Two employees died and several others were hurt after a pair of powerful explosions ripped through an industrial recycling plant in Toledo, Ohio, early Tuesday, igniting a large fire and sending dense black smoke rising above the surrounding area, officials said.
The explosions happened just before 5 a.m. at Brent Industries, striking around the time workers were changing shifts, Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong said, according to The Associated Press.
Fire crews later discovered the bodies of two workers, one man and one woman, inside the badly damaged facility. Officials said two or three additional employees sustained minor injuries.
Footage from the scene showed sections of the building swallowed by flames as firefighters worked from around the perimeter of the Toledo recycling facility.
The blasts occurred just before 5 a.m. at Brent Industries during a shift change. (WTVG via AP)
Aerial views revealed severe damage across the site, with most of the roof destroyed and multiple walls blown apart, The Associated Press reported.
Armstrong said first responders had to contend with hazardous materials, contaminated runoff and concerns about possible secondary explosions while searching the wreckage and working to confirm the status of employees.
Environmental officials later said air monitoring in the area did not show any hazardous threat.
Demetrius Langston, who was about half a mile away, said he felt the force of the blasts.
Firefighters later found the bodies of a male and female employee inside the heavily damaged building. (WTVG via AP)
“The shock waves came down the block,” he said. “Then we all heard it again. Boom! You could feel it.”
The fire continued burning into Tuesday afternoon, and officials said there were no preliminary indications of what caused the explosions.
Authorities urged residents who could see or smell smoke to stay away from the area and keep their windows and doors closed.
Brent Industries, based in Alabama, provides textile reconditioning and industrial recycling services and uses mineral spirits in its cleaning process, according to The Associated Press.
The fire continued burning into Tuesday afternoon, and officials said there were no preliminary indications of what caused the explosions. (WTVG via AP)
Fire officials said tanks containing the petroleum-based solvent were at the Toledo facility, though their role in Tuesday’s explosions remains unknown.
The company has a history of deadly accidents and safety violations, The Associated Press reported.
A 2015 explosion at its Alabama plant killed one worker after mineral spirit vapors ignited inside a washing machine. OSHA later cited the company for six violations and fined it $27,000.
Brent Industries could not immediately be reached by News Outlet for comment.
