Loud circuit breaker pop with burned neutral wires. Need advice on next steps. Photos in description
I think the neutrals just have some soot from the flash on them. The damaged part of the black wire should be cut off and the wire reconnected to the other black. You might have damaged it when you screwed the cover on, screwed the screw into it. Direct shorts on a breaker are never uneventful and pops are common. Examine the wires closely for any damage but I think they'll be OK. The breakers are meant to protect the wiring.