One person was killed and another seriously injured Thursday in an explosion at a business in Tarpon Springs.
According to the Tarpon Springs Police Department, the explosion happened at 1:56 p.m. at MagneGas Corporation, located at 150 Rainville Road in Tarpon Springs.
When investigators arrived on scene, they found one person dead and another seriously injured. That person was flown to a nearby hospital.
Between 20 and 25 employees were in the building at the time. Some of them received minor injuries and were treated on scene.
Officials say the explosion appears to be an industrial accident. The State Fire Marshal's Office is heading to the scene to investigate.
The identities of the victims in the explosion have not been released pending the notification of next of kin.
Neighbors who witnessed the explosion said this wasn't the first time this has happened.
"It sounded like an atom bomb went off," Linda Walker said. "I ran out. I saw a little bit of smoke. The power lines were wiggling."
Walker described another explosion at MagneGas.
"One of the canisters blew up and it went through the air and ended up in their roof,” she said.
Walker is referring to a church next door. Police confirmed there had been an explosion at the business before, but didn't go into details.
John Mastor, who is the director of the church next door, said the explosion shook the building.
"I just stepped out of the building," he said. "You can just feel the massive shake."
Other businesses and homes are located next to the building. Walker says she feels they need to be in a safer location.
"They need to be moved to a more secluded area where it's not so popular, where there's not businesses, there's not homes, because there’s homes just right down the street here,” she said.
MagneGas is a waste-to-energy company that converts liquid waste into a hydrogen based fuel, according to the company's website. The company had announced Thursday that it planned to expand into North Florida and that it planned to sell its Tarpon Springs headquarters.
MagneGas statement on Tarpon Springs accident
"The company today experienced an accident at its Tarpon Springs facility. Tragically, a member of our employee family was killed. Our deep sympathy goes out to the immediate family and our thoughts and prayers are with the family and all friends. Another member of our employee family was taken to a local hospital. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as well. All of our other employees are safe and accounted for. We humbly request the media to respect the privacy of our employees and their families. Our top priority is the health and safety of these people who as we said are considered family.
"We are grateful for the efforts and immediate actions of the emergency responders.
"We are working closely with responders and local officials to determine the cause and circumstances surrounding the accident.
"We have strived to create a culture of safe, compliant operations. We take this matter very seriously and are dedicating all the necessary corporate resources to assist in the investigation."