WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is sending a team to investigate the fatal explosion at the Horizon Biofuels facility in Fremont, Nebraska, that occurred on July 29.  The blast fatally injured three people – two young girls and an adult man – who were in the facility at the time of the incident.

CSB Chairperson Steve Owens said, “The CSB is deploying a team of investigators who will work to determine  the root cause of this horrific incident and identify actions to help prevent a tragedy like this from happening again in the future.”

The facility produces wood pellets and animal bedding. Initial reports indicate multiple explosions and fires resulting from the incident.

The CSB's Board does not issue citations or fines, but makes safety recommendations to companies, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA.

Wood dust is the likely cause of the explosion at the pellet plant. The blast killed three people, including a male employee Dylan Danielson, 32, and his two daughters,  12-year-old Hayven and 8-year-old Feya, who were waiting for their father to get off work.

The Nebraska State Fire Marshal on July 31 said that an accidental wood dust explosion is believed to have caused the incident at Horizon Biofuels. Earlier in the day, Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg said wood dust had accumulated in the elevator portion of the plant. Spellerberg noted that this explanation for the explosion "really is the only thing that makes sense" at this stage of the investigation.

Because of the intense fire, heat, and the instability of the remaining structure, it took emergency personnel many hours to reach the three people killed and to begin to investigate the cause of the explosion.