FACTORY INFERNO

Three People Missing After Giant Factory Explosion

Firefighters struggle to contain blaze at a wood pellet factory in Nebraska.

Three people are missing after a massive explosion tore through a wood pellet factory in eastern Nebraska, with firefighters battling towering flames for hours. The blast occurred just before noon on Tuesday at the Horizon Biofuels plant on the southern edge of Fremont, a facility that produces animal bedding and wood pellets for heating and grilling. Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg confirmed that three individuals were inside the building at the time but offered few details. “That’s all we can say at this point,” he told reporters, citing concerns about the building’s stability. Emergency crews were met with “heavy smoke and a lot of flames,” Fremont Fire Chief Todd Bernt said, adding that the structure was too dangerous to enter immediately. Officials are working with the Nebraska State Patrol and structural engineers to assess when it might be safe to begin search efforts. Photos from the scene show the facility’s upper tower—still marked with the sunbeam logo of its previous owner, Golden Sun Feeds—blown apart, its metal frame twisted and scattered across the grounds. Nearby residents reported feeling the ground shake. “It felt like someone drove through our building,” said Taylor Kirklin, who lives a half-mile away. “Then we saw the smoke.”