16 Killed in Blast at Tennessee Military Explosives Factory Near Nashville

A blast in rural Tennessee that leveled an explosives plant and was felt for miles around killed 16 people and left no survivors, authorities said.

The explosion left a smoldering wreck of twisted and charred metal and burned-out vehicles at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant, which supplies and researches explosives for the military.

The cause of the blast is not known. Investigators are combing the incinerated property foot-by-foot searching for possible evidence.

“There’s a gauntlet of emotions there,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said during a news conference, pausing to clear his throat before he asked for prayers for the families of the victims in a shaky voice.

“We’ve recovered no survivors,” he added.

During a vigil at Hurricane Chapel in McEwen, senior pastor Tim Farris noted that many in attendance know each other, the victims and their families.

“There’s a lot of people hurting. A lot of people who are crying a lot of tears,” he said. “We are sad that our community is going through this, but it’s a tremendous opportunity for the church to minister to a lot of those people today.”

Farris said he spoke with some families of victims on Friday who were in shock and numb, and they did not show much emotion. That had changed by Saturday, he said.

“Speaking with some of the families today, they were very emotional,” Farris said. “They can hardly speak or anything, they are so emotional. I think as this goes on, it’s going to hit more people. The depth of this, the reality of it. That’s when they’re going to need people the most.”

Community Recalls the Lives of Those Who Were Killed

Just miles from a rural Tennessee plant leveled by a devasting explosion, the congregants of Maple Valley Baptist Church devoted Sunday’s service to the 16 deceased victims and their families. Several of the dozens of people praying at the small church knew someone who worked at the plant owned by Accurate Energetic Systems, which supplies and researches explosives for the military and is a well-known employer in the area. “There’s a somber kind of vibe right now in the community just because it’s so many lives that have been affected by it,” said Pastor Jimmy Andrews of the church in Nunnelly. “It’s family and friends just trying to hold each other up during this most difficult time.” Churches across many of the area’s small close-knit communities, including another one attended by Gov. Bill Lee on Sunday, did the same through vigils and services as many tried to make sense of the devastation. “The losses are staggering,” Lee told reporters after surveying the damage by helicopter and attending Compassion Church in nearby Waverly. The cause of Friday’s blast remained under investigation. Crews were carefully going through incinerated property, searching for possible evidence. Authorities warned of smaller controlled explosions Sunday to dispose of hazardous materials. “Extraordinary precautions are in place to prevent further damage and injuries,” the Humphreys County sheriff’s office said in a statement. “The community around the area is safe but you may hear noise and see some smoke.” The initial blast was felt for more than 20 miles (32 kilometers), leaving a smoldering wreck of twisted and charred metal and burned-out vehicles at the plant. Authorities said there were no survivors. They had not identified the deceased by Sunday. The plant is located in a heavily wooded area of middle Tennessee, between the vital Tennessee River to the west and Nashville to the east. Brandon Brake, 42, said many in the area were leaning on their “church families” to make it through. He attended Maple Valley Baptist. “It’s been a tragic time,” he said. “We’re going to pull through.” The community of McEwen lowered its flags to half-staff on Saturday out of respect. A Sunday evening candlelight vigil was planned outside the Humphreys County Courthouse. Schools in the county said counseling services would be available to students on Monday. “We will continue to play a support role to those affected in any way possible as they are our friends, neighbors, and citizens of our community,” McEwen Mayor Brad Rachford said in an email Sunday. Andrews, the pastor of Maple Valley Baptist, told congregants to look out for each other. “Lord, I just pray we lift up those that are continuing to suffer through this tragic event,” he said.

Pamela Jane Brown was among those who came out to pray for friends missing in the blast and their families. She said an acquaintance of her family was driving by the plant when it exploded, and he was “hurt pretty good … all cut up and bruised,” but is now recovering at home.

“I was heartbroken,” she said, after learning of the explosion on social media. Meeting others for prayer “was a coming together of the community – a good feeling.”

State officials brought in a “rapid DNA” team to help identify the remains of people recovered at the site.

