Explosion Tears Through Hornady Ammo Chemical Compound Building, One Dead
An explosion at an ammunition manufacturer’s facility in Nebraska left one woman dead and at least two other people injured.
The explosion took place Friday in a chemical compound building at Hornady Manufacturing in Wood River, according to KHGI-TV in nearby Kearney.
Hall County Attorney Marty Klein did not identify the victims, the outlet reported.
He said that one of the two men who were injured showed symptoms of a concussion.
The other man who was injured had symptoms related to breathing in dust and fumes, Klein said.
Neither man’s injuries were considered life-threatening.
Klein said the Hall County Sheriff’s office and the State Fire Marshal were investigating the cause of the explosion.
Woman dies in explosion at Hornady Manufacturing west of Grand Island, Nebraska https://t.co/VVwIiHThJc
— Omaha World-Herald (@OWHnews) October 13, 2023
At least four local fire departments arrived at the plant to deal with the explosion and fire, which took place just before 10 a.m.
Hall County Emergency Manager Jon Rosenlund said the Cairo, Wood River, Alda and Grand Island rural fire departments responded.
The Grand Island Fire Department transported one person from the scene, Battalion Chief Phil Thomas said.
“We sent two ambulances out there and we transported one,” Thomas said, according to the Grand Island Independent.
Amid anecdotal reports of ammunition shortages linked to the war in the Middle East, the website Bearing Arms sought comments from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Explosion at Hornady Plant in Nebraska just a short bit ago. Very curious how this happened… Prayers for the Workers
Hornady is an ammunition manufacturer, and this will most likely affect the price of ammunition and military contracts. @TeamHornady https://t.co/tedtitcNUu
— Mike Vara (@VaraSells) October 13, 2023
Mark Oliva, the NSSF’s managing director of public affairs, told the site that the organization “is aware of reports of increased ammunition sales. This isn’t unprecedented, as sales of ammunition — and firearms — increase during times of uncertainty.”
“The ‘Day of Rage’ called for by the Hamas terrorist group, coupled with their unprovoked attack on Israel, is increasing concerns for personal safety, even here in the United States,” Oliva said.
“The sheer depravity of their wanton violence against innocent men, women and children, coupled with verified reports of military-aged males of Middle East origin and known terrorists taken into custody at the open U.S. Southern border, has caused many to, once again, take stock of their own safety preparedness,” he said.
“Ammunition manufacturers are in a much better place to respond to sudden spikes in demand than was witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Oliva said.
“Remington Ammunition is fully staffed and operational, unlike in 2020 when they were just acquired by what is now The Kinetic Group. SIG Sauer recently expanded their ammunition production capabilities. Other manufacturers have ensured their production capacity is resilient to the market fluctuations,” he said.
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