1 dead, 33 injured after explosions, fire at cosmetics plant in New Windsor, NY
NEW WINDSOR, New York (WABC) -- Emergency crews responded to the scene of an explosion and fire that killed one man and injured more than 30 people, including firefighters, at a manufacturing plant in New York's Hudson Valley.
The explosion happened at around 10:15 a.m. Monday in the north section of Verla International -- a business that makes cosmetics, primarily nail polish. It's located at 463 Temple Hill Road in New Windsor in Orange County.
The Orange County Executive's Office reports that the Medical Examiner was requested at 7:40 p.m. for a deceased man at the Verla Costmetic plant. He had previously been reported missing.
19-year-old lab assistant Andrea Latorraca was upstairs when the first explosion went off. She remembers the frightening rush to exit the building.
"When we got downstairs, all we saw were flames," Latorraca said. "Running across the street, get to the other side. All just people scared, everyone pushing, trying to get out."
Here is raw video showing the thick, black smoke billowing from the plant's roof:
At about 10:40 a.m., a second explosion occurred at the plant, New Windsor police said.
33 people were injured in the fire. Seven of them are firefighters for the city of Newburgh. All of the injured people are expected to survive.
Emergency officials issued a shelter-in-place alert for people who were in the immediate area of the plant, but that has since been lifted.
Photos from the scene:
(Photo/Eden Alex via Facebook)
Vails Gate firefighters were at the scene fighting the fire for hours. Hazmat teams were also at the fire, as there was significant concern over what in the plant was burning and whether the smoke was dangerous to people nearby.
Given the exposure to chemicals, all firefighters were thoroughly hosed down after leaving the scene.
Even the soles of their boots were cleaned off. Their helmets were bagged for further decontamination. Officials are not taking any chances.
State agencies are now investigating this factory which has 12 open OSHA violations, with half of them described as serious.
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Firefighters among 33 injured after explosions, fire at cosmetics plant in New Windsor, NY
NEW WINDSOR, New York (WABC) -- More than two dozen people, including firefighters, were injured in a fire that followed an explosion at a manufacturing plant in New York's Hudson Valley.
The explosion happened at around 10:15 a.m. Monday in the north section of Verla International -- a business that makes cosmetics, primarily nail polish. It's located at 463 Temple Hill Road in New Windsor in Orange County.
Here is a photo showing the thick, black smoke billowing from the plant's roof:
Video from Juan Marcoz shows a massive plant fire with thick, black smoke that's burning in New Windsor, New York.
At about 10:40 a.m., a second explosion occurred at the plant, New Windsor police said.
Altogether, 33 people were injured in the fire. Seven of them are firefighters for the city of Newburgh. All of the people injured are expected to survive. One person remains unaccounted for.
Emergency officials have issued a shelter-in-place alert for people who are in the immediate area of the plant.
Photos from the scene:
(Photo/Eden Alex via Facebook)
Vails Gate firefighters are currently at the scene fighting the fire, as well as hazmat teams. One big concern is whether the odor in the immediate area is safe or toxic
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NEW WINDSOR, N.Y. — Two explosions and a fire at a cosmetics factory about an hours’ drive north of New York City left 30 to 35 people injured, including seven firefighters caught in the second blast, authorities said Monday.
The first explosion occurred around 10:15 a.m. Monday at the Verla International cosmetics factory, New Windsor police said. Firefighters who responded were inside when the second explosion occurred around 10:40 a.m.
Up to 35 people were being treated for injuries, including seven firefighters, most of them from the nearby city of Newburgh, Town Supervisor George Green said. Two of the firefighters were taken to the burn unit at Westchester Medical Center, he said. None of the injuries appear to be life threatening, officials said.
One employee remains unaccounted for, Green said.
Crews battled the blaze into late Monday afternoon.
“It’s still an active fire scene,” Green said, adding that the flames were “knocked down pretty well at this point.”
A man who answered the phone at one of the responding fire departments called the blaze a “five-alarm chemical fire with multiple counties helping.”
Hazardous materials teams also responded, Green said.
Video obtained by WABC-TV in New York City showed thick, black smoke spewing from a section of the roof of the sprawling facility, which includes manufacturing and warehouse buildings. Workers milled about a parking lot while fire crews looked on.
There was no word on a cause of the blaze.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said state emergency response teams have been sent to the factory. State personnel dispatched included homeland security staffers, state police, environmental conservation enforcement officers and health department technicians, the Democratic governor said.
The factory is about a half-mile from the town hall and police station in New Windsor, on the Hudson River’s west bank, 55 miles north of New York City. The 37-year-old New Windsor-based company’s website says the products it makes include nail polish, perfumes, lotions and other products.
The company’s phone number wasn’t working. An email sent to the company wasn’t answered.
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A pair of explosions rocked a gigantic cosmetics manufacturing plant in New York's Orange County Monday, injuring nearly three dozen people and spewing thick plumes of noxious black smoke from the roof and the blasted-out sides of the building, according to authorities and footage posted to social media.
One worker at Verla International plant, a 52,000 square-foot facility on Temple Hill Road in New Windsor, remains unaccounted for following the twin blasts at about 10:20 a.m., authorities said at an afternoon briefing.
In total, 33 people were hurt, including seven Newburgh firefighters, some of whom were faced with a secondary explosion when they responded to the first. Two of those firefighters were taken to hospitals with burns. The other 26 victims are Verla workers. All those who were injured are expected to survive.
Verla -- which produces nail polish and cosmetics, among other beauty products, according to its website -- could not be reached for comment.
By mid-morning, dozens of fire and other emergency vehicles had converged on the scene of the five-alarm blaze. Witnesses described an acrid smell of burning chemicals wafting down the street. A shelter-in-place order was issued for a half-mile radius around the building for much of the day.
Dramatic Images: Explosions Rock NY Cosmetics PlantEnvironmental officials were also on scene, and authorities said at an afternoon briefing they weren't sure of the full suite of chemicals that may have been in the plant when it exploded. Officials said they believed the air was safe to breathe and that drinking water wasn't affected.
The cause of the blasts is under investigation. Records from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration indicate the plant was hit with nine violations earlier this year related to exit maintenance and the use of flammable liquids, among other issues. Of those violations, six were classified as "serious."
One Facebook user who said his office is across the street from the plant wrote in a post that people were seen "running scattering" in the street after Monday's blasts. The road was closed to traffic to assist with the emergency response.
More Than 30 Injured, 2 Firefighters, One Missing in NY Blast
At a press conference Monday afternoon officials announced that more than 33 people were injured and one person was missing following an explosion at a cosmetics plant in Orange County.(Published 2 hours ago)
Another video showed intense orange flames leaping from the roof of the building as firefighters battled the blaze from trucks and on foot. New York State Police also responded. A town supervisor, George Green, said the facility was fully engulfed by fire at one point.
The flames appeared to be mostly contained after about an hour, as photos from the scene showed the stark black smoke that spewed into the air earlier had faded to a gray haze that seemed to shroud the entire skyline.
The factory, which employs more than 100 people, is about a half mile from the town hall and police station in New Windsor, 55 miles north of New York City.
Medical personnel praised the quick action of emergency crews, saying it could have been catastrophic had they not responded with such efficiency.
According to Verla's website, "We specialize in all facets of beauty and bath products for the mass market, specialty retail chains, and department stores, direct sales, professional beauty, TV, electronic retailers and boutiques. The product ranges from pre-teen, teen and budget lines to the most prestigious."