GARNER, N.C. — A blast at a Slim Jim meat- products plant in North Carolina on Tuesday killed two workers. Their bodies were found in the rubble of the building.
The explosion critically burned four people, and one worker was still unaccounted for Tuesday evening. More than 40 others were taken to hospitals, including three firefighters who needed medical attention after inhaling ammonia gases at the sprawling ConAgra Foods Inc. plant just south of Raleigh.
The explosion left gaping holes in the roof. An exterior wall collapsed, smashing cars parked next to the 500,000-square-foot building.
Some of the more than 300 workers on duty described chaos after the explosion. Authorities could not say exactly where in the plant the blast happened or what caused it.
“I was getting ready to pick up a piece of meat off the line, and I felt it — the percussion. And you could feel it in my chest, and my ears popped,” said worker Chris Woods. “One of the guys I was working with got blown back — his hat flew backwards.”
Searchers used cameras and listening equipment in the hunt for the missing. They were concerned because the building was unstable, and the bodies were not immediately removed.
ConAgra spokesman Dave Jackson said someone called the plant over the weekend and threatened to start a fire. He said company officials don’t believe the threat was connected to the explosion, but Garner police Sgt. Joe Binns would not say whether police think there is a link.
The Environmental Protection Agency was monitoring the air, but officials said there was no threat to people who live near the plant.
About 900 people cover four shifts at the plant, one of ConAgra’s largest, Jackson said. The ammonia is used to refrigerate meat before it’s turned into Slim Jims.
The plant last was inspected by the North Carolina Department of Labor for workplace safety last July, and no violations were found, said department spokeswoman Dolores Quesenberry.
