Explosion at Ohio metals plant kills 1 worker, injures 13

A maintenance worker was killed in explosion at an Ohio metals plant that sparked a large fire and sent more than a dozen people to hospitals, with at least two in critical condition, authorities said.

Emergency crews were called to the I. Schumann & Co. copper alloy company in the Cleveland suburb of Oakwood Village shortly before 3 p.m. Monday. The blast shook the ground and scattered debris for a couple of hundred yards, damaging several vehicles, while smoke billowed into the sky in a cloud visible for miles.

Steven Mullins, 46, of North Ridgeville, was killed in the explosion, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. Thirteen others were being treated at hospitals, mostly for burns and related injuries, authorities said.

The cause of the explosion remained under investigation Tuesday.

I. Schumann & Co. LLC, which calls itself a fourth-generation family-owned and managed business, “recycles and trades a wide variety of scrap and produces brass and bronze alloys in ingot and pellet forms,” according to its website.

The company said in a statement that “an explosion of unknown origin” injured employees and significantly damaged its facility. It said it was supporting emergency responders and will ensure employees get the medical care they need.