Two workers killed in explosions at Ohio recycling plant
A pair of blasts tore through a Toledo industrial recycling facility during a shift change, leveling much of the roof and walls and triggering hours of firefighting.
Why it matters
The incident highlights workplace safety hazards at industrial recycling facilities, a concern relevant to similar operations across Alberta.
Two explosions struck Brent Industries, an industrial recycling business in Toledo, Ohio, shortly before 5 a.m. Tuesday during a shift change, killing two employees and injuring two or three others, Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong said. Crews found the bodies of a man and a woman inside the smoldering building after searching through hazardous materials, runoff and the risk of further explosions.
A resident who felt the blast from half a kilometre away described shock waves rolling down his block and captured video of thick smoke rising into the sky. Aerial images showed the building's roof largely destroyed and its walls blown out. The fire was still burning Tuesday afternoon, though environmental monitors detected no hazardous threat in the surrounding air. Authorities urged nearby residents who saw or smelled smoke to stay indoors with windows and doors closed.
Officials said there were no preliminary indications of what caused the explosions, and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating, with findings expected within six months. Fire officials said tanks of mineral spirits, a petroleum solvent the company uses to clean textiles, were on site.
Brent Industries, based in Brent, Alabama, has operated in Toledo and Alabama since 1977. Its Alabama plant had a fatal explosion in 2015 linked to mineral spirit vapors, resulting in OSHA fines, and its Toledo plant was previously cited by OSHA in 2004 for safety violations involving a steam release.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.