An explosion at an industrial recycling facility in Ohio earlier this week killed two workers and sparked a fire, officials said.
Television news video showed flames and black smoke billowing from Brent Industries in Toledo on Tuesday as fire trucks surrounded the building.
Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong said crews later found the bodies of two employees, a man and a woman, inside the smoking building. Two or three other employees suffered minor injuries, she said.
Armstrong said two explosions occurred during a shift change around 5 a.m. Tuesday. Crews must deal with hazardous materials, runoff and the threat of more explosions while first looking for victims and checking in on other employees, she said.
Environmental officials said monitors showed no dangerous threats in the air.
Demetrius Langston said he felt the blast about half a mile (0.8 kilometers) away. He ran outside with his phone and captured video of the huge plume of smoke rising into the dark sky.
“Shock waves came through the neighborhoods,” he said. “Then we heard it again. Boom! You could feel it.”
Armstrong said the fire was still burning Tuesday afternoon. She also said there was no initial indication of the cause of the explosion.
Aerial images showed that nearly all of the building’s roofs were gone and its walls were blown away by the blast.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it is investigating. Officials said the agency has six months to investigate and will not release more information until the investigation is complete.
Authorities encouraged people near the scene who could see or smell smoke to close doors and windows and avoid the area.
Phone calls and emails were left with Brent Industries.
The company, based in Brent, Ala., provides textile refurbishment and industrial recycling services designed to reduce waste and save money, according to its website. The company was founded in Alabama in 1977 and has operations in Brent and Toledo.
The company’s Alabama facility also has Explosions and fires occurred in 2015 That killed a man.
After that fatal explosion, OSHA determined that flammable vapors from mineral spirits, a petroleum solvent used for cleaning and other purposes, ignited in an industrial washing machine. According to OSHA records, the company was cited for six violations and fined $27,000.
Fire officials said there were storage tanks containing mineral spirits at the Toledo plant. The company says on its website that it uses mineral spirits in the cleaning process of work gloves, wiper clothing and other textiles that contain harmful substances.
In 2004, OSHA charged Brent Industries with two serious violations at its Toledo plant, including failing to protect workers from death or serious injury when exposed to 207 degrees Fahrenheit (97 degrees Celsius) vapors released by washing machines, OSHA records show.
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Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press writer Holly Larmer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. all rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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