By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-19 23:21:58 | Updated at 2024-11-23 18:54:35
3 days ago
A cause has been revealed for the Louisville factory explosion that left two dead and 11 injured last week.
The explosion, that took place at the Givaudan Sense Colour plant, a Swiss-owned manufacturer, occurred on November 12.
Days later, Shawn Morrow, the Louisville special agent at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives revealed that the blast was due to the failure of cooking vessel number six on the southside of the facility.
He noted that that the vessel most likely suffered overpressurization and some of its parts were later found on Payne Street after the explosion.
'It was an industrial accident, and there's no indication anyone did anything intentional to cause the explosion,' he said in a press conference.
Morrow also assured the public there was no ongoing threat.
'The scene is contained. It's secure and the plant is no longer in operation.'
He also noted that the team conducted about 135 interviews, looked at surveillance video leading up to the event and retrieved important data from a black box over the last few days to arrive at this conclusion.
The explosion, which took place at the Givaudan Sense Colour plant, occurred on November 12
Days later, Shawn Morrow, the Louisville special agent at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, revealed that the blast was due to the failure of a cooking vessel
In a statement, Givaudan Sense Colour, which produces colorings for food and drinks, said: 'We are grieving with the families, friends, and loved ones of those that were lost and injured during this very difficult time.'
Louisville Mayor Craig Greensberg said in a statement that officials have accounted for everyone who was working at the plant at the time.
Patrick Livers lives in a neighborhood immediately across the railroad tracks from the plant.
He was at work when his mother, who had picked up his children from school and was bringing them home, called to say his home had been damaged by the explosion.
'I was like, "What are you talking about?" Then she showed me the video. I was like, "Oh you´ve got to be kidding me",' he said.
Mr Livers said no one was home at the time. He said the explosion blew out windows up and down his street.
'The house is still standing. It´s just structural damage. If it was on a wall, it's on the floor,' he said.
'All the neighbors' windows busted out, doors blown in. It looked like a small tornado went off inside the house.'
Steve Parobek was at work when the blast blew out the kitchen window in his apartment a block from the plant.
The blast occurred in Louisville, Kentucky, and caused the partial collapse of the factory
Firefighters rushed to the scene where they were able to evacuate employees. At least 11 were taken to hospital, some with life-threatening injuries, and two people died
Mayor Greenberg said officials spoke to employees inside the plant and they 'initially conveyed that everything was normal activity' when the explosion occurred
He arrived home and found his cat safe and used two pizza boxes and some duct tape to cover his window as temperatures dropped steadily Tuesday night.
The Louisville Fire Department was leading the investigation as of Tuesday night with help from state and federal partners. A reconstruction team from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was headed to Louisville to help determine the cause of the explosion.
In April 2003, an explosion at the same location killed a worker at a caramel-coloring plant owned by D.D. Williamson & Co. Givaudan acquired the plant from D.D. Williamson in 2021.
Federal investigators determined 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 relief valve, according to a report from the Chemical Safety Board.
