A 64-year-old man died last Friday morning, after a chemical tank exploded at a Pennco Corp. plant in Nash County, North Carolina.
Explosion Could be Heard in Surrounding Communities, Shook Nearby Buildings
The blast occurred around 9:30 a.m., at the Pennco facility off US 264A in Middlesex.
The sound of the explosion was heard in several surrounding communities, including Zebulon, Spring Hope, and Bailey.
“We actually thought something was wrong with our building because the whole roof shook,” one nearby witness told WRAL-TV. “We all ducked down, looked at each other and ran out.”
Explosion Victim Was Pennco Plant Manager
The remains of plant manager, Dale Allen Bachmann, were discovered around 2:30 p.m. that same day.
Bachman was the only employee on site when the explosion occurred.
According to local medial reports, Bachmann served on the Middlesex Board of Commissioners for nearly four years, having been appointed to fill an unexpired seat in 2010. He was re-elected in 2011 and served two more terms until December 2013.
He was known affectionately as “Mr. Dale.”
“Sometimes there would be people in here, they wouldn’t have enough money for their food,” said an employee of Rossa’s Grill, where Bachmann was a regular. “Mr. Dale would sit right there in that corner and wave and say, ‘I’ve got it.'”
Pennco Explosion Involved 15,000-Gallon Mixing Tank
There is no word yet on what caused last week’s deadly explosion. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is now investigating the incident.
Texas-based Pennco Corp. manufactures chemicals to treat water and wastewater. According to its website, it is a top producer of ferric sulfate and ferric chloride.
In addition to North Carolina, the company operates manufacturing facilities in Texas and California.
The November 24th incident in North Carolina involved a 15,000-gallon outdoor mixing tank.
The force of the blast hurtled the top of the tank into the driveway of a nearby business. The remainder was found on the other side of a row of trees.
Multiple fire units, EMS and the fire marshal all responded to the scene. Two members from a North Carolina hazmat unit, along with state and local Emergency Management Agency teams were also on scene.
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