Feds Begin Probe Of N.C. Plant Explosion

Federal investigators say at least half of a sprawling Slim Jim processing plant in North Carolina was damaged in a fatal explosion and that parts of the building may need to be removed before their agents can go inside.

Structural safety engineers from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives brought lasers and other tools Thursday to assess the building's stability, a day after authorities pulled three bodies from the site.

Those experts will determine which parts of the 500,000-square-foot building to shore up or take out before agents can pinpoint the source and cause of the blast.

The explosion Tuesday morning at the ConAgra Foods Inc. facility in Garner killed three people and injured at least 38. Three firefighters were treated for inhaling ammonia fumes.

Officials said 300 workers were in the plant when the unexplained blast occurred.

Seven-person search crews rotated in and out of the building every 30 minutes on Wednesday, recovering the three bodies.

Hazmat suits were required because ammonia vapor, which had been tamped down by the rain, was leaking up through the debris, search and rescue chief Frank McLaurin said Wednesday.

ConAgra spokeswoman Stephanie Childs said a fund was being set up to help families of victims and that employees would continue to be paid. She said the company will work with the Spears family to provide any support possible.

Authorities could not say where in the plant the blast happened or what caused it, but some workers who escaped said chaos and panic followed.

Janelle Lynch, who has worked at the plant for eight years, said she saw flames and ran. She planned to leave through the cutting department, but the roof started to collapse, so she went in the other direction and escaped through a warehouse.

"I saw a fire and things just started exploding," she said.

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 company, which has 25,000 employees worldwide, makes brands like Chef Boyardee, Hunt's tomato sauce, ACT II popcorn and Hebrew National hot dogs.

The plant was last inspected by the North Carolina Department of Labor for workplace safety last July and no violations were found, department spokeswoman Dolores Quesenberry said. The plant had violations in previous years, including a fine in 2007 for problems with eye and face protection equipment.