5 Die, 14 Hurt After Blast in Chemical Plant

Five people were found dead Saturday in a chemical processing plant leveled by an explosion that could be felt for miles. Fourteen people were injured.

The walls of the 25-foot-high building at the Lehigh Valley Industrial Park collapsed inward after the explosion Friday night. Metal studs, concrete, glass and insulation flew through the air, and windows of nearby buildings shattered. A large chemical cloud rose above the explosion.

“I don’t think it could get much worse than what it was,” said Capt. Dan Hartman, one of the first emergency workers to arrive. “Debris was strewn more than 100 feet around.”

The building housed Concept Science Inc., a chemical processing company. State police were meeting with company executives, who were unavailable for comment.

Four of the five victims worked at Concept Science. The fifth worked in the building but not for that company. They were identified as: Anthony Mondello Sr., 55; his son Paul Mondello, 25; Paul Wanamaker, 43; Rubin Soto Sr., 52; and Terry Bowers, 48. The company Bowers worked for was not immediately known.

Fourteen people, including six rescue workers suffering from chemical burns and chest pains, were taken to hospitals. One person was in critical condition.

Authorities believe the explosion was triggered during the distillation of a volatile chemical, hydroxylamine, which Concept Science uses to make an etching solution for computer chips. Investigators also believe potassium hydroxide was involved.

About 80 workers were decontaminated with a water and soap solution.