A natural gas explosion at a R.M. Palmer factory in West Reading, Pennsylvania, sadly claimed the lives of seven people and injured 10.
And Patricia Borges thought she was going to be among those killed in the blast as she found herself hurled off the ladder she was climbing.
"When I began to burn, I thought it was the end for me," Borges told the Associated Press.
She tried to run, but the floor gave way below her, and she fell into a giant vat of chocolate in the factory's basement.
The last article we wrote about someone falling into a giant vat of chocolate ended in a life threatening situation.
In this case, the chocolate extinguished the flames and saved Borges's life.
However, between a burst main and the firefighters' hoses, the basement soon began to fill with water. Soon the water lifted Borges out of the chocolate, and she grabbed hold of some plastic tubing, pulling herself up unto a concrete ledge.
It's still cold in Pennsylvania, so she was freezing. She called out, but no one could hear her, trapped in all the rubble.
Luckily, a rescue dog caught her scent, and rescuers pulled her free.
Borges believes if it had not been for falling into the the vat of chocolate, the number of deaths would have been plus one.
She faces surgery on both feet and a long recovery. Her family has set up a GoFundMe to help her pay the bills.
I can't help but muse that this story went the opposite way of the classic Smothers Brothers song. The vat of chocolate saved her from the fire.
Special thanks to Not the Bee users @frednatural and @gwen42 for the heads up about this story.
