Two workers were unaccounted for on Tuesday morning following several explosions and a large blaze at a recycling facility in Toledo, Ohio, local officials said.
The blasts occurred shortly before 5 a.m. during a shift change at the facility, according to Allison Armstrong, the fire chief for the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department.
The cause of the fire and the explosions was still under investigation, Chief Armstrong said.
Video from the scene, shared by local news, appeared to show plumes of smoke and a wall of flames engulfing parts of the building. Another video, taken from a nearby driveway, appeared to show a flash of light before the camera began shaking. Several explosions were then audible on the recording.
The site was identified by local news outlets as Brent Industries, an industrial textile reconditioning and recycling facility. Chemical tanks used in cleaning processes at the facility had ruptured during the incident, Chief Armstrong said during a news conference Tuesday morning.
Multiple tanks containing “mineral spirits” were located at the facility “creating an additional hazard for responding crews,” the fire department said in a news release. Brent Industries did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday morning.
Employees who were able to evacuate the facility were evaluated and treated for injuries on scene, according to the release.
Ms. Armstrong said that there was no immediate danger to the surrounding community. She warned that people should avoid the smoke and stay away from the area.
Initial reports indicated that approximately 12 individuals were believed to be inside the facility at the time of the fire, according to the news release. Firefighters were going through lists of employees and continuing to search for the two missing individuals, Chief Armstrong said.
“We are actively assessing any areas in the building where we believe anybody could be in a void space or an area that is protected from the fire,” she said.
By 8 a.m., local news video taken on the scene appeared to show that the fire had died down, with a plume of smoke emanating from the site. Part of the building had collapsed, but there was no immediate threat that the fire would spread to other nearby buildings, officials said.
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