Associated Press
MOSCOW, Pa. — At least one person was killed and three others injured following an explosion Wednesday at a plant that stores black powder, which is used to make dynamite and fireworks, officials said.
The explosion at J&J Pyrotechnics Mfg. was followed by a series of other blasts and fires, said Jerry Gaughan, emergency services director for Lackwanna County.
Officials said two men were inside the plant when it exploded: owner John Iannarone and employee John Aston.
Iannarone was officially listed as missing Wednesday night. Rescue crews pulled a body from the wreckage, but County Coroner Joseph Brennan declined to release the victim’s name.
Aston was pulled from the storage bunker by his brother, who does not work at the facility but was driving by and heard the explosion, officials said. Aston remained in critical condition Wednesday at Lehigh Valley Hospital’s burn center, a spokesman said.
The company had about 10,000 pounds of black powder in storage, complicating the rescue effort, Gaughan said.
Two other workers suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene in Spring Brook Township, a rural area about six miles from Scranton.
About 200 residents were evacuated during the day while small, scattered fires burned at the 30-acre site.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately determined, Gaughan said.
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