A Silicone plant in Illinois exploded resulting in the death of 3 workers and one still unaccounted for as of Sunday evening. The explosion happened at AB Specialty Silicones in Waukegan, about 40 miles north of Chicago.
The explosion occurred at around 9:30 pm on Friday, said a spokesperson from the Waukegan Police Department. During that time, the plant was open and nine people were in the building.
No cause for the explosion has been determined yet. The state fire marshal and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will assist with an investigation, said Waukegan Fire Marshall Steven Lenzi.
Police are still in search of the missing individual. Damage is estimated at more than $1 million, Lenzi said. The blast affected at least five other nearby buildings. “The Illinois EPA assisted with air quality monitoring and water runoff monitoring and the Waukegan Fire Department was not made aware of any public health concerns from this incident,” Lenzi said.
