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By MICHAEL D. McELWAIN (mmcelwain@reviewonline.com)
NEW CUMBERLAND - An industrial accident at Jamegy, Inc. in
New Cumberland claimed the life of one employee.
"At 12:40 we received a report of a fire at the plant - a
fire of unknown origin - and there was a fatality," Hancock
County Sheriff Mike White said.
A preliminary identification was made of the victim, but
White said the name would not be officially released pending
family notification, and until a report is made by others in
the investigation.
White said his department, the state fire marshal and
Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officials
will conduct that investigation.
"The body was sent to Charleston for an autopsy," White
said late Tuesday night. The sheriff added that OSHA officials
were also due to show up at the plant late Tuesday.
Initial reports suggest the victim was inside of a tank at
the facility when the fire occurred. The fire then consumed a
portion of the interior of one section of the building.
Fire and rescue workers from all areas of the county
converged at the plant located at 605 South Chester Street.
"There are no other reports of injuries," Mark Vignovic,
vice president of Jamegy said. "We are not doing anything else
in the production building while this is being investigated,"
Vignovic added.
The facility reprocesses scrap metals such as that from the
Timet facility in Toronto. Titanium is extracted from the
materials and is then repackaged for sale to steel and other
industries.
Vignovic and company President Devin Megy said the facility
employs approximately 20 people and seven were working at the
time of the fire.
Both company officials said production will be halted as
long as necessary.
"My main concern is with the family of the victim," Megy
said.
According to officials, a propane explosion in the
mid-1990s at the plant resulted in a fatality.
Jamegy located in New Cumberland in the early 1990s and is
one of the city's largest employers. |
