CNN.com
GARNER, N.C. — Three people were in critical condition and three were missing after an explosion Tuesday at a plant that produces Slim Jim food products near Raleigh, North Carolina, officials said.
The explosion, reported about 11:30 a.m., caused sections of the roof to collapse at the ConAgra Foods plant in Garner, Mayor Ronnie Williams said.
“There was no warnings, no signs,” Williams said. “It all happened very abruptly.”
The three missing workers were believed to be inside the ConAgra building, officials said.
Rescuers began slowly searching the building Tuesday evening, having waited for firefighters to contain an ammonia leak before entering, officials said. The rescuers had to move carefully because the building is unstable, officials said.
At least 38 people were transported to area hospitals, said Jeff Hammerstein, district chief for Wake County Emergency Medical Services. No fatalities were immediately reported.
Three burn victims -- two males and one female -- were undergoing critical care at the North Carolina Jaycees Burn Center, said Dr. Charles Cairns, director of emergency medicine for UNC Hospitals. The three patients suffered burns that covered from 40 to 60 percent of their bodies, Cairns said.
The cause of the blast was unknown, Garner police spokesman Joe Binns said.
Video from the scene showed holes in sections of the roof of the 425,000 square-foot plant. First responders set up a makeshift triage area near the building. A section of the roof was collapsed, and pipes could be seen spewing liquid believed to be ammonia.
ConAgra Foods’ brands include Healthy Choice, Chef Boyardee and Orville Redenbacher, among others. The Garner plant is known for producing Slim Jim beef jerky products.
The company was “working with authorities on the ground to ensure that their employees are getting all of the support that they need,” said Stephanie Childs, ConAgra director of corporate communication. “The employees’ health is their only real concern at this time.”
Leonard Spruill, a worker at the plant, told CNN affiliate WRAL-TV that he heard a loud explosion and that several of his co-workers were badly burned. Spruill told the station that he suffered burns on his head, arms and legs, and said he had to have his clothes cut off.
Garner is seven miles south of Raleigh.
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