EAST SPENCER — According to fire officials, a 37-year-old employee at Westlake Royal Building Products, formerly Boral Composites, Inc., on Correll Street has died after being caught in a machine at the plant.

Fire Chief Shawn McBride said the man, who has not been identified, was feeding materials into some sort of press when his arm was caught and he was pulled in to the machine.

McBride said the call came in at 1:59 p.m. and East Spencer and Salisbury fire departments, East Spencer police and Rowan County Emergency Management responded. The first EMS to arrive determined the man was deceased, and a custodian was able to help firefighters get the man released from the machine.

Although East Spencer Police Chief John Fewell said there is no criminal involvement, so his department will not be investigating, and the scene was released.

Fewell said he understood the company was planning to set up counseling for any employees who need it, since there were other employees in the area who witnessed the accident.

McBride said he has been with the East Spencer fire department since before the company came to town and did not recall any previous fatalities.

OSHA will be investigating the accident.