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Two girls and adults have been missing since the massive explosion was torn apart at a Nebraska biofuel factory, officials said Wednesday that firefighters continued to fight the smoke, with flames smoldering in the wreckage almost a day later.
“My heart hurts,” said Joey Sperag, Mayor of Fremont. “It’s a tragedy. We pray for all the families involved.”
At a press conference, Spelberg said that two children were able to go to appoint a doctor as employees were waiting for their employees to quit their jobs at Horizon Biofuels.
He wasn’t sure of their exact age, but said they were both under 12 years old. Authorities have not made their names public at this time.
The explosion around noon Tuesday shredded the top of the plant tower, exposing mangled concrete and rebars, and the metal walls and roof of the building below were crumpled and burnt.
Spellerberg said the crew is assessing whether the entire facility will collapse.
This instability in the structure made it difficult for crews to gain access when working to extinguish the flames, said Carl Nielsen of the city’s volunteer fire department.
The flames continued to burn despite the rain overnight.
“It’s going to be very late,” he told reporters. Authorities said there was a time when they hope that their bodies will recover.
The plant uses large amounts of wood waste to create animal bedding and timber pellets for heating and smoking, and Fremont Fire Chief Todd Berndt believes the facility has wood and alcohol-based materials stored there.
Bernt said it was against “heavy smoke and a lot of flames” when it first responders first arrived at the facility.
A 2014 fire at the building damaged the electrical system, but left the structure intact, according to a report by the Fremont Tribune.
The mayor said he and investigators strongly suspect the blast was caused by wood dust in the elevator section of the plant.
“That’s the only thing that really makes sense,” Sperberg said.
Horizon Biofuels did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment.
Additional sources •AP
