COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) -- An explosion rocked a U.S. plant that makes duct tape, shooting a fireball into the air and shaking homes a mile (kilometer) away. One employee was killed, officials said.
The blast at the Intertape Polymer Group plant happened shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday, said Bradley Anderson, Columbia fire chief.
Firefighters contained the blaze less than an hour after the explosion, although a small fire continued to burn two hours after the blast, Anderson said.
It appeared the employee, whose identity was not released, was either on top of or near a boiler when the explosion occurred, Anderson said.
''We're extremely lucky there weren't more injuries,'' Anderson said. ''We were told there were about 50 employees in the plant. Fortunately, the boiler is located in a remote area away from where most of the employees were working.''
Emergency officials asked residents living near the plant to stay inside and turn off their ventilation systems because of thick smoke, authorities said.
Intertape Polymer Group has its headquarters in Montreal and has 12 other plants in the United States, according to its Web site.
