Police ID Man Killed in Hudson Valley Plant Explosions, 125 Hurt
The Hudson Valley man killed in two explosions at a local plant has been identified and the amount injured skyrocketed.
On Monday around 10:15 a.m., New Windsor police heard an explosion coming from the area of Temple Hill Road. Arriving officers found smoke coming from Verla International located at 463 Temple Hill Road.
Around 10:40 a.m., first responders were met by a second explosion inside the factory. Seven Newburgh firefighters were injured in the second blast, two have been transferred to Westchester for burn injuries, officials say.
Around 7:40 p.m., a medical examiner was requested for a deceased man, reports ABC. The man, 57-year-old William Huntington of Newburgh, a Verla employee, was previously reported missing.
“Bill was a valued employee and we at Verla are sorry to his friends and family for their loss," Verla International said in a press release.
On Monday, 33 people were reported injured. That number has now skyrocketed to 125, reports ABC.
Around 250 people work at the 52,000 square foot facility. The cosmetic manufacturing plant makes mainly nail polish and perfume, which are alcohol-based. Officials don’t believe any large Hazmat material was released.
According to ABC, New York State agencies are investigating the factory which has 12 open OSHA violations. Half are considered serious violations.
"Ensuring the safety and welfare of New Yorkers in the workplace is critically important, I am directing a multi-agency investigation to get to the bottom of what happened and review compliance with state labor and environmental laws," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said. "Worker safety and environmental protection are top priorities and if there was any misconduct or negligence that led to this incident, we will use the full force of the law to hold the company accountable."
Hudson Valley resident Marc Randazzo submitted this video of the response to the scene.
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