The Tennessee vs. Arkansas game will take place under a grim shadow today. A ghastly explosion at a military ammunition plant in Bucksnort on October 10 has shaken the country. Joey Aguilar’s mom, Lydia, shared her concern and support for those affected in a heartfelt message on social media.

“My heart and prayers go out to those families affected by the explosion in Tennessee. So heartbreaking,” Lydia Aguilar shared on X. Humphreys County says that eighteen people are still missing and feared dead. The visuals coming in from the site are devastating, full of charred debris.

Sheriff Chris Davis turned emotional when he was addressing the press and confirmed that there are “some” casualties. He refrained from providing a number but is hanging on to the slimmest hopes. “Is there a possibility that somebody might be injured somewhere, or somebody that we don’t know about? Yes,” he told the press.

The explosion took place around 7:45 am on October 10, Accurate Energy Systems confirmed. The company was in charge of the plant and used to build and supply explosives for the military. The incident involved a series of explosions, the secondary ones keeping authorities unable to respond promptly. People living as far as 15 miles away from the site could hear the deafening sound of the explosion. Initially, the total count of missing people was 19, but one employee was later found to be at home.

As of Friday afternoon, the site is now under control. But the cause of the blast remains unclear. The scale of destruction at the unfortunate site is horrific. Sheriff Davis confirmed that the main building where the explosion happened is “gone.” “There’s nothing to describe,” he said when prompted by one reporter. Though investigations are still underway, chatter about a previous explosion in this very same plant is picking up.

In April 2014, another massive blast had occurred in this very building, killing one and injuring four. Back then, it was run by Rio Ammunition, and the explosion was comparatively smaller than the recent one. Families and victims had sued the company then but settled the case in 2019. The cause of the explosion was ruled accidental.

However, some fallacies are also being reported in AES’s ownership of the building. Tennessee OSHA records from 2019 mention that the building was investigated for many “serious” citations, involving 5 violations. AES had to pay fines since employees were exposed to hazardous elements. In 2020, a fire also broke out in the facility.

Families are reaching the explosion site to find out more about their loved ones. The local community, however, is pitching in their best to help them navigate this dark time.

Local community extending all possible help to affected families

McEwan County is rallying efforts to support the families of those affected by the explosion. Mayor Brad Rachford has already dispatched rescue teams to assist those at the scene. The FBI and the ATF are also investigating the explosion. Rachford noted that McEwan has been impacted the “greatest,” because many AES employees live here.

“A lot of neighbors here and our citizens either have family members that were lost in the tragedy or are affected in some way,” he added. The mayor also confirmed that all citizens of McEwan County will come together to help out those in need.

A candlelight vigil was also organized in memory of the victims on Friday. “We need our communities to come together and understand that we’ve lost a lot of people. This doesn’t only affect those families; it runs deeper … this could be people that you grew up with,” Sheriff Davis said.