Explosion at Archer Daniels Midland plant in Illinois injures 8 workers
An explosion and fire at a processing plant in Illinois injured eight employees and severely damaged multiple buildings Sunday evening, authorities said.
The explosion occurred just after 7 p.m. at the east plant of the Archer Daniels Midland facility in Decatur, Illinois, about 40 miles east of Springfield. ADM is one of the world's largest nutrition companies.
Of the eight employees who were hurt, six were taken to a nearby hospital via ambulance, Daniel Kline, deputy chief of the Decatur Fire Department, told Paste BN in an email. The extent of the injuries and the cause of the fire are unknown, he said.
Four helicopters were used to rush the injured workers to trauma centers, a statement from the fire department said.
As of Monday morning, the fire was under control, but a fire crew remained at the site with ADM personnel to make sure all the fires were out, according to the release. No evacuation of nearby residents was warranted, Kline added.
According to the fire department, the blaze was in a 10-story building that's adjoined by two other buildings to the north and south, all of which received significant damage. Large chunks of debris and building material complicated the effort to put out the flames, causing firefighters to rope off certain areas and carefully assess where it was safe to go.
"Due to the extensive damage, this was a long and slow process," the statement said. In total, 33 firefighters responded to the scene. Several who were off-duty were called in to cover other calls around the city.
Illinois governor offers state support
The weather camera of a local news station WCIA-TV captured a large plume of black smoke rising from the plant around the time of the explosion.
"Our hearts are with the families of those affected by the explosion in Decatur last night," said Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in a social media post. "My administration is in touch with those at ADM and have offered state support in any way we can. Wishing a speedy recovery for the workers."
According to the ADM website, more than 4,000 employees work at the company's North American headquarters in Decatur. The facility "is the single largest location and employee base across ADM’s global footprint."
At least five others hospitalized in emergencies at the ADM facility this year
This is not the first explosion or fire to hospitalize people and cause damage at ADM plants in Decatur.
In April, three employees were injured in a blast in one of the west plant's grain elevators, reported The Herald & Review.
And late last month, two firefighters were briefly hospitalized after responding to a large fire that broke out at the ADM east plant.
The blaze was so large and difficult to get to, that at one point, "all of the City’s fire apparatus, but one, was at the fire," according to a public statement from the Decatur Fire Department. It took firefighters more than 12 hours to put out the flames, the department said.
Decatur City Council member urges investigation
David Horn, a Decatur City Council member, told Paste BN he wants an investigation to look into all of the recent emergency incidents at ADM.
"It will be important for the appropriate agencies to investigate this and prior incidents to ensure the future safety of employees," he said.
Horn said there's nothing the City Council can do "at this time" about the explosion and other recent incidents. He underscored the importance of a thorough, independent investigation.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the individuals and families of those impacted by the explosion," he added. "We wish a very speedy recovery to those who were injured. We thank our first responders who arrived quickly on scene, rendered aid to those in need and put out the fire."