Explosion at chemical factory in US injures two people
13 January 2022
Two people were injured after an explosion occurred at a chemical factory in Memphis, Tennessee on January 11. The incident happened at PMC Biogenix, a manufacturer of specialty chemicals produced from renewable resources.
Representative image: Shutterstock
Emergency services were called to the scene at around 15:30 local time. Over 100 firefighters fought a blaze at the site while the area was evacuated by police. Around 150 employees were reported to have been inside the factory when the explosion occurred.
One person was treated at the scene for minor injuries while another was transferred to hospital for treatment. All employees were accounted for a company spokesperson said. Black smoke could be seen from several miles away which led to air monitoring being carried out. However, the local police department later said there was no environmental danger and that there was no need for locals to isolate.
An investigation has been opened to find the cause of the blast. A preliminary report from fire officials said some sort of malfunction involving processes at the facility caused a “fatty acid” manufactured at the site to have caused the initial explosion. They added that firefighters were able to stabilise the acid after extinguishing the fire.