Two people have been killed and 10 others were injured in an explosion in Louisville, Kentucky, plant Tuesday.
Food and cosmetics company Givaudan said that the blast occurred at its Sense Colour factory, east of downtown, and that two of its team members were killed.
The blast happened around 3 p.m. local time at the facility, which makes natural food colorings.
Fire Chief Brian O’Neill credited the workers with their emergency response to get most people out. Firefighters rescued one person who was trapped and assisted others in escaping the building.
“Once we got the fire knocked down, we immediately started air monitoring for the immediate area,” O’Neill said. “You may have heard that there was an evacuation; that was a precautionary measure.”
He said that was ordered because authorities did not know what they were up against. Nothing has shown chemical issues in the air to cause concern, he said.
A shelter-in-place order was issued Tuesday afternoon and lifted about an hour later. Officials said some people were evacuated because they were unable to shelter inside because of blown-out windows.
O’Neill said Wednesday that firefighters who responded to the scene found “an area that had obviously dealt with a tremendous explosion.”
One of the victims was found partially buried and was taken out by firefighters who initially responded to the explosion, O’Neill said.
A second person was found buried later, after reports around 7:30 p.m. that another person may be missing in the unstable building. Teams had to shore up the structure in the efforts to reach him and he wasn't removed until a little after midnight, O’Neill said.
“It took several hours to get to finally get to the victim and dig them out, but we wanted to make sure that family has closure and that we have respect for those that we lost,” he said.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg praised first responders, who he said saved lives, and expressed his condolences for those affected.
"My thoughts are with those who suffered injuries as a result of this tragedy, and we will continue to do everything possible to help these families," Greenberg said in a statement.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation. A reconstruction team from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traveled to Louisville on Tuesday to assist, he said.
Givaudan said it was fully cooperating with investigators and called the actions of first responders heroic.
"Our priority right now is on our team members, the families of those we have lost and those that were injured in this accident," the company said. "We are in touch with them, and committed to supporting them in the coming days and weeks."
