COLUMBUS, Ind. — Three employees suffered injuries — one of them serious — after an explosion at the Faurecia Gladstone Plant in Columbus overnight.
It happened just after 2 a.m. Firefighters responded to the manufacturing plant and found there had been a propane explosion. Investigators said the explosion happened when an employee was filling a propane tank used for a forklift truck. The exact cause of the explosion is still under investigation.
One employee is believed to have suffered serious burns in the incident. The worker was airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital. As of 8:40 a.m. Friday, firefighters still did not know the condition of that employee.
The other two employees suffered minor injuries. They were treated at the scene.
The explosion caused a fire at the facility's propane filling station on the outside of the building. The sprinkler system went off before the fire department's arrival, which firefighters say greatly reduced the amount of damage.
The building was evacuated before fire crews arrived, and operations were suspended for the remainder of the morning shift. Crews remained at the facility until just before 4 a.m., and modified operations resumed afterward.
The fire department did not have a dollar amount estimate for the damage, but said it was limited to the building's exterior materials and propane storage areas.
