‘My heart hurts’: Bodies of father, 2 young daughters found after plant explosion

FREMONT, Neb. (WOWT/Gray News) - Authorities confirmed the bodies of the three people missing after an explosion at a fuel pellet plant in Nebraska have been recovered.

The explosion happened just before noon Tuesday in South Fremont. The site is the location of Horizon Biofuels, Inc., which manufactures wood pellets and animal bedding under the name Elkhorn Valley Animal Bedding.

Officials said three people — one man and two girls younger than age 12 — were caught in the explosion. Extended family who spoke with WOWT on Tuesday said they were a father and his two daughters.

Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg said the children were at the facility waiting for the man, an employee at the plant, to get done working so they could go to a doctor’s appointment.

“My heart hurts. It hurts for this situation, that’s a tragedy. We pray for all the families involved,” Spellerberg said.

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that 32-year-old Dylan D. Danielson was killed in the explosion. His body was recovered at the site around noon Wednesday — about 24 hours after the explosion.

The Dodge County Attorney has ordered an autopsy be conducted.

Authorities said the bodies of two girls were located as recovery efforts continued into the evening.

“Our office would like to offer our sincerest condolences to the family of the victims. The family has requested privacy during this time,” the sheriff’s office said.

Crews were still working to fully extinguish the fire late Wednesday. A spokesman with the sheriff’s office said there were still hot spots at the scene with fire.

The Dodge County Board of Supervisors declared a disaster Wednesday afternoon, making a formal request to the state for aid, according to the sheriff’s office.

Investigation into the cause of the blast is already underway. Among those looking into it are the Nebraska Fire Marshals and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen expressed his appreciation for those from “numerous agencies” working at the scene in Fremont.

“This is obviously a difficult situation for the community and those first responders who are working diligently at the scene,” Pillen said in the statement. “Suzanne and I continue to extend our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of those who were in the plant at the time of this tragic incident.”

Horizon is one of three commercial pellet plants in the state, with the capacity to produce 20,000 short tons of wood pellets, made from waste wood, according to the Nebraska Department of Energy’s website.