Two more Waukegan explosion victims identified
A pair of Wisconsin men were identified Tuesday as two more victims of Friday's deadly explosion that killed at least three workers at a Waukegan manufacturing plant and left a fourth employee missing.
Jeff Cummings, 57, of Kenosha, and Byron H. Biehn, 53, of Brighton Township, were found dead over the weekend in the rubble of the AB Specialty Silicones facility. The building was leveled by a blast that was felt as far away as Buffalo Grove to the south and Volo to the west.
Autopsies on both men were performed Monday, but final determinations on the cause of their deaths are pending toxicology results, Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper said.
"We have been in close contact with both families and our deepest condolences go out to them at this difficult time," Cooper said Tuesday. "This is truly an awful tragedy of epic proportion."
A third victim, Allen Stevens, 29, of Salem, Wisconsin died Saturday morning, at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Cooper said authorities continue to slowly search for the missing man by methodically taking apart pieces of the facility destroyed in the blast Friday. Recovery workers have an idea of where they think the missing person is, but getting to that location is challenging, he added.
"It's a really slow process because we want to make sure everyone is safe," Cooper said.
An investigation into the cause of the blast is ongoing. Representatives of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board are on scene and being brought up to speed, officials said.
Waukegan Fire Department officials say the nine workers on duty Friday night were trying to evacuate when the explosion occurred about 10 p.m., gutting the building at 3790 Sunset Ave. and damaging five neighboring structures. The explosion also sparked a fire that swept through the building's remains, Waukegan Fire Marshal Steve Lenzi said.
Authorities said there is no evidence of foul play and the explosion appears to be the result of something gone amiss with the processes at the silicone factory.