An explosion Monday afternoon in the northeast Iowa town of Postville injured two workers, CBS 2 Iowa reported.
It happened around 3 p.m. at Agri Star’s meat packing plant the Postville Police Department confirmed to Iowa’s News Now.
Police said there was no fire after the initial blast. Authorities say the explosion stemmed from a broken hose on a 100 pound tank, which led to LP gas filling the room.
According to Postville Fire Chief Ben Heitland, the tank was damaged by a forklift before exploding. Parts of the south and west sides of the building collapsed, KWWL reported.
Two men in the room at the time of the explosion were injured and taken to an area hospital. One of the men had received facial burns in the explosion, the other reported leg and chest pain, KCRG reported.
Agri Star released a statement, saying there were no other injuries besides the two workers:
Today Agri Star endured an unfortunate event, when a propane gas tank burst causing 2 of our team members to be sent for treatment/observation and we pray for their quick recovery. The incident occurred on the live dock which is adjacent to the processing building. We are delighted to report no other team members inside the facility were hurt. Our management team and nearby team members did a great job evacuating the area until proper clearance was given. Thank you to the Postville Ambulance, Fire Department and local authorities for promptly assisting.
Agri Star is one of the world’s largest Kosher meat packing plants, acquired by Hershey Friedman in 2009 from the Rubashkin family. The company employs many Orthodox Jewish residents of the nearby community in Postville.
No report on how many chickens injured? Hope They’re all safe.
You can see your answer in the picture.