Tennessee bomb factory that exploded and killed multiple people last blew up just 11 years ago: Live updates

In April 2014, one man was killed and three others were injured after an explosion at a building on the same property, The Tennessean reported.

About a dozen people were inside the building what was ‘pretty much destroyed’ in the blast.

That specific building was operated by Rio Ammunition, which made ammunition for hunting, law enforcement and the military, according to the outlet.

The explosion took place during a regular shift change, meaning there were fewer people inside than normal, according to WSMV.

Multiple people were killed and several are missing, authorities said.

Accurate Energetic Systems announced a $9.7 million expansion in 2020 that brought 80 new jobs to the area, according to The Tennessean.

They received a state grant of $601,000 from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development for the expansion, and brought two out-of-state businesses to the area through acquisitions.

State Senator Kerry Roberts, who represents the county where the explosion occurred, reacted to the news and thanked first responders.

‘Clearly it’s just a devastating tragedy’” Roberts told The Tennessean.

Roberts said Accurate Energetic Systems ‘responded very quickly,’ and has set up a Family Assistance Center to support those impacted.

Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn confirmed she is monitoring the bomb factory explosion.

‘We are closely monitoring the explosion reported in Hickman County this morning and praying for those who are still missing,’ she said.

‘Thank you to the first responders on the scene.’

An AES employee, who spoke on the conditions of anonymity to The Tennessean, confirmed that the factory blast occurred in the Melt Pour building on company grounds.

The campus sits in the woods of Bucksnort, which typically has less than 30 people inside during a regular working day, the employee confirmed.

Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis confirmed that there were some fatalities as a result of the Accurate Energetic Systems explosion.

‘We do have some that are deceased,’ he said.

Davis also said there were at least thirteen others still missing.

‘We do have several people at this time unaccounted for. We are trying to be mindful of families and that situation,’ Davis said.

He said that the blast affected ‘one whole building’ of the property, though it was unclear areas nearby were impacted.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency is supporting local Hickman County officials following the bomb factory explosion that killed multiple.

‘At the request of the local emergency management agencies, TEMA has deployed District Coordinators to support local response efforts,’ TEMA Communications Director Kristin Coulter said.

‘We are actively coordinating with local, state, and federal partners to assess the situation and provide any necessary assistance.’

Residents in Lobelville, a more than a 20-minute drive from the military explosives manufacturing plant, said they felt their homes shake.

‘I thought the house had collapsed with me inside of it,’ Gary Stover, who claimed the blast rattled him from his sleep, told AP.

‘I live very close to Accurate and I realized about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to have been that.’

Public records obtained by the Associated Press show that the company sold numerous types of weapons to the US military, including dynamite, landmines and explosive powder for large-caliber shells.

The manufacturing plant sits on 1,300 acres in Bucksnort, Tennessee, an unincorporated rural community about an hour long drive south of Nashville.

There are eight buildings on the plant that manufacture, store and research explosives for ‘military, aerospace, and commercial demolition’ markets.

Accurate Energetic Systems sells explosive products for a wide variety of purposes, ranging from structural demolition to strategic breaching operations, according to the company website.

Some of the products listed for sale are designed by the Department of Defense and approved for use for foreign military units, police forces and commercial customers.

The company also uses the sprawling campus to test explosives, according to it´s website, measuring the velocity of explosions as well as their impact on surrounding areas under varying environmental conditions.

The website says that facilities can safely accommodate explosives with up to 35 pounds of ‘net explosive weight,’ and conducts daily tests.

One person, an environmental lawyer, claimed on social media that the Accurate Energetic Systems plant explosion was felt up to 40 miles away.

‘And as improbable as it sounds, there were reports of houses being shook this morning in Santa Fe, before that report came in, and we are almost 40 miles away from the site,’ he said.

The Hickman County Sheriff’s Office has asked locals to avoid the area to allow responders to do their work.

Emergency responders were not yet able to go in to the plant because there continue to be explosions, Hickman County Advanced EMT David Stewart told AP.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has also shut down State Route 230, just north of I-40, as first responders work the scene.

Representative John Rose praised the first responders on the scene of the bomb factory explosion.

‘First responders are rushing to the aid of those affected by the explosion in Bucksnort,’ Rose said on X.

‘Our prayers are with the missing & injured, as well as the Sheriff’s Office & County Emergency Services that wasted no time jumping into action.’

Beyonica Holt, a longtime resident of the neighboring town Nunnelly, said she felt the explosion as she was getting ready for work.

‘I thought I was going to die. It knocked stuff off my shelves,’ Holt told The Tennessean. ‘I thought we were at war or something.’

“I was standing in my bedroom. It shook the whole house. I thought it was going to blow out my windows – it didn’t, but that’s how big it was.

‘I’ve never been in an earthquake, but I thought that’s what it was.’

Officials expect to the investigation to take several days.

We’re at the beginning stages of all of this,’ Hickman County Sheriff Jason Craft said Friday morning.

‘We’re getting information minute-by-minute and we’re going to continue to build on that and do what we need to do.’

He urged the community to ‘keep everyone in your prayers as we go through this [over] the next few days.’

Hickman County Mayor Jim Bates told The Tennessean his wife felt the explosion from her home office over at hour away.

‘It’s an unfortunate incident,’ he said. ‘It was felt around our county.’

‘We just pray that the good Lord keeps their hand on the families that’s involved.’

Authorities confirmed there have been ‘multiple’ fatalities and several people hospitalized after the Tennessee bomb factory explosion, WSMV reported.

Hickman County Emergency Management confirmed the explosion at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant and called for prayers for the community.

‘There has been an explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems. Multiple agencies from surrounding counties are on scene working to assess and contain the fire,’ the agency said.

‘At this time, we ask everyone to please keep your community, first responders, and those affected in your thoughts and prayers.

‘We will provide additional updates as soon as possible. Right now, our priority is the health and safety of everyone on scene. Please stand by for further information.’

A massive boom from the explosion was captured by Lobelville resident Cody Warren’s Nest camera, which was at least 21 miles away from the plant.

Warren told WSMV that the ground shook as the explosion erupted.

Nearly two dozen people are feared dead after a massive explosion erupted at a Tennessee bomb factory this morning.

The blast went off at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant Friday around 7.50am local time, the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.

At least 19 employees currently remain unaccounted for, according to Odell Poyner, the emergency management director in nearby Humphreys County.

The initial blast was so enormous that locals reported hearing and feeling it from miles away, according to Mule Town News.