- Two people have been confirmed dead, and several others hurt, after an explosion at a historic chocolate factory in West Reading Friday night, according to officials. We are anxious to be in touch with all employees and the families of employees who have been impacted, but the company's email, phones, and other communication systems are down, and therefore we are relying currently on first responders and disaster recovery organizations to provide any available information to impacted families. We will be providing additional information and making contact with employees, impacted families, and the community as soon as possible