APRIL 17, 2015
MONROE, OHIO
A worker injured in
a chemical explosion at a Reed Road manufacturing plant Friday afternoon was
flown by medical helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.
Multiple medical
helicopters and fire and hazardous materials units from Monroe, Middletown and
Liberty Twp. responded to Alfrebro LLC, 1055 Reed Road, a natural aroma
chemical manufacturing company. WILD
Flavors, Inc. acquired Alfrebro in 2013.
In 2014, ADM acquired WILD Flavors.
The Monroe
Communications Center received a 911 hangup call about 12:38 p.m. from the
plant. When dispatchers called the number back and no one answered, they sent
police to investigate. A minute later, dispatchers received automatic
commercial fire alarms at the facility and dispatched fire crews to the scene.
Additional hazardous materials units assistance was requested from Middletown
and Liberty Twp.
Fire Chief John
Centers said a worker was injured at the plant while transferring the chemical acetal
from one 55-gallon drum into another 55-gallon drum when a chemical reaction
created a flash fire and explosion in one of the drums, which ruptured.
Centers did not say
the nature of the workers injuries, however Monroe police Lt. Brian Curlis said
earlier, “We have some burn injuries. And there are hazardous chemicals at the
site.”
Centers said the
identity of the worker was being withheld until family could be contacted.
Acetal is a raw
ingredient used in food flavoring, Centers said.
Jackie Anderson, a
spokeswoman for parent company Archer Daniels Midland Company, said Alfrebro
employees promptly extinguished the fire and as a precaution, they called for
Monroe firefighters and evacuated the building.
“We are currently
investigating the cause of the incident, and we are cooperating with
authorities in their investigation,” Anderson said. “We are also with the
employee’s family at the hospital.”
Reed Road was closed
for a short time until declared safe. About two dozen workers stood outside
across the street from the plant while fire and hazmat crews responded. Those
workers were allowed to return to the facility about an hour later.
Other than some EMS
calls, Centers said he could not recall previous significant incidents at the
facility. The Monroe Fire Department is investigating the incident.
Alfrebro is a
manufacturer of natural extracts and aroma chemicals. WILD Flavors Inc.,
another company in the flavors industry, acquired Alfrebro LLC in 2013. That company was recently acquired by Archer
Daniels Midland Company, an agricultural processor and food ingredient
manufacturer based in Chicago.
ADM will form a new
business unit, WILD Flavors and Specialty Ingredients, which will include the
WILD business as well as the following ADM product lines:
- Specialty proteins (including isolated soy proteins, textured vegetable protein, soy protein concentrates, and soy flour & grits)
- Emulsifiers
- Edible beans
- Natural health and nutrition (natural-source vitamin E, plant sterols, soy isoflavones and Omega-3 DHA)
- Soluble fiber
- Polyols
- Hydrocolloids