HOOD COUNTY (WBAP/KLIF News) – The search for a chemical plant employee in Hood County is now a recovery effort following Thursday’s explosion and fire at the Tri-Chem Industries Plant near Cresson.
The missing worker has been identified as 27-year-old Dylan Mitchell.
Cresson Mayor and Assistant Fire Chief Bob Cornett said Johnson County is assisting the effort with its drone.
“When it comes to search and stuff like this,with a drone you can put someone up in the air without having a helicopter and you can take pictures,” he said.
It’s believed the explosion may have been caused by static electricity when employees were mixing toxic chemicals.
“What we were told is that one of the people mixing scraped his foot on the floor and then it exploded,” said Cornett.
The employees were performing every-day tasks.
“They bring in highly-concentrated chemicals and blend it with either water or solids, repackage it into 275 pound tote drums and deliver it to customers,” said Cornett.
Two people were injured, one critically, and nine others managed to escape the blast safely.
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