BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An explosion Saturday at a hazardous waste site in southwestern Idaho injured three workers and left another missing, officials said.
The company US Ecology said the explosion occurred inside one of the buildings at the facility about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Boise. The company said 15 employees were working at the time of the explosion.
There’s no threat to the public, and emergency crews, including a hazardous materials team, were at the site, Owyhee County spokeswoman Angela Barkell said. The facility is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of the small town of Grand View, and about a mile from a highway.
“No immediate threat has been identified, and no evacuations have taken place,” Barkell said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.
Emergency officials said the building where the explosion occurred is used to process powdered magnesium products. Officials said a series of chemical reactions followed the initial blast, which happened during a routine process.
Names haven’t been released of the worker who is missing and the three who are being treated at hospitals and expected to recover.
“It’s a very difficult day for US Ecology,” Simon Bell, company vice president of operations and chief operating officer, said in a statement. “Our focus is on the families of those affected by the accident, supporting the first responders, and making sure our employees are cared for and updated on what’s happening in this process.”
The company says on its website that it converts hazardous inorganic wastes into non-hazardous residues, minimizing the long-term risks of disposal.
US Ecology agreed to pay a $184,400 fine in 2012 after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it failed to submit timely reports on toxic chemical releases at the site, according to the EPA’s enforcement database.
