An explosion and huge fire at an industrial complex in Medley, Florida, left two people dead and injured three more on Tuesday morning, police said.
Two people lost their lives in the incident, Miami-Dade police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta said.
Two others were in critical condition and receiving treatment at a local trauma center, while a third person was treated at the scene, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said.
The fire was finally put out at approximately 10 a.m. local time. The identities of the victims have not been released.
According to Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue, emergency crews responded to an explosion at about 8:42 a.m. on Tuesday morning in the 11300 block of Northwest S. River Drive.
Welding businesses and a truck-cleaning company are listed as operating at the address of the explosion.
While the fire seemed to be confined to one business, several cars were destroyed as firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.
Miami-Dade Deputy Fire Chief Danny Cardeso described the scene as “very hazardous” with “multiple vehicles burning with flammables” and “multiple power lines down.”
“That, coupled with five people in total needing rescue and needing care, it was a very challenging scene,” he told reporters.
Ohio Plant Explosion
The deadly explosion and fire at the Medley welding business comes just a day after another explosion at a metal manufacturing plant in Oakwood Village of Bedford, Ohio.The Ohio explosion, which occurred on Monday at the I. Schumann and Co. metals plant, resulted in the death of at least one person and injuries to 13 others.
The plant produces copper, brass, and bronze alloys.
Witnesses told News 5 Cleveland that there were two explosions, the first being small, followed by a much stronger second explosion around 2:30 p.m.
Thick plumes of smoke rose into the sky after the explosion, and fire departments from across northeast Ohio were called in to address the fire.
The plant is located about 70 miles north of East Palestine, Ohio, where a train derailment on Feb. 3 released toxic chemicals, and about 15 miles southeast of Cleveland.
Following the explosions, I. Schumann and Co. issued a statement confirming injuries to its employees and significant damage to the facility.
“We will work alongside investigators in their search for answers as part of our commitment to Northeast Ohio, where we have been operating for more than 100 years,” the family-owned factory said in a statement.
The cause of the explosions remains unclear.
Oakwood Fire Department Captain Brian DiRocco on Monday afternoon told reporters on the scene that 13 of those injured were taken to hospital. Many of them sustained burn wounds, and one person was being treated on-site.
