An explosion that occurred at an Arizona factory that produces pet food burned four contractors working in the building on Sunday, as reported by an official from the fire department.

According to Flagstaff Fire Department Captain Bill Morse, the workers were attending to a welding work in the grain elevator at the plant of Nestle Purina in Flagstaff. At roughly 4:30 in the afternoon, the grain dust from their activity suddenly caught fire and ignited an explosion. "As soon as they lit that welding torch, that was just enough to light up some of that dust," Morse shared.

Like Us on Facebook

The injuries suffered by one worker required him to be airlifted to a burn center in the area. Morse described the worker to have suffered life-threatening wounds and burns. Another worker was rushed to the same medical institution in an ambulance. The third worker burnt suffered from moderate burns and was immediately taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The fourth worker was also treated in the same hospital and was allowed to go home after receiving medication. The explosion did not injure any other person in the area. In addition, the incident ignited no fire to cause further damage. This is fortunate as Morse described the explosion to be so strong that it can blow open a door made of steel at the bottom of the elevator.

In accordance with the information gathered from the website of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the grain handling industry has always been regarded as "high hazard". This classification is partly rooted from the risks involved in engaging in such work. These dangers include fires and explosions, which could be caused by the build-up or accretion of flammable grain dust.  

TagsExplosion, Arizona, pet food, factory, burn, contractors, grain handling, welding