Ammonia, debris delayed recovery in Houston blast

The body of Gloria McInnis, 55, was found about seven hours after the Wednesday morning blast in a heat-exchange unit at the plant, Goodyear spokesman Scott Baughman said. The plant makes synthetic rubber for the production of tires.

Ammonia gas prevented search crews from entering the area near the blast for two hours, and once the crews reached that area, they couldn't see McInnis's body under debris, Baughman said.

McInnis' husband, Raymond, questioned the methods used by plant officials to find his wife's body. "Was she dead at the time (of the explosion), or did she die later?" he asked in the Houston Chronicle.

Raymond McInnis, 71, was a Goodyear employee for 38 years, retiring 12 years ago.

Five other workers were treated and released for injuries sustained during the blast and a sixth injured worker was still in intensive care Thursday.

Baughman said the damage from the blast and the ammonia leak were contained in a small area of the plant. About 200 workers were in the plant at the time of the blast.

Company officials were investigating the cause of the explosion and trying to determine how much ammonia was spilled. Ammonia is used as a refrigerant to cool processed liquids.