Desperate Search for 3 Missing Continues After Nebraska Plant Explosion

Firefighters Battle Explosions at Wood Pellet Plant in Nebraska

Firefighters in eastern Nebraska have been working for hours to contain a fire that broke out following an explosion at a wood pellet manufacturing plant on Tuesday. Authorities have not yet been able to get close enough to the site to search for three individuals who are believed to be missing.

The explosion occurred at the Horizon Biofuels plant, which produces animal bedding and wood pellets used for heating and food smoking. The facility is located on the south end of Fremont, Nebraska.

Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg confirmed that three people were inside the building at the time of the incident but said that is all the information available at this time. "We’re working with the state patrol as well as the state of Nebraska and other groups to assess the building and the structure of the building to where, again, we can be able to get in," he stated during a briefing on Tuesday afternoon.

Fremont Fire Chief Todd Bernt described the scene upon arrival as one filled with heavy smoke and intense flames. The first call about the explosion came in just before noon, according to Spellerberg.

After the explosion, photos revealed significant damage to the facility. The top of the tower, marked by a distinctive sunbeam logo of the former owner, Golden Sun Feeds, was torn off, exposing mangled metal and ripped siding. Debris was scattered across the ground below.

The facility processes large amounts of wood waste to produce fuel pellets. In 2014, an overnight fire damaged the electrical system but left the structure intact. At the time, a fire captain noted that the building had a “cement structure on the outside and the metal frame is tied into that.”

Bernt mentioned that the facility stores wood and some alcohol-based materials.

Dodge County Attorney Pamela Hopkins, who also serves as the county coroner, stated that law enforcement and first responders were focused on securing the scene. She has not yet been contacted in her role as coroner and expressed hope that she wouldn’t need to be involved.

“Right now, we’re focused on the safety of the community and getting the situation under control — keeping the scene secure,” Hopkins said. She declined to provide further comments.

Fremont, a city with a population of around 27,000, is the sixth-largest city in Nebraska. It is located 32 miles (52 kilometers) northwest of Omaha. The explosion site is surrounded by other manufacturing and food processing plants.

Taylor Kirklin, who lives approximately half a mile from the building, described the explosion as so powerful that it shook her entire house. She initially thought someone had driven into the lobby of her family’s dog kennel business on the property.

“I got up and looked outside and there was a huge plume of smoke,” she said. “We were really unsure when the explosion happened which plant it was because there are so many in that area.”