On Wednesday, July 21, an explosion occurred at a Dippin’ Dots factory in Paducah, Kentucky while a truck was unloading liquid nitrogen.
Ten people were hurt in the explosion, according to police and company officials.
The blast occurred in a building which was used to manufacture ingredients for a third party company, though the building was owned by Dippin’ Dots.
According to Paducah Police spokeswoman Robin Newberry, a truck was in the process of unloading liquid nitrogen — which is used to flash freeze the popular ice cream treat — into a storage tank when the explosion occurred, injuring 10 of the 11 people inside the building.
“I was in there walking in the production room, and all of a sudden, there was a loud boom. Then, I’m on the ground,” said Michael Jones, a maintenance worker at the facility. “That’s all I remember.”
In a statement to The New York Post, Dippin’ Dots spokeswoman Billie Stuber said that nine out of the 10 injured employees had been treated and released from hospitals by late in the evening on the day of the explosion.
Dippin’ Dots issued a statement regarding the explosion, which read:
“This is a terrible accident, which occurred at our contract manufacturing facility and did not involve our headquarters and ice cream production facility. At this moment, our focus is on the well-being of our fellow employees who were injured. They are foremost in our thoughts and prayers this evening. We are working with local officials and have contacted state and federal authorities in preparation for a complete investigation. We are grateful for the response of first responders who helped on many levels this afternoon.”
Scott Fischer, the CEO of Dippin’ Dots, asked the public in a statement to pray for the workers who had been injured.
“My heart is with our employees, especially those injured in this afternoon’s terrible incident,” Fischer said in a statement to The Post. “I care deeply for our employees – they are family to me.”
Police have not yet determined the cause of the explosion.
