The East Alton Fire Department responded to a deadly explosion Thursday afternoon at an ammunition plant.
Authorities told 5 On Your Side’s Robert Townsend that a man was killed when a truck exploded at Winchester Ammunition Plant, located at 600 Powder Mill Road. It’s believed the truck that exploded was carrying primer.
Mary Kate Brown, deputy director of the Madison County Emergency Management Agency, said the EMA had been released from the scene because it was “not a mass casualty incident.”
There was no immediate word on what caused the explosion. The blast could be felt for miles through area neighborhoods, including at the East Alton Police Department and at the home of East Alton Mayor Darren Carlton.
“I live on the other side of town and I could feel it in my living room. One loud explosion,” Carlton said.
Neighbor Billy Maness said he recently worked as a security guard at the plant for six months.
“I almost got shoved over and the house felt like it literally rocked,” Maness said. After the blast, he said he ran outside to see thick, blue smoke over the plant and his neighborhood.
“It kind of smelled like fireworks, you know. It had a gun-powdery smell,” he said. “Just covered the whole neighborhood here all the way up on top of the hill.”
According to the company’s website, Winchester is the largest manufacturer of small-caliber ammunition for the U.S. military. The East Alton facility produces military products such as shotshell ammunition, 8-gauge industrial shotshells and ammunition components, including primers and lead shot.
Winchester released the following statement on Thursday:
“We are deeply saddened that a Winchester employee was fatally injured this afternoon in an incident involving a company vehicle at the company’s East Alton facility. Our thoughts and prayers are with our employee’s family and coworkers. We are not releasing the employee’s name at this time out of respect for the family. This is a tragedy, and we will conduct a full investigation to determine what happened. The safety of our employees, the community, and our environment is always our top priority.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was working with East Alton police and Illinois State Police to determine the cause of the explosion. The Illinois State Fire Marshal has also been notified of the incident, authorities said.
