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Search and rescue team assemble for ConAgra

Update 10:06 p.m.

• Some family members of employees have still not heard from their missing kin. They have been waiting for several hours at the Garner Senior Center. The town is keeping the center open throughout the night. Town officials and representatives from ConAgra met with the families earlier this evening, but were unable to confirm whether their family members are still at the scene. They are having difficulty ascertaining the identity of up to five victims at the burn center because of federal privacy laws.

Update 9:15 p.m.

• Two deceased people, one female, have been found inside the facility, says Garner Police Chief Tom Moss.

Update 9:10 p.m.

• Town officials have closed the Garner Senior Center, except to several families who are waiting to hear the status of as-of-yet unaccounted for family members.

Update 7:30 p.m.

• Pending any developments, emergency personnel will be providing updates at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. tonight.

Update 6:42 p.m.

• Emergency personnel spotted someone in the building. They do not yet know the condition of the person, and they say there are still two others unaccounted for.

Update 4:40 p.m.

• Friends and family of the ConAgra employees gathered at the Garner Senior Center are being asked to pick them up. The updated phone number of the center is 919-779-0122.

• There is some conflicting information about how many people are still unaccounted for. Jeff Mochel, a ConAgra spokesperson, says one person is still missing; officials at the site say three.

Update 2:18 p.m.

• The number of missing individuals was incorrectly reported. There are currently three people missing, officials say.

Search and rescue team assembled for ConAgra; employees gather at the Garner Senior Center

Staff reports

Emergency personnel are preparing an Urban Search and Rescue team to enter the ConAgra building and locate three individuals unaccounted for, authorities say.

Jeff Hammerstein, a district chief for Wake County EMS, discusses the partial collapse of the ConAgra building. The facility makes Slim Jim snacks. PAUL TAMBASCO, GCNT

About 20 people were injured and transported to hospitals after the building’s partial collapse this morning following an explosion. Three went to Duke; five to WakeMed Raleigh; two to WakeMed Cary; three to UNC; and seven to Rex Hospital.

The USAR team will attempt to locate three individuals. It is unclear if they were in the building, authorities say.

A small fire in the processing section of the plant delayed the team. At 1:55 p.m. the fire was under control and they were able to enter the building.

In the meantime, uninjured people coming from the plant are gathering at the Garner Senior Center, 205 E. Garner Road. Town officials say that the Senior Center’s phone line has been inundated with calls. Those who wish to check on the status of an employee should call WakeMed Family Services at 919-350-5105.

About 300 people were in the building at the time of the incident, which occurred at 11:30 a.m.  An exact cause has not been determined, though officials believe it is associated with ammonia.

“Beyond that, we don’t know anything about it,” said Jeff Hammerstein, a district chief for Wake County EMS.

Ammonia is one of the materials used in the refrigeration process, said Jeff Mochel, spokesperson for ConAgra.

“I have no doubt that we will find out what happened with that plant, but our first concern with these incidents is always the safety of our employees,” he said.

Within 10 minutes after the explosion, he said, they had shut down utilities in the building.

The Wake County EMS medical director, Dr. Brent Meyers, arrived on site shortly after the initial 911 call. He called the scene “somewhat chaotic,” describing crushed cars and injured people. Five people were seriously injured: Three had substantial burns, and two had traumatic injuries, including an upper arm fracture and lower back pain.

The 118 people initially left at the scene were later screened by medical personnel. Eighteen were determined to need medical assistance and were taken to local hospitals. Three firefighters had minor respiratory problems and were also transported to the hospital.

Inside the building, ammonia gas is in the air. As a result, firefighters and rescue personnel have had to wear Level B suits, which includes a head covering and a mask.

Road blocks have been set up at Jones Sausage and East Garner Road, and southbound on Jones Sausage at the U.S. 40 exit.

View map of ConAgra Road blocks »

Emergency personnel are admitting some local traffic, though many people have been prevented from passing.

Thomas Buffaloe, who has lived on Jones Sausage Road for four-and-a-half years, was returning home from work when sheriff’s deputies stopped him.

“I have nothing to do but sit and wait,” he said. “But I hope everyone is OK.”

Mayor Ronnie Williams, who attempted to pass at Jones Sausage and East Garner Road, was told that he needed a fumes mask to enter the area.

Though the smell of ammonia has migrated to at least a half-mile away from the site, officials say it is poses no danger to neighbors, children, or people with respiratory problems.

About 900 people work at the Garner ConAgra facility, which makes mostly Slim Jim products. Employees work in three shifts, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The building was acquired in 1998 from GoodMark Foods. It is one of the largest facilities of the Omaha, Neb.-based ConAgra Foods.

The incident has received attention locally and statewide, as well as from national media outlets including CNN, the Associated Press, and the New York Times.

Related articles:

• Incentives package for ConAgra set
• ConAgra layoffs top 320
• Victims of ConAgra explosion identified

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