HOUSTON (AP) - The victim of an explosion at a Goodyear plant was identified
Thursday as a production supervisor employed there for 32 years, and plant
officials said it took hours to find her body because of an ammonia leak and
debris.
The body of Gloria McInnis, 55, was found about seven hours after the
Wednesday morning blast in a heat-exchange unit at the plant, Goodyear spokesman
Scott Baughman said. The plant makes synthetic rubber for the production of
tires.
Ammonia gas prevented search crews from entering the area near the blast for
two hours, and once the crews reached that area, they couldn't see McInnis's
body under debris, Baughman said.
McInnis' husband, Raymond, questioned the methods used by plant officials to
find his wife's body. "Was she dead at the time (of the explosion), or did she
die later?" he asked in the Houston Chronicle.
Raymond McInnis, 71, was a Goodyear employee for 38 years, retiring 12 years
ago.
Five other workers were treated and released for injuries sustained during
the blast and a sixth injured worker was still in intensive care Thursday.
Baughman said the damage from the blast and the ammonia leak were contained
in a small area of the plant. About 200 workers were in the plant at the time of
the blast.
Company officials were investigating the cause of the explosion and trying
to determine how much ammonia was spilled. Ammonia is used as a refrigerant to
cool processed liquids.
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