Monday, June 15, 2015
NEOSHO, Mo.
An explosion early Monday morning at USA Metal Recycling in
Neosho that killed one person and injured another was caused by an explosive
device in a pile of empty military shell casings, according to the city of
Neosho.
Killed in the blast was Cody D. Brisco, 20, of Granby. He
was pronounced dead at the scene.
Tyler Spencer, 23, of Granby, was injured. He was taken to
an area hospital with moderate injuries. He was listed in stable condition
Monday afternoon, according to a release from the city.
Fire Chief Mike Eads said Neosho police and firefighters
responded at 3:30 a.m. to a report of an explosion with injuries. According to
a statement released by the city, Brisco and Spencer, both employees of USA
Metal Recycling, "were handling empty aluminum shell casings when they
discovered what turned out to be an explosive device, though they were not
aware of its nature. They were examining the device when it detonated."
The state fire marshal's office, the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Department of Defense were
investigating the incident. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
is investigating because the incident is considered a workplace accident,
according to the city.
City spokesman Wes Franklin said OSHA will take the lead on
the investigation.
Eads said there were only two employees in the building at
the time of the explosion. There was no fire. The building sustained minimal damage.
Newton County Coroner Mark Bridges, who responded to the
scene, said he didn't see anything noticeable or remarkable in terms of damage
and that he suspected, based on the scene, that the victim's body took the
force of the explosion.
An autopsy is scheduled for this morning in Springfield,
Bridges said. An initial assessment, he said, indicates Brisco died of
traumatic injuries from shrapnel.
"In 20 years, I've never handled anything like this
before," he said.
Eads said he hadn't previously been aware that the company
handled items such as empty shell casings. The explosive device should not have
been in the shell casings that were being recycled. Eads said he was told the
company had recently started operating 24 hours a day.
"As far as how or why they got it (the explosive
device), I can't say but from what I was told all they handle is aluminum
pieces," Eads said.
Earlier this month, a fire at a USA Metal Recycling location
in Joplin caused an estimated $500,000 in damage.
Seth Bundy, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of
Public Safety, said the state fire marshal's office is assisting with
investigations of both the Neosho explosion and the Joplin fire. He said there
is no reason to believe the two are related, though the cause of the Joplin
fire is still under investigation.
"Until those investigations are complete, I don’t see
how you could speculate one way or the other," Bundy said.
USA Metal Recycling
Lisa Nichols, a dispatcher at USA Metal Recycling, said the
company was not commenting on the Neosho incident at this time. USA Metal
Recycling has locations in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, according to the
company's website.