Explosion at NC factory kills two; others still missing

KINSTON, N.C. -- An explosion followed by a raging fire demolished a plastics factory Wednesday, killing at least two people and injuring at least 37. Three others were feared missing in the burning ruins, which sent a black, acrid smoke billowing over the countryside.

There were conflicting reports on the number of casualties, but Gov. Mike Easley and Mayor Johnnie Mosley later said two deaths had been confirmed. The mayor also said three people were unaccounted for.

Plant manager Thomas Clagon appealed to workers to check in to help figure out who was still missing.

The cause of the thunderous blast at the West Pharmaceutical Services plant was not immediately known. The factory, which made syringe plungers and IV supplies, was cited for numerous safety violations last fall.

Workers who escaped the fireball and the choking smoke said they thought the factory was under terrorist attack. Sampson Heath said the explosion on the other side of the factory sent a plume of fire toward his work station and knocked him off his feet.

When he stood up, he saw wires and tiles hanging from the ceiling and he could hear trapped co-workers screaming for help.

"Your life did flash before your eyes," Heath said as he stood in the yard of a church, getting hugs and kisses from relatives.

The first emergency crews on the scene said they repeatedly rescued workers who were dangling from steel beams. Many had third-degree burns.

The Red Cross said at least 37 people were injured, some of them critically.

Thunderous blast

The blast was felt for miles and the building was still burning seven hours later, with the smoke punctuated by exploding fireballs. Nearby trees and brush were aflame.

"The damage is catastrophic to the building," said Greg Smith, operations chief of the Kinston Public Safety Department. "The structure is so compromised that you just can't enter and walk around."

Emergency officials urged residents within a mile of the plant to evacuate because of the smoke, which included fumes from burning plastic. Lee Edwards, who lives a tenth of a mile from the plant, said the blast sent debris from two 800-foot water towers flying through the air.

"All I can see is just the black smoke, just billowing up in the air. I mean, the whole sky is black," he said. "That whole building is gone."

Hugh Pollock, headmaster of nearby Arendell Parrott Academy, said windows in his building burst from their frames and one child was cut on the head by broken glass. The private school was evacuated.

"It was quite an explosion. It lasted for several seconds," he said. "It almost felt like an earthquake was taking place."

Shortly after the blast, the Sheriff's Department notified the medical examiner that eight people had died, said Jane Martin at Pitt Memorial Hospital. The mayor and governor later offered the lower toll.

The mayor also said 134 people were in the plant at the time of the explosion. The company's Web site said the plant employs about 225 people in this city of 25,000 about 70 miles southeast of Raleigh.

"We are obviously stunned by the news," said Don Morel, president and chief executive officer. "Our overriding concern lies with the well-being and safety of our employees, their loved ones and the surrounding community."

Morel said a crisis team was being sent to the scene from company headquarters in Lionville, Pa. Trading of the company's stock was halted on the New York Stock Exchange.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the plant was inspected in October, cited for numerous safety violations and fined about $10,000. The fine was reduced to $9,075 in a settlement Jan. 8.

"We're satisfied with the company's response to the inspection we did this fall," state Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry said.

Among other things, the plant was cited for problems with its electrical systems design, wiring and use; portable fire extinguishers; hazardous waste operations; and communications.

Since 1993, OSHA has inspected 443 facilities similar to the North Carolina plant and found an average of nearly six violations per site, compared with 15 violations at West Pharmaceutical.

North Carolina is the site of one of the nation's worst workplace disasters: Twenty-four employees and a delivery man died and 56 people were injured in a 1991 fire sparked when hydraulic fluid from a conveyor belt sprayed over a gas-fired chicken fryer at Roe's Imperial Food Products plant in Hamlet.