Explosion sparks fire at Rubbertown chemical plant

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Multiple explosions were reported Wednesday morning at a manufacturing plant in southwest Louisville.

Emergency crews responded around 11:30 a.m. to the 4400 block of Bells Lane in Rubbertown. The primary business in the area is Carbide Industries LLC, which makes liquids used in steel mills.

A contractor who said he was working inside the plant Wednesday morning said there were a "series of explosions."

Jason Meiman, chief of the Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Protection District, said investigators believe the "potential overflow of a product" may have come out of a furnace, onto the ground and exploded. As of Wednesday afternoon, fire officials said a fire continues to burn inside and outside the building and, because of the chemicals near it, crews aren't able to use water to extinguish it. It's controlled, but it'll continue to burn.

"Due to its chemical nature, we are not able to put water on it," he said. "At this time, the fire is under control. ... We are allowing small spot fires to continue to burn themselves out."

No evacuations were ordered and no shelter-in-place protocols were advised for the surrounding public. Meiman also said the air quality isn't a threat to the public.

"We have air monitoring set up throughout the area as well as beyond the fence line to ensure the public's safety," he said. "There is no public concern at this time."

The plant has had a series of safety violations, most recently in February, when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Carbide $7,000 for "the control of hazardous energy."

In 2011, two workers were killed in an explosion at the plant. Federal investigators later found Carbide Industries ignored warning signs and tolerated failure, including 26 work orders on the problem furnace that ultimately blew up. The company was fined $11,200.

From 2011-16, inspectors found nine serious safety violations. Then, in 2018, another worker, a 38-year-old man, died when an employee was electrocuted. Carbide was fined $7,000 for that incident.

In 2023, the company was ordered to pay $40,500 to the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District.

This story will be updated.

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