By Dave Collins
Associated Press
TOLEDO, Ohio — Explosions rocked an Ohio industrial recycling business Tuesday morning, sparking a large fire that drew a swarm of emergency responders. Two workers were unaccounted for and a few others had minor injuries, officials said.
Flames and dark smoke poured from Brent Industries in Toledo as fire engines surrounded the building, TV news video showed. The Toledo Fire & Rescue Department said two explosions occurred shortly before 5 a.m.
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The company’s other location in Alabama also had an explosion and fire in 2015 that killed a person.
Fire Chief Allison Armstrong said Tuesday’s explosions happened during a shift change at the Toledo facility. It was not immediately clear whether the two workers who were unaccounted for were OK and just not answering their phones, Armstrong said, but they were seen in the building before the explosion.
“We’re working to contain the fire and account for all the employees right now,” she said. “They’ve got hazardous materials in there, so we’re dealing with chemicals and runoff and tanks that exploded.”
She added, “If we’re missing people and we’re not sure if they’re in there, I mean that’s just terrible. And so you know we’re hoping that we can just account for the remaining employees and get the fire under control.”
Demetrius Langston said he felt the explosion half a mile (0.8 kilometers) away. He ran outside with his phone and captured video of a huge plume of smoke rising into the dark sky. As police cars raced up the street, he worried the city was under attack.
“The shock waves came down the block,” he said. “Then we all heard it again. Boom! You could feel it.”
Armstrong said the fire was still burning late Tuesday morning and at least half the building collapsed. She also said there were no preliminary indications of what caused the explosions.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it is investigating the explosions. The agency has six months to conduct its investigation and it won’t release any more information until it’s completed, officials said.
State environmental officials were also on the scene monitoring for any potential impacts. Authorities encouraged people near the site who could see or smell smoke to avoid exposure by keeping windows and doors closed and avoiding the area.
Phone and email messages were left for Brent Industries.
The company, based in Brent, Alabama, offers textile reconditioning and industrial recycling services aimed at reducing waste and saving money, according to its website. It was founded in Alabama in 1977 and has operations in Brent and Toledo.
After the deadly 2015 explosion in Brent, OSHA determined that flammable vapor from mineral spirits, a petroleum solvent used for cleaning and other purposes, ignited in an industrial washing machine. The company was cited for a half-dozen violations and fined $27,000, according to OSHA records.
Fire officials say tanks containing mineral spirits were at the Toledo plant. The company says on its website that it uses mineral spirits in the cleaning process for work gloves, wiping clothes and other textiles that contain hazardous substances.
In 2004, OSHA cited Brent Industries for two serious violations at its Toledo plant, including failing to protect workers from death or serious harm when they were exposed to a 207-degree Fahrenheit (97 Celsius) steam release from a washing machine, OSHA records show.
