By Nicquel Terry Ellis, Jason Morris and Caroll Alvarado, Chris Youd and Ray Sanchez, CNN
Photo: Exclusive footage from NewsChannel 5's Sky 5 via CNN Newsource
Nineteen people are dead or missing after a massive blast obliterated a building at a Tennessee explosives facility on Friday (US time), authorities said.
The blast occurred at Accurate Energetic Systems, LLC, on Friday morning.
"I can tell you that we're missing 19 souls," Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said at a news conference Friday afternoon.
Davis described the aftermath of the explosion as "the most devastating scene that I've seen in my career".
Some people are dead and several people are unaccounted for after an explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems, a military explosives company in Tennessee. Photo: WTVF via CNN Newsource
The sheriff said there were fatalities but he did not want to declare a death toll yet.
"I always wish for the best," Davis said. "Is there a possibility that somebody might be injured somewhere, or somebody that we don't know about? Yes."
The facility, Davis added, was destroyed in the blast. "There's nothing to describe. It's gone," he told reporters.
The blast rattled nearby homes and set off smaller explosions, local officials say.
The explosion, which happened around 7.45am local time, was a "devastating blast" but responders were able to secure the scene by late morning, Davis said.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis speaks to media at Accurate Energetic Systems on October 10, 2025 in McEwen, Tennessee. Photo: AFP / Getty Images / Brett Carlsen
Three people with "minor injuries" from the explosion were treated at TriStar medical facilities in Dickson, Casey Stapp, the spokesperson for TriStar Health, said.
Stapp said two people were released, and one person was still receiving treatment at an emergency room.
Accurate Energetic Systems is located about an hour southwest of Nashville, Tennessee, on the Hickman and Humphreys County line, the Humphreys County Sheriff's Office told CNN.
Numerous law enforcement resources from across the state of Tennessee have been dispatched to assist in the investigation, a source familiar told CNN. Those personnel include federal agents and the Tennessee Highway Patrol Special Operations Unit, among other agencies. The relatively remote area is typically patrolled by smaller law enforcement departments, the person said, which has prompted other agencies to volunteer resources for support.
Hickman County Mayor Jim Bates said the facility has about 80 employees, but it's unclear how many were in the building when the explosion happened. Bates said one building on the site was destroyed.
"It's pretty devastating to see this," Bates said.
"It's going to be an investigation that's probably going to go on for days," the mayor said. "This facility, they do manufacture, not only military, but demolition explosives for road work and things like that."
Tennessee state Senator Kerry Roberts told CNN the facility sits on a 1300-acre campus and is a beloved employer for many people in the community.
He said it's common to see employees at community events and people wearing baseball caps with the company name on them.
"It is a well-loved company in the area," Roberts said. "So this is going to have a devastating impact on quite a few families … it is heartbreaking."
Residents who live near the facility say they felt the impact of the explosion.
"I thought the house had collapsed with me inside of it," Gentry Stover told The Associated Press by phone. "I live very close to Accurate and I realized about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to have been that."
Accurate Energetic Systems specializes in making military explosives, according to the Humphreys County Sheriff's Office.
The company's Facebook page says it manufactures "various high explosive compositions and specialty products for the U.S. DoD and US Industrial markets."
The Hickman County Sheriff's Office is asking everyone to avoid the area as emergency responders do their work.
- CNN
