2 dead, 2 missing in Waukegan plant explosion
Two are dead and two others are still missing after a late Friday explosion at a manufacturing plant on Waukegan's northwest side.
Rescuers recovered one body Saturday, and one of the four victims taken to two area hospitals after the explosion succumbed to injuries sustained in the blast, Waukegan Fire Marshal Steve Lenzi said Saturday night.
Rescuers at 8 p.m. halted the search for the remaining two missing employees of AB Specialty Silicones until Sunday morning.
The conditions of the three others removed from the building at 3790 Sunset Ave. Friday night remain unknown.
Two others who were in the plant at the time of the explosion were uninjured, Lenzi said.
The explosion occurred at about 10 p.m. Friday and could be felt as far away as Buffalo Grove. Five neighboring buildings were also damaged in the blast, and Lenzi estimated that the damages top $1 million.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of all involved in this horrific incident," Lenzi said. "Our personnel worked tirelessly through the night to control this scene with help from many neighboring agencies. This was a very large-scale team effort. We received assistance from numerous fire departments, police departments, and our public works crews even assisted at the scene."
Mac Penman, the general manager of AB Specialty Silicones, said in a statement Saturday night that he was "shocked and heartbroken by the tragedy that occurred in our plant last night."
More than 100 people helped battle the fire and search for the missing, and none of the public safety personnel was injured, Lenzi said.
My outdoor cam recorded the Gurnee Blast
— Bhushan (@ibhushanjoshi)
Th> explosion was reported to police dozens of times and captured on at least one nearby doorbell camera.
The explosion set off a fire that held firefighters at bay for some time and required deployment of two teams of hazardous materials technicians from Lake and Cook counties.
Because of the structural collapse of the building, a technical rescue squad was also called in to assist, Lenzi said.
Representatives from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, State Fire Marshal and Illinois Emergency Management Agency were also on the scene.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has no record of violations at the plant in their online records that date back to 2001. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has no violations on their website, either, for records dating back to 2016.