ATF Louisville said it has definitively identified the origin of last week’s deadly plant explosion.
The investigation led them to the origin of the explosion: Cooking Vessel No. 6 on the South side of the facility.
They can say that the vessel failed definitively… it was likely an issue with overpressurization.
Some of that vessel was actually found on Payne Street after the explosion.
“There’s some indication that the vessel did not vent properly, and that caused an overheating and explosion — over pressurization if you will,” said Shawn Morrow, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Louisville field office.
The investigation isn’t yet complete but ATF said the data analysis “definitively” allows authorities to conclude that the part known as “cooking vessel No. 6” failed and caused the explosion.
ATF said there were signs of possible maintenance issues with that equipment.
Investigators said surveillance video from inside the factory, 135 interviews, and a black box of data all led them to cooking vessel 6.
The surveillance video has the manufacturing floor on it. It has video surveillance of the manufacturing area, including cooking vessel number 6. “You can see a failure of the tank that begins right before the video cuts out which is when we believe the explosion occurred.”