Early Wednesday morning, Momentive Performance Materials' manufacturing plant officials reacted to what they called a flash fire that caused two employees to be airlifted to Westchester Medical Center. But others' described it differently. Erin Vannella has more.

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WATERTFORD, N.Y. -- "This was a loud explosion," said Waterford Town supervisor Jack Lawler. "This was not a minor mishap."

Lawler said he heard the noise from the plant and after expressing concern for the burn victims said, "There is a bigger issue here. We have had for some time now, an ongoing difficulty with getting communication from Momentive when there is an incident at the plant."

Lawler said his and the town's first alert from the plant after hearing the alleged explosion was a fax with a one word message "medical" and called it inadequate.

"There are things we need to do so that we can be responsive and help ensure the safety of not only the citizens but in some cases the employees at the plant," said Lawler.

But in a statement, Momentive cited sending status updates to the town every 15 minutes in accordance to a mutually agreed upon notification procedure.

"Our notification to the Town officials was rapid, thorough and ongoing," said Momentive spokesperson John Scharf. "At any time, the Town could have contacted us to request additional information, yet we did not receive any such request."

Lawler said the town did not get those updates and is asking for greater transparency.

"I honestly don't have an explanation for it but I can tell you I've had enough of it," said Lawler. "We're going to insist and continue to insist on greater transparency, greater communication, and more timely communication from Momentive because this incident...could have injured more people."

Momentive assures responsible conduct not disregarding the severity of the injuries to its two employees. A full investigation into the cause of the fire or explosion is underway.