An explosion and fire at a Carthage plant has killed two people and left another worker with serious injuries.
The fire happened at a plant behind the Jim Beam plant along Interstate 75 shortly after noon Saturday.
The City Centre Drive facility, once called Tri-State Grease and Tallow, is currently called Origo and manufactures animal feed supplements.
Witnesses said that after the explosion, they saw two people pulled out of the building with serious burns. Both victims were transported to University Hospital and were listed in critical condition.
One of those people died of his injuries Saturday night.
A third man was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. Witnesses said the man, Jack Brown, was responsible for pulling the two burn victims from the building.
A fourth person, missing since the fire began, was found dead inside the building shortly before 6 p.m. Officials said Brown tried to reach the victim, but another explosion forced him to leave the building.
Smoke billowed across the area and was visible for miles. Traffic on I-75 was slowed by the smoke for more than an hour.
Firefighters used several aerial trucks to fight the blaze because the fire was too intense to immediately send fire crews inside. The fire reached three alarms as more trucks and firefighters were needed.
No cause of the fire has been determined so far.
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