Two owners among those killed in AB Specialty Silicones explosion

WAUKEGAN, Ill—One week after the explosion that killed four and wounded several others, AB Specialty Silicones has identified all four of the men who died at the Waukegan plant, saying that two of them were company owners.

In a statement on its website, AB Silicones identifies the dead as:

• Byron Biehn, 53, of Union Grove, Wis., a second-shift production supervisor and company owner;
• Allen Stevens, 29, of Paddock Lake, Wis., an owner and second-shift chemical operator;
• Jeff Cummings, 57, of Kenosha, Wis., a third-shift production supervisor; and
• Daniel Nicklas, 24, of Beach Park, Ill., a quality control chemist.

"We have lost our friends and colleagues, and know that their families have lost even more: fathers, grandfathers, husbands, sons, brothers," AB Specialty said in its statement. The company did not outline the ownership structure of the chemcial firm.

Biehn and Cummings had worked 9 years and 7 years with the company, respectively, while Stevens spent two years with AB Specialty. Nicklas had worked with the firm for 8 months.

AB Specialty plans to reopen May 13, closing periodically for funeral services."As a company, " AB Specialty said, "we have talked with each other about what the future holds, and have resolved to reopen AB Specialty Silicones. It will be hard work, but if it is possible to re-create the type of place Byron, Jeff, Allen, and Daniel would be proud of, it is a challenge we would all accept."

Of the four who died, Stevens died in the hospital May 3. Biehn and Cummings were found in the wreckage by May 5. Nicklas was found May 6.

In all, nine AB Specialty employees were affected by the explosion. Of the survivors, three went to local hospitals and two declined treatment.

Officials of the Waukegan Fire Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration continue to investigate the cause of the blast, but Waukegan Fire Marshal Steve Lenzi said investigators have ruled out foul play. Damage is estimated at more than $1 million.