Three people are missing in eastern Nebraska following an explosion Tuesday afternoon at a wood pellet manufacturing plant.
The incident occurred around noon local time at the Horizon Biofuels plant in Fremont, about 40 miles northwest of Omaha. The plant makes animal bedding and wood pellets for smokers.
Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg said three people were inside the plant when it exploded, but that fire crews had been unable to get close enough to search for them while battling back the resulting blaze.
Fremont Fire Chief Todd Bernt said “heavy smoke and a lot of flames” were hindering possible rescue efforts.
“We were unable to gain access early on,” he said at a Tuesday afternoon briefing. “We tried to get access, but just due to the collapse with the mangled steel and we were unable to get inside at that point.”
Photos taken after the explosion showed the top of the plant’s tall tower almost completely blown off, with debris littered on the ground below.
Bernt said the fire was still burning as of 4 p.m., and would likely continue smoldering for days.
Local law enforcement and first responders were busy securing the area on Tuesday afternoon and had blocked off a three-mile radius surrounding the plant. Nebraska Task Force One, an urban search and rescue team, was also called in to assist.
The cause of the explosion is currently unknown and remains under investigation.
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