BUCKSNORT, Tenn. – Crews in rural Tennessee are searching for victims after a large explosion at a munitions-manufacturing plant Friday morning.
What we know:
The explosion happened around 7:45 a.m. local time at Accurate Energetic Systems in Bucksnort, Tennessee, an unincorporated community about 60 miles southwest of Nashville.
The local sheriff described a “devastating blast,” the force of which sent plumes of smoke into the air and shook homes miles away.
Emergency crews were initially unable to enter the plant because of continuing detonations.
What we don’t know:
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said it was one of the most devastating scenes he’s ever seen. He did not specify how many people were killed but referred to the 19 missing as “souls” and said officials were still speaking to family.
The cause of the blast is unknown, and the sheriff said the investigation could take days. Multiple agencies from the local, state, and federal levels responded to the scene.
What they’re saying:
“We are missing 19 souls,” said Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said at a news conference. “There’s nothing to describe. It’s gone. It’s the most devastating scene that I’ve seen in my career.”
“I thought the house had collapsed with me inside of it,” neighbor Gentry Stover told The Associated Press 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.”
“We live probably 15 miles as the crow flies and we absolutely heard it at the house,” State Rep. Jody Barrett said. “It sounded like something going through the roof of our house.”
What is Accurate Energetic Systems?
Dig deeper:
Public records show that Accurate Energetic Systems sold numerous types of weapons to the U.S. military, including dynamite, landmines and explosive powder for large-caliber shells.
The manufacturing plant sits on 1,300 acres. There are eight buildings on the site that manufacture, store and research explosives for “military, aerospace, and commercial demolition” markets.
Helicopter footage showed that at least one of those buildings appeared to be completely leveled by the explosion, with burning debris strewn amidst damaged vehicles.
The Source: Information in this story came from the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office, FOX 17 Nashville, WTVF-TV Nashville, and the Associated Press.
