LOUISVILLE, Ky.—At least 11 employees were taken to hospitals after an explosion on Tuesday at a Louisville, Kentucky, business that produces natural color for foods and drinks.
The explosion, which happened around 3 p.m. at Givaudan Sense Colour, knocked out windows and blew in doors in nearby homes and businesses. Responding firefighters rescued and evacuated many people from inside the building, including some with life-threatening injuries, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a statement Tuesday night.
News video footage showed an industrial building with the middle section burned and partially collapsed. The cause remained unknown.
The University of Louisville Hospital treated seven of the people injured and two of them were in critical condition, said Dr. Jason Smith, chief medical officer for University of Louisville Health. Hospital officials activated decontamination procedures for the victims, a process that involves removing their clothing and all the chemicals on them and then taking them for evaluation and treatment, Smith said. Other patients were taken to Baptist East Hospital, Greenberg said….