Five people were injured just before noon Wednesday when an industrial paint-curing oven exploded at the WaterRower complex at 470 Metacom Ave.

Two employees suffering from smoke inhalation and burns were transported to Rhode Island Hospital, and three who suffered from minor injuries were also transported, Warren Fire Chief Al Galinelli said.

The explosion occurred at about 11:45 a.m. in an oven used to heat-cure paint on rowing machine parts. Chief Galinelli and state fire marshal's officials responded immediately and called in National Grid to cut off the main natural gas supply to the factory. Meanwhile, close to 200 employees were evacuated.

Chief Galinelli said the problem was not with National Grid's lines, but within the oven itself.

"It was not a natural gas line that was the problem," he said. "It was the unit itself that malfunctioned. We had (National Grid) come in to shut down the line obviously. Now because that line goes throughout the whole building, they're pressure testing it to see if the line was compromised by the explosion."

The evacuated employees were allowed back in to the building shortly before 1 p.m.