At least two people were unaccounted for following a series of explosions at an industrial facility in Toledo, Ohio, on Tuesday morning, authorities said.
The blast ruptured tanks full of chemicals, which toppled over, according to Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong, who added that the roof of the facility partially collapsed.
She said several employees were being treated for minor injuries.
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It was not immediately clear if there were any fatalities in the blast on the south side of the city, Armstrong said during a news conference outside the burning facility.
The 911 calls about the explosion started to come just before 5 a.m., Armstrong noted.
When firefighters arrived on scene, massive flames and thick black smoke were coming from the building, according to officials and video footage from the scene.
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People were working at the facility at the time of the explosion, which occurred during an employee shift change, Armstrong noted.
The initial blast was followed by several explosions, she said.
“We’re dealing with heavy fire in the building. Part of the building has collapsed,” Armstrong said.
The business is an industrial cleaning operation, she noted.
“They clean items like rags, towels, stuff like that,” Armstrong said.
Firefighters are working to get an accounting of how many employees were inside the building at the time of the explosion, according to Armstrong.
“We do, unfortunately, have two unaccounted for,” she said.
The cause of the explosion was still under investigation early Tuesday.
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