Explosion at industrial complex in Logan Township, New Jersey, leaves 4 injured, officials say

Four people were critically injured in an explosion Wednesday afternoon at a commercial cocoa butter processing facility in Logan Township, New Jersey.

The explosion was reported around 2:30 p.m. at Savita Naturals in the Pureland Industrial Complex in Swedesboro, Mayor Frank Minor and Rebecca Forand, the public information officer for the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, said.

Forand said a "large amount of propane" is stored at the facility to process the cocoa butter, which is used in chocolate making. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, she said.

The explosion happened inside the building, Forand said. Officials believe everyone who was inside the building is accounted for.

Officials said four people were taken to nearby hospitals — three to Cooper University Hospital, including two trauma patients, and one to a hospital in Philadelphia. A spokesperson for Cooper Health said they originally thought six patients were being transported.

On Thursday morning, a Cooper Health spokesperson told CBS News Philadelphia that two patients were transferred to Temple's Burn Unit in Philadelphia and a third was treated and released.

Forand later said another person suffered a medical emergency during the response and was taken to a nearby hospital.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill posted on social media Wednesday night that she was briefed on the explosion.

"We are actively supporting with resource coordination and will continue to monitor the situation to ensure the safety of residents and support those impacted," she wrote in part.

A shelter-in-place order for a 2-mile radius of Heron Drive and High Hill Road was in place for nearly two hours but was lifted shortly before 5 p.m. The 600 block of Heron Drive remains closed.

The call came in to dispatch as a heavy fire in a one-story manufacturing facility with partial building collapse, near Route 322 and Interstate 295. Emergency officials said the explosion caused "extensive damage" to the facility and its neighboring building. They said fire and hazmat crews remain on scene to monitor a burn-off of an additional fuel product at the scene.

So far, officials said no hazardous materials have been found, but they'll continue monitoring air quality.

"At this point, our message to the community is that it was a terrible tragedy that took place out there," Logan Township Police Chief Joseph Flatley said. "The community is safe. There are no ongoing hazards, and the air quality is continuing to be monitored to confirm that."

Flatley said in his 25 years at the police department that "this is the largest industrial accident that I can recall."

David Elze works at a building on Heron Drive near the explosion site. Elze told CBS News Philadelphia he and his coworkers "really felt the explosion."

"Everybody walked outside to see what happened," Elze said. "Did lightning strike the building? We didn't know. We saw the people in our neighboring building walk out, so we knew it was something bigger than lightning. Then we saw smoke."

Elze said he could see the fire over the buildings, which he said are about 24 feet tall.

"So, the flames at some point were 30 feet tall," Elze said.

He said first responders were at the scene within a minute of sound of the explosion.

Will Verity, who works in a business nearby, told CBS News Philadelphia that he was in the office at the time of the explosion. He said the blast shook the building, and the ceiling tiles fell to the ground.

"It was crazy," Verity said. "We went outside because we didn't know what the hell happened."

Eric Brunhammer works at a company in the 1600 block of High Hill Road, less than a mile from the explosion.

Brunhammer said he was working when "something tried to come through the wall."

"It literally sounds like something crashed into the wall of our building," Brunhammer said. "And then our lights flickered, so the next thing I know, people are running outside, so I ran out with them."

Brunhammer provided CBS News Philadelphia with a photo of what he saw after the explosion.

People posted on social media that they heard some type of explosion. One user on Facebook posted Ring surveillance video in which a large boom can be heard. Another social media user said their house shook.

Bill Urbanski, who lives on Patriot Drive, shared a video that shows his pet dog lying on his couch inside his home and jumping after hearing the explosion.