Fires out, no criminal activity suspected in explosion at Savita Naturals in Logan Township, New Jersey

Officials say the March 4 explosion at a cocoa butter processing facility in Logan Township, Gloucester County, does not appear to be criminal in nature, but they face several challenges with the investigation.

The explosion happened around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Savita Naturals on Heron Drive, in an industrial area close to Interstate 295.

Logan Township Police Chief Joe Flatley said four Savita employees were transported to trauma and burn centers, and as of Friday, three are in critical condition and one is in stable condition. An employee from a neighboring business was also taken to a hospital and was released after receiving treatment.

Three other Savita employees took themselves to hospitals, and officials do not have information on their conditions, Flatley said in a press conference. Authorities previously said the owner of the company was among those hospitalized after the blast.

On Thursday, two victims were relocated to Temple Health's Burn Center after spending time at Cooper University Hospital in Camden.

The explosion shook nearby buildings and was felt as far as a mile away. Residents several miles away also reported hearing an explosion.

Propane-fueled fires have been fully extinguished at the blast site, and the flow of gas has been cut off. 

There have been impacts to Savita's two neighbors in the industrial park: the pump manufacturer Sulzer and The Bishop's Storehouse, a facility stocked with food and household items for people in need affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

"The two adjacent businesses have been deemed uninhabitable and they will not be able to resume operations until they have had repairs done to their facility,"  Flatley said.

Scott Oatman, Logan Township's fire chief, said the Savita building was constructed with "blowout panels," a feature in some industrial buildings that can stop pressure from building up. 

"The building did exactly what it was supposed to do ... those panels blew out," Oatman said. "If it weren't for the type of construction that they had, there might have been more injuries."

Crews on the scene are determining the best course of action for the liquid propane that remains in the five storage tanks on the facility.  

The cocoa extraction process in the building used and recycled the propane in a closed system. Because of that, it's considered "dirty propane" and can't be used for fueling something else. The gas will either be siphoned from the tanks and disposed of, or burned off in a controlled, safe manner, Emergency Management Chief Andrew Halter said.  

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is working with local agencies to investigate the explosion, an ATF spokesperson said.