An explosion and fire at a Nebraska plant are preventing a search for 3 missing people
The explosion happened at the Horizon Biofuels plant, which makes animal bedding and wood pellets for heating and smoking food, on the south end of Fremont, Nebraska.
Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg said three individuals were in the building, but 'that's all we can say at this point,' he said in a briefing Tuesday afternoon.
'We're working with the state patrol as well as the state of Nebraska and other groups to assess the building and the structure of the building to where, again, we can be able to get in,' Spellerberg said.
Fremont Fire Chief Todd Bernt said first responders were up against 'heavy smoke and a lot of flames' when they first arrived on scene. The first call reporting the explosion came in just before noon, according to Spellerberg.
Photos taken after the explosion show the top of the facility's tall tower -- marked by a distinctive sunbeam logo of the former owner, Golden Sun Feeds -- torn off, exposing mangled metal and ripped siding. Debris littered the ground below.
The facility uses tons of wood waste to manufacture their wood fuel pellets. An overnight fire at the building in 2014 had damaged the electrical system but left the structure in tact, according to reporting by the Fremont Tribune. A fire captain said at the time that the building has a 'cement structure on the outside and the metal frame is tied into that.'
Bernt said they believe the facility stores wood and some alcohol-based materials.
Dodge County Attorney Pamela Hopkins, who also serves as the county coroner, said law enforcement and first responders were busy securing the scene Tuesday afternoon and had not yet contacted her in her role as coroner. She added that she was hoping not to get that call.
'Right now, we're focused on the safety of the community and getting the situation under control -- keeping the scene secure,' Hopkins said. She declined to comment further.
Fremont, a city of about 27,000 and the sixth-largest in Nebraska, is located 32 miles (52 kilometres) northwest of Omaha, Nebraska. The site of the explosion is surrounded by other manufacturing and food processing plants.
Taylor Kirklin, who lives about a half mile (0.8 kilometres) from the building, said her whole house shook Tuesday. She said the explosion was so loud that she thought someone had driven into the lobby of her family's dog kennel business on the property.
'I got up and looked outside and there was a huge plume of smoke,' she said. 'We were really unsure when the explosion happened which plant it was because there are so many in that area.'
Margery A. Beck, The Associated Press
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
19 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Jury orders Tesla to pay more than $240 million in Autopilot crash case
MIAMI (AP) — A Miami jury decided that Elon Musk's car company Tesla was partly responsible for a deadly crash in Florida involving its Autopilot driver assist technology and must pay the victims more than $200 million in damages. The federal jury held that Tesla bore significant responsibility because its technology failed and that not all the blame can be put on a reckless driver, even one who admitted he was distracted by his cell phone before hitting a young couple out gazing at the stars. The decision comes as Musk seeks to convince Americans his cars are safe enough to drive on their own as he plans to roll out a driverless taxi service in several cities in the coming months. The decision ends a four-year long case remarkable not just in its outcome but that it even made it to trial. Many similar cases against Tesla have been dismissed and, when that didn't happen, settled by the company to avoid the spotlight of a trial. 'This will open the floodgates,' said Miguel Custodio, a car crash lawyer not involved in the Tesla case. 'It will embolden a lot of people to come to court.' The case also included startling charges by lawyers for the family of the deceased, 22-year-old, Naibel Benavides Leon, and for her injured boyfriend, Dillon Angulo. They claimed Tesla either hid or lost key evidence, including data and video recorded seconds before the accident. Tesla has previously faced criticism that it is slow to cough up crucial data by relatives of other victims in Tesla crashes, accusations that the car company has denied. In this case, the plaintiffs showed Tesla had the evidence all along, despite its repeated denials, by hiring a forensic data expert who dug it up. Tesla said it made a mistake after being shown the evidence and honestly hadn't thought it was there. 'Today's verdict is wrong," Tesla said in a statement, 'and only works to set back automotive safety and jeopardize Tesla's and the entire industry's efforts to develop and implement life-saving technology,' They said the plaintiffs concocted a story 'blaming the car when the driver – from day one – admitted and accepted responsibility.' In addition to a punitive award of $200 million, the jury said Tesla must also pay $43 million in compensatory damages, bringing the total borne by the company to $243 million. 'It's a big number that will send shockwaves to others in the industry,' said financial analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities. 