Tennessee Bomb Factory a Death Trap? Second Deadly Blast in Just Over a Decade Rocks Community

The quiet of Hickman County was shattered on Friday by a massive explosion that levelled an explosives processing facility, leaving a scene of devastation where emergency crews now desperately search for survivors. For the community near Bucksnort, it is a tragedy eerily familiar. Authorities have confirmed multiple fatalities after the blast tore through the Accurate Energetic Systems plant, with at least 19 other people still unaccounted for as of Friday afternoon.

A Haunting History of Tragedy

This is not the first time a deadly explosion has struck the rural facility. In April 2014, one man was killed and four others were injured during an explosion and fire at the very same plant.

The 2014 incident occurred at the back of the building, causing extensive damage. Kathryn Edwards told WSMV, that her husband, Rodney, went off to work that morning just like any other, and she never imagined he would not return home.

'He told me he loved me and I said, 'I love you too. Have a great day, baby. I hope you have a great day', Edwards said in a 2014 interview. 'He worked seven days a week. Would go in any time he was called -- morning, noon or night'.

At the time, the Humphreys County Sheriff reported that the blast originated in an area storing shotgun ammunition, igniting two fires—one within the plant and another outside. The property, owned by Accurate Energetic Systems, housed several companies; the specific explosion took place in a section operated by Rio Ammunition.

A Survivor's Story

Joey Clark was one of the people flown to the hospital with severe injuries from the 2014 blast. He told WSMV that the power of the explosion pushed him 40 ft from where he was standing, working with Edwards. Clark lost his left eye and two fingers in the blast that forced him to spend weeks recovering at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre. He remains fully disabled.

'I was walking in the door where it flamed up', Clark said when getting discharged from the hospital in 2014. 'I stopped to go get Rodney. I was going to turn around. I thought he was behind me. That stop, thinking about him, probably saved my life'.

Clark has several friends who still work at the facility. He described Friday as a deeply emotional day, marked by an anxious wait for news about their safety. After many hours, he remained uncertain of their fate.

A Record of Violations and Expansions

According to spokesperson Chris Cannon, both the Tennessee Department of Labour and Workforce Development and Tennessee OSHA (TOSHA) were on-site Friday to conduct an investigation.

TOSHA records indicate that the agency's last inspection of the AES facility in McEwen was in April 2019. That visit was prompted by an investigation into several 'serious' citations, which led to multiple fines for the company. A review of the 2019 citations by WSMV revealed safety issues, such as the potential for workers to be exposed to hazardous chemicals.

According to its website, AES was founded in 1980 to focus on 'the development, manufacture, handling, and storage of high-quality energetic products utilized in both defence and commercial markets'.

In August 2024, the 1,300-acre facility received a certification from NSF-ISR, confirming it met international standards for the 'design, development and manufacture of high explosive and specialty products'. This certification was valid until 2027. On Friday, WSMV did not receive a response from an NSF-ISR spokesperson regarding their investigation protocol following such a catastrophic event.

Plans for an AES expansion, which included a new lab and a full test range, were revealed in 2020 by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. This expansion was projected to bring 80 new jobs to the facility, spanning both Humphreys and Hickman counties.