Davis said about 300 responders are working in a “slow, methodical method” as they deal with explosive material that has been damaged and remains volatile. An ambulance and a helicopter used for air evacuations were brought in, for the safety of first responders.

“It’s not like working an accident. It’s not like working a tornado. We’re dealing with explosions. And I would say at this time, we’re dealing with remains,” he said.

Guy McCormick, a supervisory special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said explosive specialists and bomb technicians are trying to make the area safe for national ATF investigators. He said the nature of the scene can change because of the heat and pressure caused by the explosion.

Davis said it could be days, weeks or even months before foul play is ruled out.

The site is located in a heavily wooded area of middle Tennessee, between the economically vital Tennessee River to the west and the bustling metropolis of Nashville to the east. Modest homes dot the wooded landscape, residences belonging to “good old country people,” as local man Terry Bagsby put it.

‘A Lot of Grief’

Bagsby, 68, is retired but he helps out working the register at a gas station near the site. He said people in the close-knit community are “very, very sad.”

He said he knows people who worked at the site.

“I don’t know how to explain it. … Just a lot of grief.”

Officials at an evening news conference said counselors would be available for grieving students on Monday.

Earlier Saturday afternoon at the church in McEwen, about 30 people gathered to pray for victims of the explosion and their families. Music played and mourners bowed their heads and closed their eyes. Some knelt at an altar, placing their hands on each others’ backs and shoulders. Some wept softly, among the whispered prayers.

After the vigil, Farris, the pastor, told media that the area has seen its share of tragedy and loss of life, including a deadly flood a few years ago. He asked for prayers for first responders.

“This is tiresome physically. This kind of thing weighs on you mentally. They carry that home. They need prayer and encouragement as well,” he said.

The company’s website says it processes explosives and ammunition at an eight-building facility that sprawls across wooded hills in the Bucksnort area, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Nashville. It is not immediately known how many people work at the plant or how many were there when the explosion happened.

Accurate Energetic Systems, based in nearby McEwen, said in a post on social media on Friday that the company’s “thoughts and prayers” are with the families and community impacted.

“We extend our gratitude to all first responders who continue to work tirelessly under difficult conditions,” the post said.

Explosion Jolts Residents From Sleep

The company has been awarded numerous military contracts, largely by the U.S. Army and Navy, to supply different types of munitions and explosives, according to public records. The products range from bulk explosives to landmines and small breaching charges, including C4.

When the explosion occurred, residents in Lobelville, a 20-minute drive from the scene, said they felt their homes shake, and some people captured the loud boom of the explosion on their home cameras.

The blast rattled Gentry Stover from his sleep.

“I thought the house had collapsed with me inside of it,” he told The Associated Press. “I live very close to Accurate, and I realized about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to have been that.”

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee posted on the social platform X that he is monitoring the situation and asked “Tennesseans to join us in prayer for the families impacted by this tragic incident.”

A small group gathered for a vigil Friday night at a nearby park, clutching candles as they prayed for the missing and their families and sang “Amazing Grace.”

The U.S. has a long history of deadly accidents at workplaces, including the Monongah coal mine explosion that killed 362 men and boys in West Virginia in 1907. Several high-profile industrial accidents in the 1960s helped lead President Richard Nixon to sign a law creating the Occupational Safety and Health Administration the next year.

In 2019, Accurate Energetic Systems faced several small fines from the U.S. Department of Labor for violations of policies meant to protect workers from exposure to hazardous chemicals, radiation and other irritants, according to citations from OSHA.

In 2014, an explosion occurred at another ammunition facility in the same small community, killing one person and injuring at least three others.

Photo: The aftermath at the military explosives manufacturing plant in Hickman County, on Friday (WTVF-TV via AP)

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Associated Press writers Obed Lamy, Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pennsylvania; Sarah Brumfield, in Cockeysville, Maryland; Hannah Schoenbaum, in Salt Lake City; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Kimberlee Kruesi in Providence, Rhode Island; and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.