2 children, adult killed in explosion at Nebraska plant: Mayor

(FREMONT, Neb.) — A man and two children were killed in a large explosion at a Nebraska plant, officials said Wednesday.

The incident occurred midday Tuesday at Horizon Biofuels, a manufacturer of fuel pellets and animal bedding located in Fremont, located approximately 40 miles northwest of Omaha.

The three people were missing following the explosion, with search efforts hindered by the fire and structure concerns, Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg said. The response has since moved to a recovery effort, as crews continue to battle the fire, authorities said.

“My heart hurts,” Spellerberg said during a press briefing on Wednesday. “It hurts for this situation, which is a tragedy. We pray for all the families involved.”

The employee was in building with two girls who are believed to be under the age of 12 when the explosion occurred, the mayor said. Their names are not being released at his time, he said.

“The two children were there just waiting for him to get off to go to a doctor’s appointment,” Spellerberg said. 

Crews are continuing to battle an active fire on Wednesday and assessing how to safely access the building to recover the victims, Nebraska Task Force One program manager Ashley Engler said during Wednesday’s briefing. The steel warehouse is becoming more unstable as the fire continues to burn, she said.

“We are using all search and rescue resources and capabilities we have, including structural engineers, to obtain access in a safe manner to get to these to these victims,” she said.

Responding firefighters were initially met by “heavy smoke and a lot of flames coming out,” Fremont Fire Chief Todd Bernt said during a press briefing Tuesday afternoon. “We had a lot of structural collapse.”

Fire crews were unable to access the building to conduct a search, Bernt said.

“Early on, we tried to get access, but just due to the collapse with the mangled steel, we were unable to get inside,” Bernt said.

Due to the structural issues, the fire department requested support from Nebraska Task Force One, the chief said.

Bernt said the plant has a lot of wood and some alcohol-based materials stored inside.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. The Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Office and other agencies were on scene.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said he is closely monitoring the incident.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all involved — and we’re ready to help any way we can,” he said in a statement Tuesday.

One woman who came out to the scene to give out water to first responders on Tuesday said she saw a “large black puff of smoke” following the explosion.

“I was just instantly praying that nobody was hurt,” she told reporters. “That’s all we can hope for. We’re a good community. Everybody will rally together and help each other.”