By Nicquel Terry Ellis, Jason Morris, Caroll Alvarado, Chris Youd, Ray Sanchez, Casey Tolan

(CNN) — Nineteen people are dead or missing after a massive blast obliterated a building at a Tennessee explosives facility on Friday, authorities said — a “mass detonation” so significant that it rattled homes miles away.

The early-morning explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems, which manufactures military and demolitions explosives, left charred debris and mangled vehicles across a vast area. The blast was felt as far as 15 miles away and scattered debris over half a square mile.

Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said there are fatalities but did not want to declare a death toll yet — just that “we’re missing 19 souls.”

“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.”

Davis described the aftermath of the explosion as “the most devastating scene that I’ve seen in my career.”

“It’s hell,” Davis told reporters Friday evening. “It’s hell on us. It’s hell on everybody involved.”

Work at the explosion site will continue into the night, he said.

“We’re working for our people, and we want to take care of our families,” an emotional Davis said. “I understand that some families get mad. I understand that some people get upset … We’re doing the very best we can to take care of this.”

Davis said investigators from multiple agencies have been assisting with the response but have not yet determined what caused the explosion. The FBI will be assisting.

“Do I see a short-term explanation? No. Do I see us being here for many days? Yes, I do see that,” he said.

Families of the victims were still being notified, said Davis, noting that people were undergoing a “gauntlet of emotions” as first responders continued to search the area. The tragedy hit close-knit communities.

“I can tell you right off the top of my head that there’s three families that’s involved in this that I’m very close to,” Davis said. “When you have small counties like this, we know each other, we communicate with each other, we love each other.”

The blast shook nearby homes and set off smaller explosions, local officials say.

The explosion, which happened around 7:45 a.m. local time, was a “devastating blast” but responders were able to secure the scene by late morning, Davis said.

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 is 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.

The Hickman County Sheriff’s Office is asking everyone to avoid the area as emergency responders do their work.

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.

Investigation may last ‘for days,’ mayor says

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 completely 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 Sen. Kerry Roberts told CNN the facility sits on a 1,300-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.”

Cody Warren, who lives in Lobelville which is 21 miles away from the facility, said the sound from the explosion woke him up and he thought lightning struck his house.

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 U.S. Industrial markets.”

Last month, the US Department of Defense awarded Accurate Energetic Systems a contract for nearly $120 million “for the procurement of TNT.”

Plant had previous blast, OSHA fines

The plant suffered another blast that killed a worker a decade ago, according to media reports, and federal data shows it had faced fines related to work safety practices.

In April 2014, one person was killed and four others injured during a blast at the plant, CNN affiliate WSMV reported. The explosion, in the back of a building that housed shotgun ammunition, caused extensive damage. At the time, authorities said several companies operated on the Accurate Energetic Systems property but the blast happened in an area operated by Rio Ammunition.

Years later, records from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration show Accurate Energetic Systems was fined $7,200 after a 2019 inspection found violations for standards involving the use of personal protective equipment, employee exposure to contaminants and employee training about safety hazards, among other citations.

The records show the company contested the violations and eventually came to a formal settlement. Additional details about the inspection and its conclusions weren’t immediately available, and it’s not clear whether the plant has faced any more recent health or safety inspections.

Over the last nine years, Accurate Energetic Systems filed annual injury reports with OSHA showing it had a total of 46 work-related injuries, but no work-related deaths going back to 2016, the earliest year with data available. In 2024, the most recent year data was available, the company reported five injuries and one other illness.

In 2021, a former employee sued and alleged they were improperly terminated after being blamed for a fire that broke out at the facility the previous year. The company disputed that claim and the suit was dropped after mediation.

CNN has reached out to Accurate Energetic Systems for comment.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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