a huge Explosion at an explosives plant in Tennessee The blast killed 16 people, leveled buildings and was felt in an area more than 20 miles away as workers used kettles to produce an explosive mixture and detonated other explosives stored nearby, authorities said on Friday.
Investigators still have not been able to identify the remains of two people killed in the Oct. 10 explosion at the Precision Energy Systems plant, officials told a news conference. Bucksnot is an unincorporated community about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Nashville.
Brice McCracken, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at the National Explosives Training and Research Center, said a meticulous investigation of the plant site has concluded, but it could take months to determine the cause. In addition to searching for the remains of the victims, work on site also includes the removal and disposal of unexploded explosives from the explosion.
Jamey VanVliet, the ATF special agent in charge of the Nashville division, said the next phase will focus on ATF laboratories and testing facilities as investigators try to determine what caused the explosion.
“These results are not going to come quickly,” Van Fleet said. “They’ve gone through time, care and precision. That’s what this community deserves: answers that are verified, not guesswork.”
Authorities said 24,000 to 28,000 pounds of explosives were detonated that day. McCracken said the explosion occurred on the first floor of the 15,000-square-foot facility near kettles used to produce explosive mixtures for the commercial mining industry.
He said the building was primarily used to make explosives known as cast boosters, typically a mixture of TNT and RDX or Cyclone explosives poured by hand into cardboard tubes.
McCracken said the explosives were mixed in kettles on the mezzanine and then pumped into heated kettles on the main level.
“Everything is mixed at the top and then pumped into the lower level where it’s kept heated,” McCracken said. “Then they’re able to pull it out of the tank and hand pour each casting into a cardboard tube.”
The main floor also stored explosives near the loading dock, where the cast boosters were cooled before being packaged, he said.
After the initial explosion in those production kettles, investigators believe other explosives stored on the main floor also exploded, McCracken said.
During the investigation, authorities searched an area of about 500 acres (200 hectares), much of which was densely wooded, for evidence.
McCracken said the scene was turned over to the company Thursday.
what happened in the factory
The blast was felt more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) away, leaving the factory a smoldering wreckage of twisted metal and burned-out vehicles. Authorities said there were no survivors at the blast site. Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said items of interest to the investigation were found a half-mile away.
The company has approximately 150 employees and operates a sprawling complex with eight specialized manufacturing buildings and a laboratory in rural Middle Tennessee. It straddles the Hickman and Humphreys County lines in unincorporated Bucksnort, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Nashville.
The company is headquartered in nearby McEwan and has customers in the aerospace, defence, demolition and mining industries.
According to public records, the company has secured numerous military contracts, primarily awarded by the U.S. Army and Navy, to supply different types of ammunition and explosives. Products range from bulk explosives to mines and small explosives, including C-4.
Accurate Energetic Systems CEO Wendell Stinson said in a statement on Friday that the company “will continue to support investigators and is obligated to secure the site for a to-be-determined period of time” — expected to likely take “many months” — in case more on-site reviews are needed.
The company has set up a fund with local community foundations to help raise donations for affected families.
Litigation over explosion
Explosion kills dozens 21 to 60. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified 14 of the 16 victims through rapid DNA testing.
Given the conditions at the scene, TBI Director David Rausch said they expect they will be able to identify 40 to 50 percent of the victims. However, he said so far they had not been able to identify each of the victims. Authorities have released the names of all 16 victims.
Davis said officials are still conducting tests to try to identify the final two victims. The sheriff said he could “hear it in their voices” when he spoke to the families.
“There aren’t enough words in the dictionary to describe these feelings or emotions,” Davis said.
Jeremy Moore’s 9-year-old daughter filed a lawsuit in state court last week. The father died in the explosion.
The lawsuit was filed against AAC Investments LLC, a company closely associated with Accurate Energetic Systems. The lawsuit claims AAC, the owner, operator and manager of the plant, said the explosion occurred because AAC failed to maintain a “reasonably safe facility” for explosives work.
Moore, 37, cherished spending time with her daughter and supported her in cheerleading, softball or any other adventure she wanted to pursue, according to her obituary.
Lee Coleman, an attorney for Moore’s family, said the indictment could be amended and defendants could be added once more details are obtained.
A company spokesman declined to comment on the lawsuit.