Pennsylvania candy factory that exploded had gas leak, say feds

The historic Pennsylvania candy factory that exploded in March had a gas leak due to an old and defective pipe fitting, a federal investigation has found.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s probe into the March 24 blast at the R.M. Palmer plant in West Reading concluded that a pipe fitting installed in 1982 had fractured and leaked natural gas.

The explosion killed seven people, injured several others, totaled one building and heavily damaged another in the city about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

The safety board added that the type of fitting, which was made by DuPont, had been placed on a federal list of materials with “poor performance histories” in 2007 because of its tendency to fracture.

Investigators determined there was also a small leak on a gas fitting installed in 2021.

Workers in both the plant and an adjacent office building told investigators they smelled gas before the explosion. However utility UGI Corp., which provided natural gas to the factory, said it did not detect a surge in gas usage before the blast.

Managers at the company ignored reports of any gas leak, according to a lawsuit filed against Palmer.

“We are not at a point to say what caused the explosion,” NTSB spokesperson Keith Holloway said Tuesday, but said the gas leak had not been ruled out. The NTSB said its investigation was ongoing and could take as long as two years to complete and determine probable cause.

A lawyer for the victims’ families was astonished by the NTSB’s update.

“It’s one thing to lose a family member because of some unforeseen, unknown hazard,” attorney Robert Mongeluzzi, who has filed suit against Palmer, DuPont and UGI Corp., told the Associated Press. “But here, this was a problem and a defect that has been known for decades, and that makes the loss and the tragedy even worse.”

“Seven people lost their lives due to shoddy materials and shoddy work,” attorney Andrew Duffy added.

With News Wire Service