1 Killed, 1 Seriously Injured In Hampshire Manufacturing Blast

HAMPSHIRE, IL — One person was killed and another was seriously injured in a chemical explosion that took place at a Hampshire manufacturing plant Friday morning.

The victims have not been identified pending notification of their families, but Hampshire fire officials told reporters that two employees were cleaning the top of a tank at W.R. Meadows Inc. when the explosion took place.

The company, in the 300 block of Industrial Drive, manufactures asphalt and concrete products for construction projects.

The employees were cleaning the tank around 10:45 a.m. when the explosion took place, Hampshire Fire Protection District Chief Trevor Herrmann told reporters. No one else was injured in the accident, he said.

The injured employee was taken to a hospital in Elgin and was said to be in critical condition, Herrmann told reporters.

The building in which the tank is house includes a fire suppression system, which extinguished another small fire caused by the explosion before fire crews could arrive.

Herrmann told reporters it was not yet known what chemicals set off the explosion.

The Chicago Tribune reported that residents who live near the manufacturing plant were evacuated for safety reasons. The building where the tank was housed sustained serious damage.

Herrmann told reporters Friday that no flames could be seen from firefighters when they arrived at the facility.

Herrmann told reporters that fire officials are in the very early stages of their investigation and that more information would be made public as it becomes available.