Kilgore Plant Employees Return to Work

TOONE, Tenn. - It was back to work for hundreds of employees at Kilgore Flares in Hardeman County following a fire at the plant on Tuesday afternoon.

Six people were sent to the hospital after flames and smoke engulfed one of the plant's buildings. That's probably why residents of Tone, Tennessee are cautious about expressing their thoughts on the latest industrial accident at the Kilgore Flares Company that sent a half dozen people to hospitals on Tuesday.

For decades the impoverished Hardeman County community of Toone has played a sometimes deadly version of industrial Russian roulette with its biggest employer Kilgore Flares Company. But, residents like 25-year old Nathan Hill said the alternatives are even riskier.
(Bite: 13:23:17-27)- Nathan Hill

"Kilgore. Like I say it brings a lot of revenue to this town. It's ain't nothing here. Either if you ain't selling drugs or doing anything you got no business doing, you pretty much ain't going to make it out here," said resident Nathan Hill.

"I saw some people on fire and they were telling them to drop and roll!" said Gretchen Ellison, a Kilgore employee right after the explosion.

As investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration combed for clues as to what caused a flash fire that injured six people inside the plant on Tuesday, work resumed on Wednesday at the company that manufactures evasive flares for military aircraft.

Gone were the plumes of noxious smoke which had billowed around the facility. Gone too were the vocal expressions of terror that wracked those who survived the fire. Instead, they were replaced by sighs of relief and quiet uncertainty as to the possibility of lost jobs at the plant in the fire's wake.

"I was pretty scared yesterday. I was hoping he didn't get hurt. But, he didn't get hurt. He didn't get hurt so he's there watching the fire now. Probably be without a job too," said Tracey Bryant, daughter to a Kilgore employee.

Tuesday's incident brought up chilling memories of a much more severe fire and explosion at Kilgore in April 2001. It killed one worker and the company ended up paying $200,000 in workplace violations.

There have been a reported 8 deaths since 1973 at the plant. Hill, who worked there on two other occasions, described the everyday danger employees face in working with the dangerous components used to manufacture the flares.

"Those flares down there, man, soon as they heat. It doesn't take long. It'll burn. But, it may get up to 10 to 15,000 degrees in three seconds," said Hill. "Once it's exposed to your skin it burns bones."

But, the conundrum for the community remains the same as it does for most small American towns facing a similar circumstance. It's the explosive level of danger the plant's product can produce as opposed to the 300 needed jobs it creates.

To Toone- Kilgore's monolithic presence is as much a curse as it is an economic blessing.

"If the right building goes up down there. I believe there's stuff down there powerful enough. Man, it'll clean this whole block off," said Hill.