2 dead, 1 missing after milling plant explosion in Wisconsin
Blast and blaze injured 13 others at corn processing facility.
— -- An explosion and a subsequent fire at the Didion Milling corn processing plant in Cambria, Wisconsin, late Wednesday has left at least two people dead and 13 others injured, local authorities said.
One person remains missing, Cambria Fire Department Chief Cody Doucette said at a news conference Thursday night.
Sheriff Dennis Richards said at a Thursday morning press conference that 16 people were inside the plant at the time of the explosion, just after 11 p.m. Central Time. Multiple burns were reported among the injured, authorities said. Two people walked away from the plant without injuries.
More than four medical helicopters were sent to the scene, according to authorities. Several emergency organizations, including the Salvation Army and the Red Cross, and more than 20 local fire departments responded to the blaze.
The cause of the explosion is still unclear.
The plant has multiple levels, and part of a mill complex collapsed as a result of the explosion.
The mill, which supplies corn and ethanol for customers around the world, operates around the clock.
Didion has about 175 employees and operates four locations across Wisconsin, according to the company. Cambria is approximately 70 miles northwest of Milwaukee.
ABC News’ Rex Sakamoto and Benjamin Stein contributed to this report.