Woman Survived Factory Explosion After Falling Into Vat Of Melted Chocolate: Report

A tragic factory explosion at a chocolate factory located in West Reading, Pennsylvania resulted in the deaths of seven workers and left ten more injured. However, one factory employee, Patricia Borges, survived the explosion by falling into a vat of melted chocolate.

Borges recounted her harrowing experience to the Associated Press from her hospital bed where she is currently being treated for injuries sustained during the blast. The explosion occurred at approximately 4:30 p.m. on March 24th when Borges smelled what she believed to be natural gas. She alerted her supervisor and several coworkers, who were told that another senior staff member had to decide whether to evacuate the building. Unfortunately, less than thirty minutes later, the building was rocked by an explosion.

Borges’ arm caught fire as she made her escape from the burning building. She feared she was going to die in the fire, but as she ran for safety, the floor underneath her gave way and she landed in a vat of molten chocolate up to her chest. The chocolate helped to extinguish the fire on her body, but Borges suffered broken bones in both of her feet, apparently from the impact of landing in the vat.

Firefighters arrived on the scene and began to extinguish the blaze, which caused water to inadvertently fill the vat. Borges had to exit the vat and fell into a pool of water, which she remained in for hours, screaming for assistance. First responders were only able to locate her after a rescue dog identified her location.

Keith Holloway, a spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), informed the Associated Press that the agency is investigating the factory explosion to determine what caused it and why. The agency suspects that a nearby natural gas pipeline may have played a role in the explosion. UGI Utilities, the gas and electric provider for the area, has pledged to work with state and federal authorities to investigate the incident.

Borges and her family have started a GoFundMe campaign to offset the medical costs incurred as a result of her injuries. Borges wants justice and accountability from the chocolate company and is particularly concerned about her colleague, Judy, who died in the explosion.

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Leif Le Mahieu contributed to this report.