Chemical plant blast injures 14

? An explosion at a chemical plant Tuesday injured 14 workers and set off a fire that spewed thick black smoke, leading to the temporary evacuation of nearby residents, officials said.

Two of the workers were seriously injured, plant vice president Randy Cox said.

Windows were blown out as much as a third of a mile away, and a house across the street from the plant was moved off its foundation.

The fire was mostly extinguished by midafternoon and all workers at the Synthron Inc. plant were accounted for. The cause of the blast hadn’t been determined, police Capt. Ronnie Rector said.

Officials allowed residents who had voluntarily evacuated to return to their homes. They were advised to keep their windows closed and ventilation systems turned off, said police Sgt. Scott Rogers.

State water and air quality officials were at the site, monitoring conditions and checking to see whether runoff into creeks posed any threat to the nearby Catawba River, the source of drinking water for much of central North Carolina and South Carolina.

Crews work on the remnants of the Synthron Inc. plant in Morganton, N.C. The explosion Tuesday injured 14 workers and set off an intense blaze that burned with thick black smoke and forced area residents indoors while crews determined if it was harmful to breathe.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board said it was dispatching a team from Washington, D.C., to assess the explosion and fire.

Cox, who was thrown from his chair by the blast, said the plant’s maintenance chief had been burned and the plant’s manager suffered head injuries. They were hospitalized. The 12 with less serious injuries, including Cox, were treated and released.

Synthron is a subsidiary of Paris-based Protex International, which produces specialty chemicals.

Rector said the plant produces predominantly textile chemicals. He said the chemicals it has on hand include toluene, a petroleum-based liquid that can be explosive.