Two People Injured In Flash Fire At Sanford Automotive Plant

An electrical contractor was seriously injured after a flash fire at an automotive plant near Sanford Tuesday morning.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office said the flash fire happened around 9:30 a.m. at GKN Automotive Inc. when contractors Siegmar Meier and Ron Roe, both of Sanford, were installing a new unit. Officials say an electric current jumped a gap, scorching them.

Meier, who was airlifted to UNC Hospitals, reportedly suffered second- and third-degree burns on 30 to 40 percent of his body.

Roe was taken to Central Carolina Hospital in Sanford, where he was treated and released.

GKN is located on at 4901 Womack Road at the Lee County Industrial Park. Human resources director Brian Galpin said the injured men were working at the plant for Johnson Electric Co.

The company manufactures the constant velocity joints used in front-wheel-drive vehicles of Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, and other automakers.