According to authorities, several people have died after a “devastating explosion” at an explosives manufacturing plant in Tennessee on Friday.
The explosion occurred Friday morning at Accurate Energetic Systems in McEwen, located about 50 miles west of Nashville.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis confirmed there are “some” deaths, although he did not provide a specific number. Nineteen people are missing in the explosion, he said.
The aftermath is seen after an explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems in McEwen, Tennessee.
“It’s probably been one of the most devastating situations I’ve ever experienced in my career,” Davis said during a media update Friday afternoon, becoming emotional.
“I always wish for the best. Is there a chance that someone gets hurt somewhere or someone we don’t know about? Yes,” he later said of the missing.
Four to five people were taken to hospitals, according to the sheriff, who did not detail their injuries.
Asked to describe the building where the explosion occurred, he said: “There’s nothing to describe. It’s gone.”
Law enforcement officials are shown at the scene of an explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems in McEwen, Tennessee, on October 10, 2025.
WKRN
Davis said during an earlier briefing that this is a “very large investigation.”
“This is not going to be something like a car accident or something, that we’re just going to clean up the debris and leave. We’ll probably be here for a few days,” he said.
“We are trying to take as much time as necessary at this time. We are prioritizing the people involved, their families and trying to be very compassionate with them,” he continued.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation were among the agencies that responded to the scene, Davis said.
The aftermath is seen after an explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems in McEwen, Tennessee.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.
Accurate Energetic Systems is “cooperating with us in any way, in every way possible,” Davis said.
“They want to solve this as much as we do,” he added.
Accurate Energetic Systems manufactures explosives and energy devices for the military, aerospace, demolition and mining industries, according to its website.
Its clients include the Department of Defense and Homeland Security, according to the United States Army Association.
The explosion occurred at 7:48 a.m. local time and destroyed one of the facility’s buildings, authorities said.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said he is closely monitoring the “tragic incident.”
Video from a Nest camera at a home in Lobelville, about 11 miles from the plant, captured shaking while an explosion was heard.
Law enforcement officials are shown at the scene of an explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems in McEwen, Tennessee, on October 10, 2025.
WKRN
A McEwen resident who lives several miles from the plant said she felt her entire house shake.
“It felt like our house had had some kind of explosion.,” Lauren Roark told ABC News. “I jumped out of bed and asked my husband, ‘What was that?'”
Roark found what he believes to be debris from the explosion in his yard: “large pieces of insulating-looking material,” which he reported to authorities.
First responders are at the scene of an explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems in McEwen, Tennessee, on October 10, 2025.
WKRN
Kadi Arnold, who also lives in McEwan, told ABC News she sometimes heard explosions at the plant, which is about 4 miles from her home, but “I knew this one wasn’t normal.”
“The explosion was so strong and shook my house that I literally thought the back of my house had exploded,” he said.
“Once I realized it wasn’t my house, I immediately knew something terrible had happened at AES,” he said, adding that the community is in “shock.”
“We are a pretty close-knit community and we are all devastated and heartbroken,” he said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
