2 dead and others hurt after explosion at a business in Louisville, Kentucky, neighborhood

WLKY, CNN

By Emma Tucker, Kia Fatahi, Taylor Galgano and Andy Rose, CNN

(CNN) — Two people were killed in a large explosion at a commercial facility in Louisville, Kentucky, Tuesday afternoon, the factory’s owner announced – the same site where a deadly blast happened over two decades ago.

“We are deeply saddened to share the news that two of our team members lost their lives in this accident. Several other individuals were also injured as a result,” owner Givaudan said in a statement. “We are grieving with the families, friends, and loved ones of those that were lost and injured during this very difficult time.”

The injured were all employees working in the plant, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said at a news conference. All employees working in and around the facility have since been accounted for, the mayor said.

“We are in the early stages of investigating the cause of this incident and are cooperating with first responders and supporting agencies,” Givaudan said. “We appreciate their heroic response and send our thanks to those in the community who have shown their support throughout the day.”

Emergency crews have not yet detailed what chemicals were involved in the explosion, but staff at the University of Louisville Hospital prepared to handle the situation with the information they were given, said Dr. Jason Smith, the hospital’s chief medical officer.

The large explosion was heard in the city at around 3 p.m. ET and local agencies began responding to a “large scale incident” involving hazardous materials, the Louisville Fire Department said on X.

Officials issued a shelter-in-place order for people within a 1-mile radius of the site in the Clifton neighborhood. An evacuation order was issued for houses in the two blocks surrounding the site because those residents could not shelter-in-place after their windows were “blown out,” said Louisville Fire Chief Brian O’Neill.

Aerial video from CNN affiliate WLKY showed massive damage to a commercial building.

Greenberg said employees who were inside the building reported “normal activity when the explosion occurred,” adding the cause of the explosion is under investigation.

Givaudan Colour Sense is a company that makes “natural colours for multisensorial food and beverage experiences,” according to its website.

The shelter-in-place order was being lifted, the mayor said late Tuesday afternoon, but he urged residents in the area to “err on the side of caution.”

The city is also using a drone to monitor air quality in the area to make sure “nothing is leaving the site,” said Executive Director of Louisville Metro Emergency Services Jody Meimen.

Lisa Foster, who owns a record store a block away from where the explosion happened, said her employee called around 3 p.m. to say their window was blown out. The same happened to a couple other stores on the same street, she said.

Foster and her husband, Travis Searle, quickly made their way from their house — a mile and a half away – to their store, and noted a large number of people out on the street looking around.

Everyone in her shop is fine but a little rattled, Foster said, adding they’ve never experienced anything like this in the 11 years they’ve had the store.

Not the first time

It isn’t the first time an explosion occurred at the 1901 Payne St location in Louisville, according to a report from the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.

This facility formerly belonged to D.D. Williamson & Company, but that company was acquired by Givaudan in 2021 and changed its name to Givaudan Sense Colour in 2023, the company previously said in a news release.

On April 11, 2003, one worker was killed at the D.D. Williamson plant when the “process vessel became over pressurized,” releasing 26,000 pounds of aqueous ammonia into the air and sending debris flying, according to the board’s report.

The explosion caused extensive damage to the plant, which prompted 26 residents to evacuate and 1,500 people to be sheltered in place at the time.

The company was ultimately fined $10,000 by the Kentucky Labor Cabinet for the 2003 explosion, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

In March 2004, D.D. Williamson & Company President and CEO Tex Nixon acknowledged the tragic accident in a public hearing.

“This was a difficult experience for everyone. We lost a friend and associate in the accident, and certainly caused some anxiety among our many friends and neighbors in the Clifton community,” said Nixon.

The 2003 blast killed a 44-year-old worker named Louis Perry, according to records of the public hearing. Perry’s granddaughter, Lorrie Hibbard, told CNN on Tuesday, “This has brought up a lot of memories of that explosion that took him.

“And you would think that after one explosion, it wouldn’t happen again. But here we are,” said Hibbard, who has lived in Louisville her whole life.

“All I heard was that there was an explosion at the plant again, and it just takes you right back to 2003.”

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CNN’s Ritu Prasad and Taylor Romine contributed to this report.