'It's not a good day for Tesla.' Tesla said it will appeal. It's not clear how much of a hit to Tesla's reputation for safety the verdict in the Miami case will make. Tesla has vastly improved its technology since the crash on a dark, rural road in Key Largo, Florida, in 2019. But the issue of trust generally in the company came up several times in the case, including in closing arguments Thursday. The plaintiffs' lead lawyer, Brett Schreiber, said Tesla's decision to even use the term Autopilot showed it was willing to mislead people and take big risks with their lives because the system only helps drivers with lane changes, slowing a car and other tasks, falling far short of driving the car itself. Schreiber said other automakers use terms like 'driver assist' and 'copilot' to make sure drivers don't rely too much on the technology. 'Words matter,' Schreiber said. 'And if someone is playing fast and lose with words, they're playing fast and lose with information and facts.' Schreiber acknowledged that the driver, George McGee, was negligent when he blew through flashing lights, a stop sign and a T-intersection at 62 miles an hour before slamming into a Chevrolet Tahoe that the couple had parked to get a look at the stars. The Tahoe spun around so hard it was able to launch Benavides 75 feet through the air into nearby woods where her body was later found. It also left Angulo, who walked into the courtroom Friday with a limp and cushion to sit on, with broken bones and a traumatic brain injury. But Schreiber said Tesla was at fault nonetheless. He said Tesla allowed drivers to act recklessly by not disengaging the Autopilot as soon as they begin to show signs of distraction and by allowing them to use the system on smaller roads that it was not designed for, like the one McGee was driving on. 'I trusted the technology too much,' said McGee at one point in his testimony. 'I believed that if the car saw something in front of it, it would provide a warning and apply the brakes.' The lead defense lawyer in the Miami case, Joel Smith, countered that Tesla warns drivers that they must keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel yet McGee chose not to do that while he looked for a dropped cell phone, adding to the danger by speeding. Noting that McGee had gone through the same intersection 30 or 40 times previously and hadn't crashed during any of those trips, Smith said that isolated the cause to one thing alone: 'The cause is that he dropped his cell phone.' The auto industry has been watching the case closely because a finding of Tesla liability despite a driver's admission of reckless behavior would pose significant legal risks for every company as they develop cars that increasingly drive themselves.
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Teacher charged with killing a couple hiking with their kids in Arkansas park
Andrew James McGann, charged with two counts of capital murder, is seen on courtroom video monitor as he appears at bond hearing in Fayetteville, Ark. Photo by Michael Woods / AP A 28-year-old schoolteacher who admitted killing a couple who were hiking with two of their children at a state park in Arkansas has been charged with murder. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were found dead Saturday on a walking trail at Devil's Den State Park. Their daughters, who are 7 and 9, were not hurt and are being cared for by family members, authorities have said. State Police arrested Andrew James McGann after a five-day search and a flood of tips. He was captured in Springdale, a city about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Devil's Den. Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar said authorities are trying to determine a motive for the attack. Suspect faces Arkansas judge McGann, who has been charged with two counts of capital murder, made his first appearance on Friday before an Arkansas judge, who ordered McGann to be held without bond at the Washington County Detention Center, assigned him a public defender and scheduled his arraignment for Aug. 25. Washington County prosecutor Brandon Carter indicated the state would give a jury the option to sentence McGann to the death penalty. The Brinks had just moved from South Dakota to the small city of Prairie Grove in northwest Arkansas. Their water had been connected less than two weeks ago, Mayor David Faulk said. Clinton Brink had been scheduled to start a job as a milk delivery driver Monday in the nearby Fayetteville area, according to Hiland Dairy, his employer. Cristen Brink had been licensed as a nurse in Montana and South Dakota before moving to Arkansas. Officials said Clinton Brink was stabbed first then Cristen Brink ushered her children to safety before returning to help her husband. She was also stabbed to death. Authorities have not said if the girls witnessed both their parents being killed. The Brink family said the couple died 'heroes protecting their little girls.' Suspect is a newly hired teacher Springdale Public Schools in northwest Arkansas said it had hired McGann for the upcoming year but that he had not yet had contact with families or students. He has active teaching licenses with no infractions or suspensions in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma, according to government certification websites. McGann was placed on administrative leave in spring 2023 while he was employed at Donald Elementary School in Flower Mound, Texas, 'following concerns related to classroom management, professional judgment, and student favoritism,' according to a spokesperson for the Lewisville Independent School District. He resigned from the school in May 2023.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘Very little evidence' of U.S. claims of fentanyl border crisis: OPP acting detective superintendent
'Very little evidence' of U.S. claims of fentanyl border crisis: OPP acting detective superintendent OPP Acting Detective Superintendent Andrew Bradford comments on Trump's claims of fentanyl passing through U.S. border from Canada.
