Gonzalez said he is seeking accountability from the R.M. Palmer Company after reports that workers at the facility complained of smelling gas earlier in the day. He said that two other family members had also previously smelled gas at the factory and had since quit.
Gonzalez said that in the meantime he is waiting for answers on what caused the deadly blast.
“No amount of money is ever going to bring my sister back,” he said. “I lost my heart. My sister wasn’t collateral damage.”
Keith Holloway, a spokesperson with the National Transportation Safety Board, said in a statement that as part of its investigation, the board is examining a natural gas pipeline and gathering “evidence about how the building was supplied with natural gas and point of ignition, interview witnesses, examine the pipeline for fractures, any damage to pipeline, a chronology of events leading up to the explosion, among other issues that may come up as the investigation continues.”
Holloway said it was still early and information was still being gathered, but that the investigation “will focus on what, how and why the explosion occurred.”
UGI Utilities, which served the factory, said in a statement on its website that it is working with local, state and federal authorities to determine the cause of the explosion. The utility company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
R.M. Palmer said in a statement on April 3 that it “continues to grieve for the incomprehensible loss of our friends and colleagues” and sends “our heartfelt condolences to all of those who have lost loved ones, and hope for the speedy recovery of all who were injured.” The company also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Patricia Borges, a factory worker who was pulled from the rubble of the explosion, told The Associated Press that she believes she would have burned to death as flames engulfed the building if the floor had not given way beneath her, causing her to fall into a…
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