Kentucky governor says investigators will determine what caused deadly Louisville factory explosion

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky's governor pledged Thursday that investigators will find out what caused a deadly explosion that ripped apart a Louisville factory and left its shellshocked neighbors demanding answers.

Louisville's mayor, meanwhile, signaled he'd like to see the plant's operations move elsewhere in the city

The blast at Givaudan Sense Colour on Tuesday killed two workers, injured 11 other employees and caused a partial collapse of the plant, which produces colorings for food and drinks.

The decades-old factory is tucked into a residential neighborhood east of downtown in Kentucky's largest city. In some nearby homes, the midafternoon explosion blew out windows, ripped pieces off roofs and sent things hanging on walls crashing down. Some residents likened it to a bomb exploding.

“We’ll get to the bottom of it, make sure that we know all of the facts when the investigation is complete,” Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said at a news conference in Frankfort. “Then, if there are any lessons learned that we can take from this and provide to other companies that are out there, we should.”

Federal, state and local investigators are looking into the blast.

Investigators will interview plant employees and others who were nearby when the explosion occurred, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg's office said Thursday. Swiss-based Givaudan has said it is cooperating with authorities.

The mayor's office also expressed support for neighborhood residents raising concerns that Givaudan might rebuild in the same location.

“Mayor Greenberg shares those same concerns and believes there are better locations in Louisville for this facility and he has conveyed that to Givaudan leadership,” Greenberg's office said in a statement.

People living near the plant said they're wanting to hear directly from the company.

“I feel that the company hasn't done anything than release a statement,” Carly Johnson, who has lived in the neighborhood for 12 years, said Wednesday.

Greenberg has said the company was invited to speak at a news conference Wednesday but that it did not have any representatives present.

The company said Wednesday it was “deeply saddened” by the deaths and was “grieving with the families, friends and loved ones of those that were lost and injured during this very difficult time.” Its businesses include making natural coloring ingredients used in a variety of food and beverage products.

Beshear said Thursday that neighborhood residents deserve to hear directly from company officials, and that the company should be “fully transparent” with them.

“I believe any company that has an explosion in a community ought to be there talking with the neighbors, assuring them that they’re going to take reasonable steps,” the governor said.

The company did not immediately respond to an email seeking a response to Beshear's remarks. The company told WHAS-TV that it plans to speak with neighbors at a community meeting next week.

The workplace fatalities at the factory were reported to the Kentucky Division of Occupational Safety and Health Compliance and an investigation has been opened, the state said Thursday. The investigation could take up to six months to complete, it said.

As of February 2021, the factory made caramel colorings for the food industry by heating sugar and water and adding chemicals such as aqueous ammonia for some products, according to permitting documents filed with the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District. At the time of the permits, the plant was still owned by D.D. Williamson & Co. Givaudan acquired the plant from D.D. Williamson that year.

In April 2003, an explosion at the same location killed a worker at a caramel-coloring plant. Federal investigators determined a tank exploded because there was no pressure relief valve, according to a report from the Chemical Safety Board.

Robin Durkin, who lives down the street from the plant, said this week's blast rattled her house. Pictures fell off the wall, her TV toppled over and dishes broke.

“I’ve never heard or felt anything like that,” she said “It was awful. ... I really thought a bomb went off.”

Johnson said she hopes it all ends with the company moving out of the neighborhood.

‘"I’m not OK with them being here anymore," she said.

Tonya Wilkerson, who lives about a block from the plant, said she has no intention of moving.

“We've got a great location," she said Wednesday. “We want them to move.”