Eight people were injured and one worker was killed in an explosion and two-alarm fire in the early hours of Thursday morning at the Yenkin-Majestic Paint Corp. production plant in Columbus, OH, local news organizations reported.
About 40 workers were present in the facility when the explosion occured around midnight, coverage by NBC News said. Initial reports said one person was missing. After about five hours, crews later found the body of 44-year-old press room supervisor Wendell Light, a fire offical told the broadcaster.
Evacuations were ordered for some structures near the plant because of hazardous chemicals inside the facility, according to Cleveland.com.
“First responding companies were met by employees exiting the building, five of them injured and taken to local hospitals. Two other employees were trapped inside the building and had to be extricated and transported in critical condition,” the City of Columbus Division of Fire posted on Facebook.
At 5:15 a.m., the fire department wrote that the fire was contained, but black smoke was still visible as some product continued to burn.
An investigation into the cause of the explosion and fire is underway.
Formed in 1920, Yenkin-Majestic Paint manufactures paints, industrial coatings, and OPC polymers, its website states. The firm is based in Columbus.
