An explosion in Louisville, Kentucky, plant Tuesday resulted in the death of two persons while ten others have been reported to have sustained various degrees of injuries.
Speaking on the incident, Food and Cosmetics company Givaudan disclosed that the blast, which occurred at its Sense Colour factory east of downtown, led to the death of two of its team members. It was noted the explosion had occurred at about 3 p.m. local time at the facility; the factory was known for making good colouring natural food.
Fire Chief Brian O’Neill thanked the workers who were proactive in issuing an emergency response, which led to the rescue of most of the persons trapped. It was disclosed that the firefighters arrived and led to the rescue of one person who was trapped in the building while others were assisted to escape the incident.
O’Neill decided that the firefighter team was mobilized as soon as there was a fire knockdown; he stated that there was air monitoring of the surrounding area. According to him, the evacuations that were carried out were done as precautionary measures. He explained that the authorities ordered the evacuation because it was unclear what the firefighters were against. Nothing has shown chemical issues in the air to cause concern, as he further disclosed.
A shelter-in-place order was issued Tuesday afternoon and lifted about an hour later. Officials said some people were evacuated because they could not shelter inside due to blown-out windows.
O’Neill, while speaking on the incident on Tuesday, disclosed that the firefighter who responded to the incident had found an area that was heavily affected by the explosion. The officials further stated that when the response team arrived, one of the victims was found to be partially buried but was taken out by the team who arrived at the scene of the incident,
O’Neill further disclosed that the second person was found buried later at about 7:30 p.m. local time; there was a report that one person could still be missing from the incident in the building that was unstable. The rescue team tried its best to ensure the victim was rescued, but the efforts by the rescue team to get him out failed as work done till after midnight did not yield any result.
It was disclosed by O’Neill that it took several hours to get to the victim and dig them out finally; he further explained that the team had wanted to make sure that the family had closure and that the team had maximum respect for those that were lost.
Reacting to the team’s rescue efforts, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg thanked the individuals who served as the first responders to the incident. He noted that the first responders’ efforts had led to the rescue of people and the saving of lives. He expressed his condolences to the families that had lost their lives and those affected by the incident.
Greenberg, in a statement, stated that his thoughts were with the persons who had lost their lives and sustained injuries from the incident; he noted that the government would do everything possible to ensure that the families of the affected persons were aided at the difficult time.
He noted that the cause of the explosion is currently under investigation as he noted that the reconstruction team from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives travelled to Louisville on Tuesday to assist.
Givaudan communicated that they were fully cooperating with investigators and called the actions of first responders heroic.
The company noted that their top priority at the moment was to ensure the safety of their team members, their families and all other people who have lost their lives in the incident. The company further stated that they are currently in touch with the families of the people who have been injured and also lost their lives.
