LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two employees subsequently died an explosion at a factory in Louisville, Kentucky That caused a partial collapse of the building and blew out windows in nearby homes and businesses, the company said Wednesday.
The explosion occurred on Tuesday afternoon at Givaudan Sense Colour, which produces food and drink colourants.
“We mourn with the families, friends and loved ones of those lost and injured during this very difficult time,” the company said in a statement.
Firefighters rescued and evacuated many people from the building, including some with life-threatening injuries, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a statement Tuesday evening. Greenberg said officials took into account everyone working at the plant at the time.
It was previously reported that at least 11 employees had been taken to hospitals.
The cause was investigated. Greenberg said officials spoke with workers at the plant and that they “initially made it clear that everything was normal when the explosion occurred.”
The company said it was in the early stages of investigating the cause and is working with authorities.
“We appreciate their heroic response and thank those in the community who showed their support throughout the day,” the company said.
Patrick Livers lives in a neighborhood directly across from the factory’s railroad tracks. He was at work when his mother, who had picked up his children from school and taken them home, called to say his house had been damaged in the explosion.
“I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ Then she showed me the video. I thought, ‘Oh, you’re kidding me,'” he said.
Livers said no one was home at the time. He said the explosion blew out windows all over his street.
“The house is still there. It’s just structural damage. If it’s on the wall, it’s on the floor,” he said. “All the neighbors’ windows were blown out and doors were blown in. It looked like a small tornado had hit the house.”
Steve Parobek was at work when the blast blew out the kitchen window in his apartment, a block from the factory. He arrived home to find his cat safe and used two pizza boxes and some duct tape to cover his window as temperatures steadily dropped Tuesday evening.
The Louisville Fire Department led the investigation as of Tuesday evening with assistance from state and federal partners. A reconstruction team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was en route to Louisville to help determine the cause of the explosion.
In April 2003, an explosion at the same site killed a worker at a DD Williamson caramel color factory. & Co. Givaudan took over the factory from DD Williamson in 2021.
Federal investigators determined that a pressure relief valve on a tank had been removed when the company moved the tank to its Louisville plant in 1989. The tank exploded because there was no pressure relief valve, according to a Chemical Safety Board report.
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Associated Press journalists John Raby and Bruce Schreiner contributed to this report.