An explosion at a Tennessee military munitions plant left multiple people dead and missing on Friday, a county sheriff said, as first responders said secondary blasts forced rescuers to keep their distance from the burning site.
The blast occurred at Accurate Energetic Systems, according to the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office. The company’s website says it makes and tests explosives at an eight-building facility that sprawls across wooded hills near Bucksnort, Tenn., a town about 95 kilometers southwest of Nashville.
“We do have several people at this time unaccounted for. We are trying to be mindful of families and that situation,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said at a news conference.
“We do have some that are deceased.”
The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. Video from the scene showed flames and heavy smoke rising from a debris field, and residents miles away reported feeling the explosion.
Emergency crews were initially unable to enter the plant because of continuing detonations, Hickman County advanced EMT David Stewart said by phone. He didn’t have any details on whether anyone had been hurt.
People in area felt the explosion
Accurate Energetic Systems, based in nearby McEwan, did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment on Friday morning.
“This is a tragedy for our community,” McEwen Mayor Brad Rachford said in an email. He referred further comment to a county official.
Nashville-based WTVF-TV broadcast images of debris strewn about the site, with damaged vehicles in a parking lot. The news station said it received calls from people in the area who felt a large explosion.
Residents in Lobelville, Tenn., a 20-minute drive from the scene, said they felt their homes shake and some people captured the loud boom of the explosion on their home cameras.
The blast rattled Gentry Stover from his sleep.
“I thought the house had collapsed with me inside of it,” he said by phone. “I live very close to Accurate and I realized about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to have been that.”
Contracts with the military
Public records show that the company sold numerous types of weapons to the U.S. military and has been awarded numerous military contracts to manufacture a variety of munitions and explosives.
The contracts, which were awarded largely by the U.S. Army and Navy, were for a variety of products that ranged from bulk explosives to landmines and small breaching charges used to get through doors.
The manufacturing plant sits on 1,300 acres in Bucksnort, an unincorporated rural community. There are eight buildings on the plant that manufacture, store and research explosives for customers beyond just the military, including aerospace, oil and other commercial demolition industries.
The company also uses its sprawling campus to test explosives, according to its website, measuring the velocity of explosions, as well as their impact on surrounding areas under varying environmental conditions. The website says that facilities can safely accommodate explosives with up to 35 pounds of “net explosive weight,” and conducts daily tests.
The company’s website noted that it “rigorously adheres to the stringent security standards” of Defence Department security and safety protocols.
