Blasts at Frozen Food Company Injure 5

Three electrical workers suffered third-degree burns and two Department of Water and Power employees suffered minor injuries in two explosions at a Chatsworth frozen food company Wednesday.

The first explosion at Chef America, 9601 Canoga Ave., occurred as electrical workers attempted to replace a breaker on the main electrical panel, said company spokesman Paul Meraj. “Somebody dropped the main panel on some high-voltage wires,” Meraj said. “There was a flash, and they were burned.”

Keith Schaffer, 60, suffered second- and third-degree burns and was listed in critical condition at Sherman Oaks Community Hospital, a hospital spokesman said.

Jose Medrano, 38, and Evaristo Talavero, 19, were listed in serious condition at Northridge Hospital Medical Center with second- and third-degree burns.

Meraj said the private contractors were in the electrical room when the accident occurred at 10:10 a.m. The 480-volt main panel distributes electricity through the plant from a DWP industrial power station.

The second explosion, a “flashover,” occurred shortly after 2 p.m. when DWP workers attempted to restore power in the plant.

“They were in the process of re-energizing the customer’s equipment,” said DWP spokeswoman Dorothy Jensen. “Apparently there was still a problem with the transformer involved in the first accident.”

DWP worker Donald Wells, 50, suffered first- and second-degree burns to his face and was treated and released from Northridge Hospital Medical Center. Walter Scoby, 51, suffered first- and second-degree burns to his face and neck. He was treated and released from t h at hospital.

A DWP official said the accident did not cut off power to nearby customers. DWP employees were investigating.