Deadly Explosion At PCA Plant Being Investigated By Feds

LAKE FOREST, IL — Investigators from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board have arrived at the site of last Wednesday's explosion in DeRidder, Louisiana at a plant owned by Lake Forest-based Packaging Corporation of America, according to the Beauregard Daily News.

Three people died and seven others were injured in the explosion, which was caused by an explosion triggered by welding repair work done to a tank containing hazard materials, according to Louisiana State Police. That caused a "strong explosion", which caused the tank to fly across the plant, police said.

The plant has no safety violations on file since PCA bought it in 2013, although it has been fined for safety issues at other locations, including a Wisconsin facility where five workers died in 2008 and 2012, according to Insurance Journal.

The incident is also being investigated by the local police and sheriff's department as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Beauregard Daily News reported.