11 people injured after ‘unknown’ explosion at commercial building in Louisville, Kentucky, neighborhood

By Emma Tucker, CNN

(CNN) — Eleven people were injured after a large explosion occurred at a commercial facility in Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

Two people were rescued from the Givaudan Sense Colour facility in the Clifton neighborhood, and those injured were all employees working in the plant, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said at a news conference.

All employees working in and around the facility have since been accounted for, the mayor said.

Seven people were transported to the emergency department at University of Louisville Hospital, including two people in critical condition and five others in stable condition, hospital spokesperson Heather Fountaine said.

The hospital activated its “decontamination unit/procedures” and the fire department is also at the hospital “assisting with decontamination,” according to Fountaine.

Emergency crews have not yet detailed what chemicals were involved in the explosion, but hospital staff prepared to handle the situation with the information they were given, said Dr. Jason Smith, the hospital’s chief medical officer.

Smith said he could not discuss the extent of the injuries at this time as officials wait for more information on the chemicals to be released.

The large explosion was heard in the city at around 3 p.m. ET and local agencies began responding to a “large scale incident” involving hazardous materials, the Louisville Fire Department said on X.

Officials issued a shelter-in-place order for people within a one-mile radius of the site in the Clifton neighborhood. An evacuation order was issued for houses in the two blocks surrounding the site because those residents could not shelter-in-place after their windows were “blown out,” said Louisville Fire Chief Brian O’Neill.

Aerial video from CNN affiliate WLKY showed massive damage to a commercial building.

Greenberg said employees who were inside the building reported “normal activity when the explosion occurred,” adding the cause of the explosion is under investigation.

Givaudan Colour Sense is a company that makes “natural colours for multisensorial food and beverage experiences,” according to its website.

The shelter-in-place order was being lifted, the mayor said late Tuesday afternoon, but he urged residents in the area to “err on the side of caution.”

The city is also using a drone to monitor air quality in the area to make sure “nothing is leaving the site,” said Executive Director of Louisville Metro Emergency Services Jody Meimen.

This is a developing story and has been updated.

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CNN’s Ritu Prasad contributed to this report.