R.M. Palmer Explosion

On the evening of March 24, 2023, an explosion occurred at a chocolate factory operated by the R.M. Palmer Company in West Reading, Pennsylvania. It destroyed Building 2 and damaged the main factory, a four-story masonry structure with heavy timber post-and-beam construction.

We provided response and investigation services following the explosion, and our tasks included emergency structural condition assessment and the design and oversight of make-safe demolition and stabilization measures. For example, the north exterior wall was heavily damaged and in danger of collapse, with many of the windows or shutters blown out or deformed, localized impact damage and fracturing in the brick, and a significant portion of the wall visibly bowed outward. We recommended demotion of this wall as soon as possible.