RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — About two dozen workers have sued accusing more than a dozen design, manufacturing and installation firms of negligence for a deadly explosion that ripped through a Slim Jim production plant in North Carolina last year.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday also accuses inspectors for the town of Garner of failing to properly oversee the installation of a commercial water heater. A spokeswoman for the town where the plant is located did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
Neither this lawsuit nor one filed last summer targets the plant's owner, ConAgra Foods Inc.
Federal inspectors said contractors installing the water heater likely purged a gas line inside the building, allowing natural gas to collect before the explosion.
The blast killed four people and injured more than 70.
