The blast occurred at 8:50 a.m. Thursday when a welder's torch ignited combustible fumes at one of the wastewater treatment facilities at Noramco, which manufactures pharmaceuticals and other products for Johnson & Johnson.
The resulting fire was quickly doused by the company's onsite hazardous materials team, and the smoke posed no health risk to area residents, said David Smith, internal site manager for the facility. He added that the chemical that ignited was nontoxic.
The two workers, whose names were not released, were taken to Athens Regional Medical Center and treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation. Smith said they were employed by a North Carolina firm contracted to make repairs at the plant,
As a precaution, police and fire officials sealed off nearby roads and evacuated several buildings, including a day care center. All were allowed to return by 11 a.m., Smith said.
