Nebraska | An explosion in a biofuels factory left three dead

(Fremont) Two girls and one adult, who has been missing since the violent explosion which ravaged a biofuels factory in Nebraska, died, the authorities announced on Wednesday.

The firefighters have been fighting for almost a day against smoke and the flames that convent in the rubble.

The mayor of Fremont, Joey Spellerberg, said at a press conference having the “broken heart”, adding that it was a “tragedy”.

The elected official said that the two children were waiting for the employee’s work to get to a medical appointment. He was not sure of their exact age, but said they were both under 12 years old.

Photos taken after Tuesday’s explosion show the high tower of the torn factory, exposing mutilated metal and torn cladding. Debris littered the ground and the local residents claim that the explosion has shaken their houses.

The fire prevented the teams from approaching the Horizon Biofuels factory enough to search for the missing people, said the mayor.

“The fire lasted all night, even in the rain,” he said at the Kfab radio station in Omaha, earlier on Wednesday. “The milling area and the offices are under the flames; The fire has not stopped, “he added.

Fremont’s firefighters, Todd Bernt, said the first speakers were faced with “thick smoke and many flames” upon arrival on the site, surrounded by other manufacturing and food processing factories.

The factory makes animal litter and wood pellets for heating and smoking food, using tons of wood waste. Mr. Bernt said the factory probably stored wood and alcohol -based materials.

A fire in 2014 in the building had damaged the electrical system, but left the structure intact, according to an article in the Fremont Tribune.

Fremont, a city of around 27,000 inhabitants and the sixth largest in Nebraska, is 52 kilometers north-west of Omaha.