President of exploding Kentucky factory says he’s ‘responsible’ for neighborhood damage

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By Dylan Lovan

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The president of the Kentucky factory that exploded earlier this week says the company is responsible for the accident and will compensate residents affected by the explosion.

“First of all, we are devastated by the accident that occurred on Tuesday,” Givaudan Sense Color president Ann Leonard said during a phone call with reporters Friday afternoon. “We know that this incident is felt deeply throughout the society, and believe me, we feel it too,” he said.

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Two workers died and 11 others were injured in the explosion that occurred in the afternoon. Dozens of homes around the factory in East Louisville had windows shattered, and the impact from the explosion caused paintings to fall off walls and cracked drywall on some homes.

There was a two-storey high pile of metal in the house right across from the factory.

Leonard said “we are absolutely responsible” for the explosion and promised to compensate neighbors.

The cause of the explosion could not be determined. That will be determined by inspectors who now control where the facility once stood, Leonard said.

He said Friday he was not aware of any equipment malfunctions before the explosion.

Some neighbors said the company should move elsewhere, but Leonard said Friday that Givaudan is currently focused on the well-being of its employees and the surrounding community. The mayor of Louisville also said there might be a better location in the city for the facility, which suffered a deadly explosion in 2003.

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“We have been a part of this community for over 70 years,” Leonard said. “We love Louisville and we want to stick with it. But again, this is just in the very, very early stages.”

Leonard said there are about 55 workers at the facility and they will continue to be paid. He said the company has set up a crisis line for people to call and report damages.

Federal, state and local investigators are investigating the explosion.

According to documents filed with the city of Louisville, the plant produced caramel colorants for the food industry by heating sugar and water and adding chemicals such as aqueous ammonia to some products.

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