MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - An employee injured in an explosion at a north Memphis chemical plant early Monday morning has died.
The explosion happened when fire broke out around 1 a.m. on Monday, September 24 near Chelsea Avenue and North Holmes Street at the Penn A Kem chemical plant. The plant produces chemicals for pharmaceutical purposes. 12 employees were on site when the blast occurred.
According to Memphis Fire Lt. Wayne Cooke, "There was a transfer of the product from one container to another. During the process of that transfer, that's when the explosion happened."
The two injured plant workers were brought to The MED in critical condition with burns on 80 to 100 percent of their bodies. An official with the hospital confirmed Thursday that one of those employees, 50-year-old Gregory McKnight, had died overnight. The second employee remains in critical condition.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
