Louisville explosion: At least 11 hurt at Givaudan Sense Colour plant

An explosion shortly after 3 p.m. in the Clifton neighborhood Tuesday afternoon sent at least 11 people to the hospital and blew out windows in the surrounding area.

Check back for live updates from the scene.

Two patients injured in the explosion are in critical condition, University of Louisville Hospital Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jason Smith said during a news conference Tuesday night.

Five other patients receiving treatment are in stable condition, Smith said. UofL is treating seven of the 11 patients hurt in the explosion.

Two patients injured in the explosion are in critical condition, University of Louisville Hospital Chief Medical officer Dr. Jason Smith said during a news conference.

Five other patients receiving treatment are in stable condition, Smith said. UofL is treating seven of the 11 people hospitalized in the explosion.

Smith said patients were either injured by the force of the blast, burns, or debris that had fallen during the explosion.

The patients UofL received were cleaned in a decontamination process prior to receiving treatment for their wounds, he said.

"For something like this, they had exposure to a lot of different chemicals, so we made sure we decontaminate them for everything," Smith said.

Jacob Hayden has lived on Payne Street for about a decade and “could throw a stone” at the factory from where he lives.

He left work early after seeing media reports about the explosion. After waiting behind yellow caution tape for about an hour, authorities finally let him walk to his home. A few windows were broken, items fell off shelves and his two cats were shaken up, he said.

The thought that an accident could impact him, living mere doors down from the factory, has lingered in the back of his mind for years, he said. He heard of the 2003 explosion at the same facility, but the concern that something severe could impact feels more real now, he said.

Hayden questions the wisdom of allowing a factory to operate in a predominantly residential area.

“There shouldn’t be a factory in a residential neighborhood if you ask me. At all,” he said. “There needs to be a long look into the company.”

Letters to the Editor:Were you impacted by the Clifton explosion or have a comment? We want to hear from you.

Officials say 11 people have been hospitalized from an explosion in the 1900 block of Payne Street in the Clifton neighborhood Tuesday afternoon, though no deaths were reported.

A shelter-in-place order within a 1-mile radius of the explosion site was lifted at 4:39 p.m., according to a LENSAlert from Louisville Metro Emergency Services. Officials urged people to stay away from the area as the investigation is underway.

Officers from Louisville Metro Police's Fifth Division have blocked the roadway near the scene, LMPD officials said on social media.

A weather camera from WAVE-TV caught the incident, showing a large amount of smoke coming from the building Tuesday afternoon.

Students at Breckinridge-Franklin Elementary, located .8 miles from the explosion site, and Lincoln Elementary Performing Arts School, just over 2 miles from the explosion site, sheltered in place Tuesday afternoon, but were given the all clear to dismiss shortly before 4 p.m, district spokesperson Carolyn Callahan said.

Students at the Kentucky School for the Blind were also sheltering in place, officials said in a Facebook post. All students are safe and accounted for at the school.

Arthur Smith, a resident of the Clifton neighborhood, said he was walking along South Spring Street when he heard the bang. “I heard it and felt it in the ground,” he said. “I tell you what, it grabbed your attention.”

Smith is unsure of what exactly happened, but he said it’s unlike anything he’s experienced while living in the neighborhood.

Karen Roberts, assistant community director at the Axis at Lexington, was showing off an apartment to a prospective renter when she heard the explosion. Tenants at the 300-unit Clifton complex rushed to their balconies to see what happened, she said.

“It was so loud. I couldn’t believe it,” she said in her office, about a block away from a police blockade on Payne Street. “… You can pretty much see the plant in some people’s back windows.”

Residents were locked out briefly when the complex lost power, she said, but they were able to get back in when the lights turned back on about 10 seconds later.

Erik Hart and his partner, who owns a home across the street from the site, arrived in the area near the explosion around 4:10 p.m. after getting a call from their tenant saying an impact caused the home’s windows to shatter.

The couple came in hopes of helping their tenant get out of the house, where she’s still sheltering. They also brought material to board up the windows, Hart said.

Last year, the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District issued two notices of violation against Givaudan Sense Colour's Payne Street facility.

In one case, the district alleged the company "failed to submit annual reports, semi-annual reports, and Annual Compliance Certifications by permitted deadlines, and has failed to monitor and record equipment ranges" as required by the facility's permit.

In another instance, the district said the company failed to submit notices of excess emissions, as required by district regulations.

Both cases were resolved through settlements with the district, for a combined $7,500, according to district records.

In April 2003, an explosion at the plant caused a 26,000-pound release of aqua ammonia, or ammonia solution in water, according to an investigation from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.

The explosion, involving a feed tank failure, killed one worker and triggered an evacuation of 26 people and a shelter-in-place for 1,500 people.

The board's investigation found the company did not have "effective programs in place to determine if equipment and processes met basic process and plant engineering requirements," and lacked adequate operating procedures and training programs for plant operators.

Eboni Cochran, an environmental justice advocate with Rubbertown Emergency ACTion, said the Clifton explosion is a prime example of how vulnerable communities can be when chemical industries are located near residential neighborhoods.

"There is a very good chance that many people living in this city think sheltering in place is simply staying indoors when that is not the case. It is also quite likely that many of those who evacuated did not have backpacks ready to go," she said in a statement. "There are a lot of questions residents in that area need to be asking. I hope there is full disclosure."

Monica Unseld, a local environmental justice and public health advocate, called upon city officials to endorse and adopt the Louisville Charter for Safer Chemicals in the wake of the explosion.

"This explosion again highlights the need for communities to have a 'right to know' when it comes to the chemicals in their communities," she said in a statement. "It also highlights the fact that all jobs must be safe for workers and the surrounding communities."

This is a breaking story and will be updated.