Gas leaked from bad fitting at West Reading chocolate factory, NTSB report says
WEST READING, Pa. (CBS/AP) -- Natural gas leaked from a defective fitting at a West Reading chocolate factory where a powerful explosion leveled one building, heavily damaged another and killed seven people, federal safety investigators said Tuesday, while noting they have yet to determine the cause of the blast.
The leak at the R.M. Palmer Co. plant was traced to a gas fitting that was installed in 1982 and was determined to have fractured, according to an investigative update released by the National Transportation Safety Board.
"We are aware of the update that the NTSB posted today regarding a natural gas leak from a retired DuPont natural gas service tee installed by UGI under the street outside of Palmer's factory building," R.M. Palmer wrote in a statement to CBS News Philadelphia. "Because we remain a party to the NTSB's investigation, we are prohibited from commenting further on that update. We continue to be appreciative of all the work that the NTSB has done and is continuing to do."
We remain focused on rebuilding Palmer and doing all we can to help the entire West Reading community recover."
The fitting, made by DuPont, had a known tendency to crack, and was added to a federal government list of pipe materials with "poor performance histories" in 2007, the safety board said.
"DuPont is aware of the Investigative Update released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) earlier today. We are reviewing the contents of the report," DuPont wrote in a statement. "The explosion at R.M. Palmer Company is the subject of litigation, and DuPont does not comment on ongoing litigation."
Investigators also determined there was a small leak on a natural gas fitting installed in 2021, the board said.
About 70 Palmer production workers and 35 office staff were working in two adjacent buildings at the time of the March 24 blast.
Employees in both buildings told federal investigators they could smell gas before the explosion. Workers at the plant have accused Palmer of ignoring warnings of a natural gas leak, saying the plant, in a small town 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia, should have been evacuated.
UGI Corp. provided natural gas to the factory complex via two mains. UGI has said there wasn't any utility work going on in the area, and it detected no sudden surge in gas usage before the explosion.
Safety investigators determined that UGI replaced a service line at the Palmer plant in 2021, but kept the 1982 service tee connected to the system and fully pressurized.
"We are aware of and are carefully reviewing the update issued by the National Transportation & Safety Board in its investigation," UGI said in a statement. "Safety is our main priority and UGI is providing accurate and necessary information to the NTSB. As the investigation is ongoing, we are unable to comment further. Our focus and commitment remains with the victims and the West Reading community."
The cracked fitting was less than two feet from other pipelines that ran between the two plant buildings, including a steam line, a condensate line and several pipelines filled with heated chocolate. Investigators said they also saw a crack in the steam line.
"We are not at a point to say what caused the explosion," NTSB spokesperson Keith Holloway said Tuesday, but he said investigators are looking at the gas leaks as a possible cause or contributor.
