LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Two employees died as a result an explosion at a factory in Louisville, Kentucky that caused a partial collapse of the building and blew out windows of nearby homes and businesses, the company said Wednesday.

The explosion occurred Tuesday afternoon at Givaudan Sense Color, which produces colorings for food and drinks.

“We grieve with the families, friends and loved ones of those who have been lost or injured during this very difficult time,” the company said in a statement.

Firefighters rescued and evacuated numerous people from the building, some of whom were seriously injured, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a statement Tuesday evening. Greenberg said officials accounted for everyone who worked at the plant at the time.

It was earlier reported that at least 11 employees had been hospitalized.

The cause was under investigation. Greenberg said officials spoke to employees inside the plant and they “initially indicated everything was normal when the explosion occurred.”

The company said it was in the early stages of investigating the cause and was cooperating with authorities.

“We appreciate their heroic response and extend our thanks to the community members who showed their support throughout the day,” the company said.

Patrick Livers lives in a neighborhood right across the street from the factory, across the railroad tracks. He was at work when his mother, who was picking up her children from school and taking them home, called him to tell him that her house had been damaged in the explosion.

“I was like, ‘What are you talking about? Then she showed me the video. I was like, ‘Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,'” he said.

Livers said no one was home at the time. He said the explosion blew out windows on his street.

“The house is still standing. This is just structural damage. If it was on a wall, it’s on the floor,” he said. “All the neighbors’ windows were shattered, the doors were broken in. It looked like a small tornado had started inside the house.”

Steve Parobek was at work when the explosion blew out the kitchen window of his apartment a block from the factory. He arrived home to find his cat safe and used two pizza boxes and duct tape to cover his window as temperatures steadily dropped Tuesday evening.

The Louisville Fire Department was leading the investigation Tuesday evening with assistance from state and federal partners. A reconstruction team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traveled to Louisville to help determine the cause of the explosion.

In April 2003, an explosion at the same location killed an employee at a caramel coloring factory owned by DD Williamson & Co. Givaudan acquired the factory from DD Williamson in 2021.

Federal investigators determined that a pressure relief valve on a tank was removed when the company moved the tank to its Louisville plant in 1989. The tank exploded because there was no pressure relief valve , according to a report from the Chemical Safety Board.

___

Associated Press journalists John Raby and Bruce Schreiner contributed to this report.