2 people killed in Ohio building explosion: Mayor
Two employees were killed and several others were injured following a series of explosions at an industrial facility in Toledo, Ohio, on Tuesday morning, authorities said.
The blast ruptured chemical tanks, which toppled over, according to Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong, who added that the facility's roof partially collapsed.
During a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz confirmed that two employees of Brent Industries, who worked in the building, were killed in the blast.
Fire department officials said a man and a woman were killed in the incident. Both individuals were found dead in the rubble of the building, officials said.
"This is, obviously, an unusual event; it is a tragic event and one that we're taking very seriously," Kapszukiewicz said.
The first firefighters on scene entered the building and searched an office and warehouse before they were ordered by the incident commander to get out of the building because it had become too dangerous to continue the search, officials said.
Officials did not immediately release the names of those who perished, but Lenore Bangura told ABC Toledo affiliate station WTVG that her mother, Mary Allen, was killed in the explosion.
"My mom was amazing and I’m going to miss her," Bangura said.
According to a recording provided by Broadcastify.com, a dispatcher told fire crews sent to the explosion that 911 callers were reporting "that the building has blown up."
One of the first firefighters on scene radioed that the rear of the property was "full of chemicals that will ignite and explode violently," according to the dispatch recording.
After the initial group of firefighters got to the scene, a second alarm was called, summoning more fire and hazardous material crews to the blaze.
Armstrong said several employees were being treated for minor injuries.
The 911 calls about the explosion started to come just before 5 a.m., Armstrong noted.
When firefighters arrived on scene, they found the building completely engulfed in flames and thick black smoke coming from the building, according to officials and video footage from the scene.
People were working at the facility at the time of the explosion, which occurred during an employee shift change, Armstrong noted.
The initial blast was followed by several explosions, she said.
"We're dealing with heavy fire in the building. Part of the building has collapsed," Armstrong said.
The business is an industrial cleaning operation, she noted.
"They clean items like rags, towels, stuff like that," Armstrong said.
Firefighters are working to get an accounting of how many employees were inside the building at the time of the explosion, according to Armstrong.
"We do, unfortunately, have two unaccounted for," she said.
The cause of the explosion was still under investigation on Tuesday afternoon.
