Slim Jim Explosion Rocks Garner, North Carolina

Tragedy strikes the ConAgra family

There are no jokes here. There are definitely no references to Randy “Macho Man” Savage and “step into a Slim Jim.” Because that would be wrong. People have lost their lives due to a Slim Jim explosion at a plant in Garner, North Carolina. Families still await the recovery of missing bodies.

Alysia Patterson reports for the Associated Press at http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1568325.html that recovery teams clad in “bulky hazard suits worked cautiously in the unstable wreckage of a Slim Jim snack factory” to recover two bodies that remained missing at this writing. The Slim Jim explosion that ripped through the Garner ConAgra Foods plant happened the day before.

The plant could continue to collapse

The amount of structural damaged from the Slim Jim explosion is unknown, but crews are playing it safe and attempting to recover victims as quickly as possible. One woman who had worked at the plant for 15 years was recovered after a break in the search due to overnight rain and storms that held up work because of the fear of ceiling collapse. Money loans and extra cash from the corporate coffers will be used to repair the damages.

No cause has been determined for the Slim Jim explosion at this time. It is known that the blast knocked down a wall and collapsed part of the roof of the 500,000-square-foot compound. Sadly, 300 people were working their shifts at the time. Of those present, 38 are said to have been injured, four of them with critical burns. Three firefighters who were attempting to address the flames and save those endangered had to be treated for ammonia fumes inhalation. Ammonia is used to refrigerate the meat before it is processed into Slim Jim snacks.

“Not a fast process”

According to police reports, two bodies and the remains of another were discovered on the day of the Slim Jim explosion. So far, Garner Police Sgt. Chris Clayton believes those are the only ones who died. Search and Rescue Chief Frank McLaurin two of them were found near each other, while the third was several hundred feet away.

McLaurin told the Associated Press that the ammonia vapor “wasn’t a danger outside of the building,” but that Hazmat suits were required for all inside rescue efforts. As a safety precaution, some nearby roads remain closed.

“It’s not going to be a fast process,” said McLaurin. “Cranes are coming in and we will start picking the building apart. Thousands and thousands of tons of debris have got to come out of the way to gain access.”

One victim was a 15-year veteran of the plant

Barbara McLean Spears, 43, was one of the victims. Her brother, 38-year-old Anthony McLean, told the AP that Spears worked there for nearly 15 years. She was most recently within the cutting department.

“I knew she was a victim when I went to ConAgra and she didn’t get off the bus,” he said. “I knew something was wrong with my sister at that time. No one could tell us what hospital she was in or anything.”

ConAgra speaks for its employees

ConAgra spokeswoman Stephanie Childs informed everyone that the company is forming a relief fund to aid families of the Slim Jim explosion victims. Surviving employees left in the lurch while the plant is closed will also continue to be paid.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to her family and her loved ones,” Childs said of Spears.

Chaos

Authorities have not yet determined where in the plant the Slim Jim explosion originated. One employee, Janelle Lynch, “saw flames and ran.” The atmosphere was complete and utter chaos, and obvious escape routes were few and far between.

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

The plant had passed inspection

The AP indicates that the Garner plant had been inspected by the North Carolina Department of Labor as recently as last July for workplace safety standards. There were no violations of code, says department spokeswoman Dolores Quesenberry. There had been violations in previous years, such as a 2007 fine related to not having sufficient eye and face protection for workers, but I will assume that with a busy, large-scale plant such as this were the human element is involved, occasional errors would be inevitable. However, try telling that to the families of those who died in the Slim Jim explosion. No fine or other amount of money – money loans, extra cash or otherwise – could compensate them for their loss.

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