After Explosion, Little Information Provided

A fatal explosion at an agricultural products company in Kanawha County (WV) was obvious to everyone surrounding the huge Bayer CropScience complex about 10 miles northwest of Charleston (WV). But when county dispatchers telephoned the plant for information, workers gave few details, according to logging tapes of the call. Now county officials are complaining that Bayer officials withheld critical information form local EMS and fire departments each time the dispatchers called the plant over 90 minutes. The plant manufactures pesticides, and eventually a worker told a dispatcher, “You might want to alert the community.” Read more about the story and listen to the 911 calls here, and a longer follow-up article here.