Blast at Zodiac Aero U.S. plant compromised building structure
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Zodiac Aerospace factory in the U.S. was structurally compromised by an explosion on Tuesday and is unsafe to enter, the local sheriff's office said on Wednesday.
The blast at the factory in Newport, Washington, which supplies components used in Boeing and Airbus planes, was felt miles away and stemmed from the build-up of chemical vapor near a "treater" machine that impregnates materials with resin, Grant Sirevog, undersheriff for Pend Oreille County, said.
One floor of the low-rise factory collapsed on another and the blast broke concrete supports and lifted the roof, he said.
"There's no recommendation to enter the building," he said. "The structural integrity is greatly compromised."
(Reporting by Alwyn Scott; Editing by Chris Reese)
