President of Kentucky plant that exploded says it is 'accountable' for neighborhood damages

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The president of a Kentucky plant that exploded earlier this week said the company is accountable for the accident and will pay damages to residents affected by the blast.

“First and foremost, we are devastated by the accident that happened on Tuesday,” said Ann Leonard, president of Givaudan Sense Color, during a call-in meeting with reporters Friday afternoon. “We know this event has been felt deeply throughout the community, and believe me, we feel it too.”

The afternoon explosion killed two workers and injured 11 other employees. Dozens of homes around the plant in eastern Louisville had their windows shattered, and the percussion from the blast knocked pictures off walls and cracked drywall in some homes.

One home directly across from the plant had a two-story high hunk of metal lodged against it.

Leonard said “absolutely we are accountable” for the explosion and pledged to pay damages to neighbors.

No cause has been identified for the explosion. Leonard said that will be determined by investigators, who now control the scene where the plant once stood.

She said Friday she was not aware of any equipment malfunctions before the explosion.

Some neighbors have said that the company should be relocated, but Leonard said Friday that Givaudan is currently focused on the well-being of its employees and the surrounding community. Louisville's mayor has also said there may be a better location in the city for the plant, which also had a deadly explosion in 2003.

“We have been part of this community for more than 70 years,” Leonard said. “We love Louisville, and would like to make a commitment to it. But again, it’s just very, very early stages.”

Leonard said the plant has about 55 workers, and they will continue to be paid. The company has set up a crisis line for people to call and report damages, she said.

Federal, state and local investigators are looking into the explosion.

The plant made caramel colorings for the food industry by heating sugar and water and adding chemicals such as aqueous ammonia for some products, according to documents filed with the city of Louisville.