An explosion at a factory in Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday partially collapsed the building and blew out the windows of nearby homes and businesses, killing at least two people and injuring several others.
The explosion occurred around 3 p.m. at Givaudan Sense Color, a manufacturer of colorants for food and beverages.
The company first confirmed the death in a statement to CBS News late Tuesday night. “We grieve with the families, friends and loved ones of those who died and were injured during this extremely difficult time,” Givaudan said.
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Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and local emergency medical services announced Tuesday night that at least 12 employees were taken to hospitals. It is not clear whether those killed were among them. The other 13 injured people chose not to be taken to the hospital, EMS told CBS News.
Greenberg said in a statement that firefighters rescued numerous people from the building, including some with life-threatening injuries, and that the Louisville Fire Department searched the building and carried out a thorough investigation. It added that it was working with the company to confirm the employee’s whereabouts.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation. Givaudan said it was “working with first responders and support agencies.” Greenberg said officials spoke with employees inside the plant and “initially told them everything was normal activity when the explosion occurred.”
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Tyler McClain, who lives about a mile away from the store, told CBS News that he was at home when he heard “a loud explosion. The whole house shook.”
Patrick Rivers lives just across the railroad tracks from the factory. The mother, who had picked up her children from school and was taking them home, received a phone call informing her that her home had been damaged by an explosion.
“I was like, ‘What are you talking about?'” Then she showed me the video, and I thought, “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding.” ” he said.
Livers said no one was home at the time. He said the explosion blew out windows up and down the street.
“The house is still standing. It’s just structural damage. If it was on the walls, it’s on the floors,” he said. “All of my neighbors’ windows were broken and their doors were blown out. It looked like there was a small tornado inside the house.”
Steve Parobeck was at work when the blast blew out the kitchen window of his apartment, a block away from the factory. When he arrived home, he found the cat safe and used two pizza boxes and duct tape to cover the windows as temperatures steadily dropped Tuesday night.
University of Louisville Hospital treated seven of the injured, two of whom were initially in critical condition, said Dr. Jason Smith, chief medical officer of the University of Louisville Health. Smith said hospital officials activated a decontamination procedure, a process in which they removed all chemicals on the victim’s clothing and body and removed the patient for evaluation and treatment.
Louisville Fire Chief Brian O’Neal said air monitoring began immediately after the explosion and “there are no indications of any type of chemical issue in the air throughout the area at this time.” O’Neill added that fire officials “still don’t know exactly what type of leaks may occur or may be in progress.” He called on residents to remain calm.
The Louisville Fire Department was leading the investigation with assistance from state and federal partners as of Tuesday night. A reconstruction team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traveled to Louisville to help determine the cause of the explosion.
In April 2003, a worker was killed in a similar explosion at a caramel coloring factory owned by DD Williamson. Givaudan acquired the factory from DD Williamson in 2021.
Federal investigators determined that the tank’s pressure relief valve had been removed when the company moved the tank to its Louisville plant in 1989. According to a report by the Chemical Safety Commission, the tank exploded because it did not have a relief valve.
