By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Two explosions struck Brent Industries, an industrial recycling facility in Toledo, Ohio, shortly before 5 a.m. Tuesday, sparking a large fire.
- Two workers remained unaccounted for and several others sustained minor injuries, officials said.
- Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong said crews were working to contain the fire, deal with hazardous chemicals and tanks that exploded, and account for all employees; at least half the building had collapsed by late morning.
- The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the explosions and has up to six months to complete its review.
- The company’s Alabama facility experienced a fatal explosion in 2015 linked to flammable vapor from a cleaning solvent; fire officials said tanks of the same solvent, mineral spirits, were present at the Toledo plant.
TOLEDO, Ohio — Explosions rocked an industrial recycling facility in Toledo early Tuesday, sparking a large fire that drew a heavy emergency response and left two workers unaccounted for.
The Toledo Fire & Rescue Department said two explosions occurred at Brent Industries shortly before 5 a.m., during a shift change. Fire Chief Allison Armstrong said several employees sustained minor injuries, while two workers who were seen in the building before the blast could not be located as of Tuesday morning. “We’re working to contain the fire and account for all the employees right now,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong said crews were battling both the fire and hazardous materials, including chemicals, runoff and tanks that had exploded. By late morning, she said, at least half the building had collapsed and the fire was still burning. No preliminary cause had been identified.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it is investigating the explosions and has up to six months to complete its review; the agency said no further information would be released until the investigation concludes. State environmental officials were also on scene monitoring for potential impacts, and authorities urged nearby residents who could see or smell smoke to stay indoors with windows and doors closed.
Brent Industries, based in Brent, Alabama, provides industrial textile reconditioning and recycling services and has operated in Toledo since 1977. Fire officials said tanks containing mineral spirits, a petroleum-based solvent used in the company’s cleaning process, were present at the Toledo facility. The company’s Alabama location experienced a fatal explosion in 2015 that OSHA attributed to flammable vapor from mineral spirits igniting in an industrial washing machine; that incident resulted in six citations and a $27,000 fine. OSHA also cited the Toledo facility in 2004 for safety violations after workers were exposed to a steam release from a washing machine.