NEW CUMBERLAND, W.Va. – An explosion rocked a small chemical plant in West Virginia’s northern panhandle, killing three workers and injuring one other person, police and company officials said Thursday.
Firefighters were still putting out hot spots from a fire at the plant Thursday afternoon. New Cumberland Police Chief Lester Skinner said the emergency call about the blast at the AL Solutions Inc. plant came in around 1:20 p.m.
Lt. Jeremy Krzys, the first officer on scene, said he had been sitting at a traffic light when he heard the blast and immediately rushed to the plant.
“I just heard a loud bang and all of a sudden you saw black smoke pouring out,” Krzys said.
Krzys said he saw two injured men run out of the building when he arrived. He said one man was badly burned, while the other was still on fire. Krzys says co-workers used blankets to extinguish the man who was on fire.
Company officials said in a statement that the worker who was badly burned died later after being transported from the scene for medical treatment. The other injured person, who was an employee for an outside contractor, suffered minor burns.
Labor Department spokeswoman Joanna Hawkins said federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials were on their way to investigate.