Four Injured In Explosion At Virginia Auto Parts Plant

A spokesman for an auto parts supplier says four people have been injured in an explosion at the company’s plant in Blacksburg.

Jim Burke, spokesman for Federal-Mogul in Southfield, said the injured were employees of a local contractor that was conducting routine duct work cleaning. He said there was no word on the cause of the explosion, which occurred shortly after 9:30 a.m. Friday.

Eric Earnhart, a spokesman for Roanoke Carilion Hospital, said two critically injured patients were flown to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.   George Ward, lead security officer at Lewis Gale Montgomery Hospital, said two patients were treated there for relatively minor injuries.

The Blacksburg plant is one of 107 facilities operated by Federal-Mogul worldwide. It specializes in bearings.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)