An explosion at a food coloring factory killed two employees Tuesday and damaged homes across surrounding neighborhoods, marking the second fatal blast at the Louisville facility in two decades, company officials confirmed Wednesday.
The incident at Givaudan Sense Colour occurred during what workers described as “normal activity,” according to Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. At least 11 employees were hospitalized, some with life-threatening injuries, though officials have now accounted for all workers present during the explosion.
“We are grieving with the families, friends, and loved ones of those that were lost and injured during this very difficult time,” Givaudan said in a statement, adding that the company is cooperating with investigators while probing the cause.
The blast’s impact extended well beyond the factory grounds. Patrick Livers, whose home sits across railroad tracks from the plant, returned from work to find extensive damage after his mother called about the explosion. “The house is still standing. It’s just structural damage. If it was on a wall, it’s on the floor,” he said, describing damage throughout his street. “All the neighbors’ windows busted out, doors blown in. It looked like a small tornado went off inside the house.”
Steve Parobek, living a block from the plant, improvised repairs with pizza boxes and duct tape after the explosion shattered his kitchen window. The Louisville Fire Department leads the investigation with state and federal partners, including a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reconstruction team.
The facility has a troubled history. In April 2003, when owned by D.D. Williamson & Co., an explosion killed one worker. Federal investigators determined that incident resulted from a missing pressure relief valve removed during the tank’s 1989 relocation. Givaudan acquired the plant in 2021.
