( above aftermath of the explosion ) Police were called to the scene after receiving reports of fire , explosion and people trapped in rubble ( above a fireman at the scene of the explosion ) The animals at in the building included dogs , cats and one bird which were relocated from the hospital to The Home Expo Children 's Furniture Store across the street . None of the animals were harmed during the explosion , according to Dr Tony Palminteri , owner of Oradell . It has not been determined what caused the MRI machine to explode . Following the blast , there was a helium leak , which was tended to by a hazardous materials crew ( above Oradell tweeted of the incident ) Some of the animals , who were already in critical condition from previous medical issues , were transferred to other veterinary hospitals to continue their treatment . The hospital said in a Facebook post : 'All of our employees , clients and patients were carefully evacuated out of our building today due to the explosion . 'Each and every one of our employees worked together during the situation and they all get a great big thank you . The hospital said in a Facebook post ( above ) that employees , clients and patients were carefully evacuated out of the building after the explosion . ' A huge thank you goes out to our partners : Bergen police and emergency units , Animal Control , HoHoKus Animal Hospital , Park Ridge Animal Hospital , Franklin Lakes Animal Hospital , Ashley Pochick from Merial and Mangiamo 's Pizza on Route 17 . 'We thank every one very , very much . ' Following the incident , the facility had substantial damage and will remain closed until further notice .
Blast occurred at Oradell Animal Hospital in Paramus on Friday just before midnight ; no fire reported but there was a helium leak . Also in critical condition is a construction worker who suffered from lacerations and crushing - related injuries to his abdomen . Two other workers reported respiratory complaints and other minor injuries ; none of three workers are employees at hospital . Around 100 hospital employees and other animals were in building including dogs , cats and wild bird ; all escaped with no injuries .