Workers missing after explosions at Florida gas plant

A series of major explosions at a Florida propane gas plant has injured several workers and left others missing.

John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said early on Tuesday that 15 people who worked at the Blue Rhino propane plant were still unaccounted for. The Blue Rhino plant refilled propane tanks typically used for barbecues.

Video footage on

WESH-TV in Orlando showed fires burning through trucks used to transport propane tanks, which were parked at the plant. The fire was sending plumes of smoke into the air nearly two hours after the blast. Emergency crews could also be seen massing nearby.

Bryan Koon, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said he was still getting “preliminary information” from local authorities.

The blasts began about 11 pm. According to the Leesburg Daily Commercial , the plant was built in 2004 and employs fewer than 50 people.