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Burn Victims Being Treated In Mobile and Birmingham After Explosion

197 views · Published 16 February 2014 · 2:28 · Indexed 22 September 2026

Channel: NBC 15 · 2014 · News & Politics

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MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) OSHA has launched an investigation into the explosion that erupted Friday morning at the Vulcan Inc. plant in Foley. Investigators continue working at this hour to figure out what caused the blast that sent two people to the hospital with severe burns. Officials still haven't released the names of the victims, but we know one of the victims was flown to a burn center in Birmingham Friday morning. The other worker is in critical condition right now at USA Medical Center. Doctors said he's in ICU surrounded by family and being treated for major burns and could remain in ICU for several weeks.  It was an explosion that literally shook Foley's satellite courthouse.  It was just a huge boom and I came out and saw the big huge cloud of smoke, said witness Rachel Powell. We thought it was the roof over the courthouse but then we looked across the parking lot and it was the aluminum plant over there, said another witness, Gary Carlson.  Fire officials say just after 9 a.m. an explosion and fire broke out in one of the buildings at the Vulcan plant in an area where aluminum is cut and shaped into street signs.  More than 50 workers were treated on the scene and two were airlifted with burns.  Dr. Juvonda Hodge specializes in burn surgery at USA and has been working with the victim since he arrived. First thing you want to do with any patient involved in a major burn is treat them as a trauma patient first. So we want to know if they have any associated injuries. Once that's done we focus on resuscitating them and that happens as soon as they hit the door with warmed IV fluids, said Dr. Hodge.  And it's a team effort at USA Burn Center, the only facility of its kind in the region.  It's not just the physicians it is nurses, it's our therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapy, dietary, social services, social workers, so it's a whole team approach. The family also needs a whole team to support them, said Dr. Hodge.  OSHA is working to find out if any OSHA standards were violated. The group must complete its investigation within six months.

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