The man who died after an explosion at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri Tuesday has been identified as 55-year-old Lawrence Bass from Blue Springs, Missouri.
According to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Bass had worked at the plant for 36 years.
In a statement to 41 Action News, his family called Tuesday’s explosion “heartbreaking.”
“At this time our family will not be making a statement on camera. We are devastated, in disbelief and heartbroken for the loss of a son, brother, father and grandfather. We are thankful for the many prayers and ask for the respect of the media during this time.”
"The nicest guy. Friendly, always had a smile. Was a great neighbor… total shock, total shock,” said Kack Miller, who lived next door to Bass for 10 years.
Workers were in the process of mixing compounds to make primer, used for small-caliber ammunition.
Four other workers were also injured in the explosion. They were evaluated at the scene but refused further treatment.
"It’s certainly precision-oriented to make sure you have the right mixture of chemicals and components,” said ATF spokesman John Ham.
ATF’s national explosive response team is helping investigate Tuesday’s blast. The team includes chemists and explosive specialists from all across the country. According to Ham, 30 investigators will be on scene.
They already have conducted interviews with first responders and workers who were near the area.
"It’s important to our experts to know what they saw, what they heard, even smells and that kind of thing from different components. That’s one piece of our investigative process. The other piece is the actual scene. We’ll be examining the post-blast area from the scene,” said Ham.
Lake City Army Ammunition Plant is a U.S. government-owned facility that manufactures and tests small caliber ammunition for the Army. The plant also operates for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO.
In March 2011 there was another explosion at this plant. At the time, a worker told 41 Action News the explosion happened where powder is loaded into bullets.
However, former employees 41 Action News spoke with said safety at the plant has always been a top priority.
“There were procedures put in place. As long as they were followed I don’t see something like this happening, but accidents happen. Everyday. Everywhere,” said Teresa Bergner, who worked at the plant for seven years packing ammunition.
