Three dead, one missing in explosion at AB Specialty Silicones plant

WAUKEGAN, Ill.—Three persons are dead and another one missing in an explosion at the AB Specialty Silicones facility in Waukegan.

The explosion occurred about 9:30 p.m. May 3. Nine workers were in the building at the time, according to Waukegan Fire Marshal Steven Lenzi. Of those, four were taken to hospitals, of whom one soon died, Lenzi said. Two others refused treatment, and three were unaccounted for.

The body of one of the three missing workers was found May 4, and the body of a second was found May 5, according to Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper.The search continued May 6 for the third missing worker, while the identities of the first two were being withheld pending the results of autopsies, according to Cooper.

The workers who died in the explosion warned their colleagues of the disaster, thus saving the lives of their colleagues, according to Waukegan Fire Chief George Bridges. More than 100 first responders fought the blaze at AB Specialty Silicones and aided the workers there, he said.

"We are shocked and heartbroken by the tragedy that occurred in our plant on May 3," Mac Penman, AB Specialty Silicones general manager, said in a statement on the company website. "We are trying our best to support all of the members of our AB family as we attempt to process this terrible loss together."

According to the AB Specialty Silicones website, the company has been a manufacturer of specialty silicone raw materials for more than 20 years under the Andisil brand name. Earlier this year, the company purchased a 40,000-sq.-ft. building for production, warehouse and office space, bringing its corporate campus to four buildings and 240,000 square feet.