An employee and two young girls were killed after an explosion at a biofuel plant in Nebraska, US on 29 July. The incident happened around midday at Horizon Biofuels, a manufacturer of pellets made from a blend of soft and hard woods. The three fatalities were initially unaccounted for before their bodies were recovered a day after the incident.
The blast happened at the Horizon Biofuels plant in Fremont, around 40 miles (64km) northwest of the city of Omaha. The Fremont Fire Department attended the scene and discovered a large fire and thick black smoke coming from the plant. Part of the factory was destroyed by the blast with debris being scattered across the nearby area.
Local officials said that three people were inside the building when the explosion occurred. They added that large quantities of wood and some alcohol-based materials were stored inside the plant before the explosion. Firefighters attempted to gain entry to conduct search and rescue, however the fire and structural collapse prevented them from doing so. Footage taken at the scene showed a tower at the plant ablaze and its roof blown off.
The fire continued to burn throughout the day while fire officials said they were doing everything they could to extinguish the blaze and start the search for the missing individuals. The Nebraska State Fire Marshall’s Office and other agencies attended the scene with an investigation into the cause to begin as soon as possible.
Firefighters continued to tackle the fire throughout 30 July when they were eventually able to access the plant in the evening. Three bodies were recovered, one of which was 32-year old Horizon Biofuels employee Dylan Danielson. Officials said that the other two bodies were those of Danielson’s daughters, both aged under 12, who had been waiting for him to finish work.
Fire officials said heavy equipment had been brought in to clear rubble and debris to enable firefighters to access more of the plant and continue their efforts to extinguish the blaze. Fire crews are expected to remain at the site for several days in order to ensure the fire is completely extinguished and no hot spots reignite.
The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) sent a team to investigate the fatal explosion and announced that it had launched a formal investigation. CSB Chairperson Steve Owens said: “The CSB is deploying a team of investigators who will work to determine the root cause of this horrific incident and identify actions to help prevent a tragedy like this from happening again in the future.
“This horrific incident should never have happened. We want to prevent a terrible tragedy like this from occurring again.”
