October 15, 2023
By Firearms News Staff
A Friday morning (October 13, 2023) explosion at top ammunition maker Hornady ’s ammunition plant near Wood River, Nebraska, killed one employee and seriously injured another. According to local sources, the explosion occurred in the chemical compound building at 8350 W. Old Potash Highway. A woman was killed in the explosion, and her name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Although early reports indicated a man was also injured in the blast and the Grand Island Fire Department transported one person from the scene, in a released statement Hall County Attorney Marty Klein said nobody else was injured. Rural fire departments from nearby Cairo, Wood River, Alda and Grand Island were all called to the scene, along with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office were called to the scene. The cause of the explosion has not been determined, and an investigation by the Nebraska State Fire Marshall and Hall County Sheriff’s Office is ongoing.
Hornady, which is headquartered in Grand Island, opened the 150,000-square-foot ammunition plant near Wood River back in 2018. The family-owned company has been producing top-quality ammunition for military, law enforcement and civilians since its formation in 1949. Our thoughts and prayers got out to the victim, her family and all the good folks at Hornady Ammunition.
