Food Processing, Manufacturing Erlanger, KY – Following explosion at candy factory, sprinklers assist in controlling fires inside building December 5, 2015 viking210 An explosion and fire at a Boone County candy factory is under investigation. Erlanger residents told WLWT they heard an explosion that shook their homes around 3 a.m. Friday. “Shortly after the first unit got out of the station, they could actually see the fire from the station,” Point Pleasant Fire Department Asst. Chief Bill Martin said. Flames could be seen shooting out of the three-alarm fire at the Perfetti Van Melle plant. The factory makes all of the Airheads candy for North America. Officials said the silo that handles sugar for candy making exploded. “Anytime you’re dealing with any kind of dust or whatever, you have a chance of explosion – that’s always a hazard in that kind of operation – there’s all kinds of dust hazards – this just happens to involve a sugar product,” Martin said. Hundreds of employees made it out safely as dust in the form of sugar filled the air. “They heard the explosion and took the necessary steps and made the call and got themselves out,” President and CEO PVM USA Mehmet Yuksek said. The fire was brought under control around 4:30 a.m. “I think the sprinkler system did its job for the most part. The fire that we saw and that was extinguished with the ladder pipe that we had up. The involvement inside the building was actually very limited by the sprinkler system,” said Point Pleasant Assistant Chief Bill Martin. Meanwhile, employees were told to stay home on Friday. Parfetti Van Melle President Mehmet Yuksek arrived on the scene early Friday morning. “We’re actually trying to put the call on everyone, including the office and the first shift not to come because we won’t be operational. Until we know exactly what the damages are and what we need to do, we won’t be making any production,” said Yuksek. Investigators are still trying to determine a cause.
