A fire and explosion at a petroleum plant in Lemont, Illinois left one person dead and another injured on Tuesday, local authorities said.
According to ABC 7, the explosion occurred at the Seneca Petroleum plant in an asphalt tank. The injured individual was transported to Silver Cross hospital, the sheriff’s office said.
Will County sheriff’s office Public Information Officer Kathy Hoffmeyer said several fire departments responded to the incident, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Illinois Occupational Safety and Health Administration staff were also alerted of the explosion.
“OSHA has opened an investigation with a contractor on the site, M & J Industrial Services, where one of their employees was fatally injured and another was injured at a workplace incident at Seneca Petroleum Company in Lemont, IL,” OSHA spokesperson Scott Allen said in a statement. “OSHA has also opened an investigation with Seneca Petroleum Company. No further information will be available until OSHA has completed their investigation, which by law, they have 6 months to complete.”
Earlier this month, nearly 20,000 cattle were killed in an explosion that rocked a Texas dairy farm. One person was also critically injured in the blast, police said.
The Castro County Sheriff’s Office posted an update of the incident on Facebook.
“The Castro County Sheriff”s Office, the Dimmitt, Hart and Nazareth Fire Departments respond to an explosion and fire at the Southfork Dairy Farms located on the 1600 blk of CR 624 which is approximately 11 miles southeast of Dimmitt,” the post stated. “Upon arrival it was determined that one person was trapped inside and fire crews were able to locate the person and remove them from the building. The person was flown to the UMC Hospital in Lubbock. All employees were accounted for.”
This was a breaking news story. The details were periodically updated as more information became available.
