One victim of Louisville explosion found in rubble hours after the blast, mayor says
One of the two victims who died in a Louisville workplace explosion was found in the rubble hours after the blast, according to Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg.
Greenberg and other local officials gathered at the Emergency Operations Center inside MetroSafe in Louisville Wednesday morning to provide updates on the fatal blast. Two people died, and several others were injured.
The explosion happened Tuesday afternoon at the Givaudan Sense Colour facility at 1901 Payne Street. The first victim died after being transported to a local hospital, and the second was later found dead in the rubble.
Brian O’Neill, chief of the Louisville Fire Department, said firefighters searched everywhere they could safely search in the immediate aftermath of the explosion and found nothing. The business originally told local officials that all employees were accounted for, but that wound up being false, Greenberg said.
Firefighters went back into the rubble and found the victim later Tuesday, O’Neill said. It took nearly 3 1/2 hours to get the victim out of the rubble.
Greenberg said officials believe everyone is now accounted for.
“I want the families of the victims to know the hearts of all Louisvillians are with them, and this city stands united with them as they face the difficult days, weeks, months, and years ahead,” Greenberg said in a post on X.
Several others were transported to local hospitals. Dr. Jason Smith, with the University of Louisville Hospital Trauma Center, said they received seven patients, one of whom was in critical condition and died. The other six patients are either stable or have been released.
Conditions of the victims taken to other hospitals were not immediately available, but Greenberg said the victims with the most serious injuries were taken to the University of Louisville.
Patients underwent a decontamination procedure before arriving at the hospital, Smith said. All injuries were related to the blast itself.
There have been no air quality issues reported from the explosion.
O’Neill said firefighters monitored the air quality when they arrived, and they did not observe any toxins in the air. Officials will continue to monitor the air quality as the investigation continues.
The cause of the explosion was still unknown as of Wednesday morning.
Residents near the blast encouraged to not touch debris
Louisville Metro Emergency Services received roughly 300 calls in the first 30 minutes after the explosion, said Executive Director Jody Meiman.
Officials evacuated about a block and a half of homes near the scene because many had windows blown out and couldn’t shelter in place, Meiman said.
There was also a massive power outage as a result of the explosion, but all power has since been restored.
People who sustained damage to their homes or have debris in their yards are encouraged to not touch the debris and contact Metrosafe at 574-2117. Greenberg said the debris will be helpful for investigators to determine what happened.
Some residents were displaced and the American Red Cross is working to help those residents, according to Greenberg.
Louisville Fire Department investigating to determine what happened
The Louisville Fire Department is investigating the explosion. The fire department’s investigation will be assisted by several agencies, including a national response team from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.
Shawn Morrow, special agent in charge with ATF Louisville Division, said the response team is made up of special agents, fire investigators, explosive specialists, bomb technicians, chemists, structural engineers, electrical engineers, medics, canine dogs and intel analysts.
While the cause of the explosion isn’t immediately known, Morrow added there doesn’t appear to be any criminal activity.
Malfunction reported with city’s emergency system
There was a malfunction with the emergency alert system, according to Meiman. Alerts went out on social media and the agency’s smart 9-11 app but not over text and email.
The malfunction was due to human error, according to Meiman. The agency is handling the issue internally.
This story was originally published November 13, 2024 at 11:37 AM.
