Cause Of PA Chocolate Factory Explosion Revealed: NTSB

WEST READING, PA — Natural gas caused a March explosion at a West Reading chocolate factory that killed seven people and injured several others, according to a preliminary report released this week by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The explosion happened March 24 at the R.M. Palmer Co. plant, located about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The findings supported earlier speculation by officials, who said preliminary information from local authorities and a natural gas utility indicated a gas pipeline was involved in the explosion.

The source of the blast remains under investigation, NTSB officials said.

According to the report, more than 100 employees were working at the plant when the explosion happened in Building 2 shortly before 5 p.m. The blast destroyed the building, and nearby Building 1 sustained "significant structural damage," officials said.

According to the report, employees from Building 2 were sanitizing equipment when they smelled a natural gas odor. The report said employees in Building 1 recalled smelling "rotten eggs" around the same time.

Several employees were reported missing following the blast, and authorities spent days searching for their bodies. According to officials, the last two were pulled from the rubble two days after the explosion, bringing the final death toll to seven.

In addition to those killed, 11 people were injured in the explosion, and three families were displaced from a nearby apartment building, the report said.

The NTSB investigation also revealed no reported spike in gas usage or any work being done on gas mains before the explosion.

Patricia Borges, who survived the explosion, previously told The Associated Press how she and others had complained about a natural gas odor about 30 minutes before the factory blew up. Borges's arm caught fire as flames engulfed the building. She then fell through the floor into a vat of liquid chocolate.

A wrongful-death lawsuit filed last month by the family of blast victim Judith "Judy" Lopez-Moran, a 55-year-old mother of three, said Palmer bore responsibility for the explosion. Workers smelled natural gas that day and notified Palmer, but the 75-year-old company "did nothing," the lawsuit said.

Palmer has offered condolences, but said federal regulations preclude it from commenting on Tuesday's preliminary report, the ongoing investigation or "any allegations that may be made in litigation."

"Our employees' safety and health has always been, and will continue to be, of paramount importance," Palmer said in a written statement Tuesday, echoing comments the company made April 13 in its last public statement on the blast.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.