LOUISVILLE, Ky. — No fatalities were reported and at least 11 people have been hospitalized following an explosion at a factory in Louisville’s Clifton neighborhood.

The incident was reported at the Givaudan Sense Colour manufacturing plant in the 1900 block of Payne Street around 3 p.m. Tuesday. The plant is known for producing caramel color in soft drinks.

Everyone employed at the facility had been accounted for, including two people who had to be rescued from the building by the Louisville Fire Department.

Chief Ryan O’Neal credited the quick action of plant personnel for getting people to safety. 

“They worked with us greatly to get those people out,” he said. “They were very helpful to make sure that we could try to identify the different solvents and chemicals they use at this business.”

Mayor Craig Greenberg said homes in the vicinity were evacuated after the explosion. It is not yet known what chemicals may have been involved in the explosion or released into the air.

It led them to issue a one-mile shelter in place that was lifted just before 5 p.m.

Residents and nearby businesses had reported broken and shattered windows due to the explosion including at Clifton Baptist Church. 

“I’m working at my desk and I just felt the windows shake [and] immediately knew something was different, ran outside and noticed the windows next door at Quill’s were on the ground and immediately started seeing people come out. It’s was around that time I started to look back at our building and saw pieces of our window out on the sidewalk as well,” Jason Deming, pastor of executive leadership, said.

This is not the first time an incident has occurred at the plant.

In April 2003, one person was killed at the plant after a catastrophic vessel failure, according to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.

UofL Hospital is treating seven of the 11 patients while the others went to area hospitals. Two people were in critical condition as of 6 p.m.

Investigators say it will take some time to determine the cause of the plant explosion. 

Payne Street has since reopened to residents. 

INDIANAPOLIS — UPDATE: Planet Fitness has released the following statement: 

“We were deeply saddened by the passing of one of our members, and the franchise owner is working with the local authorities in their investigation,” said Chief Corporate Affairs Officer McCall Gosselin.  “At Planet Fitness, we have robust operational brand protocols in place, as the safety and well-being of our members is our top priority. We are working closely with our local franchisee to ensure they are upholding those brand protocols.”

13News reached out to the Marion County Health Department and the Better Business Bureau. Both tell us they are aware of IMPD’s investigation, but are not launching any of their own at this time.

Police are conducting death investigation at a south Indianapolis gym after a man was found dead in a tanning bed Monday morning.

A sign on the door of the Planet Fitness on Hardegan Street, near U.S. 31 and County Line Road, Nov. 11 said, “tanning is currently unavailable.”

Family confirmed to 13News that 39-year-old Derek Sink went into a tanning bed on Friday, Nov. 8 and was found dead there Monday morning. Family said Sink struggled with drugs and a needle was found in the room with him.

The cause of Sink’s death has not yet been determined.

Sink’s aunt said they reported him missing on Friday. She said he was wearing an ankle monitor that helped investigators determine he never left the gym.

A woman who was at Planet Fitness that morning, before law enforcement showed up, said she and other members noticed a foul smell in the building that got worse near the tanning rooms. Now, she said she’s wondering how something like this could happen.

“The tanning bed has a door, I believe, but still, why are we not concerned that the tanning bed has been closed for three days, potentially?” Elizabeth Len asked.

Sink’s family called him a loving person. They said they hope to see stricter policies on cleaning and an end-of-day checklist for staff to prevent this from happening again.

13News reached out to IMPD and Planet Fitness. Police could only confirm they were investigating a death at that location and did not elaborate on the circumstances.

A spokesperson for Planet Fitness said they’re looking into what happened with the local franchise owner.

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Police and the Minneapolis NAACP announced a strengthened partnership Tuesday to address neighbor disputes in the city.

The announcement came just weeks after Minneapolis resident Davis Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor John Sawchak after a months-long dispute.

“Mr. Moturi called the police several times. He did everything he was supposed to do. Unfortunately, the Minneapolis Police Department alone was not able to provide that help for him,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said.

Police say the department receives more than 2,000 neighbor/tenant complaints a year, which amounts to about 45 calls a week.

Chief O’Hara says these cases are challenging for police to deal with on their own.

“These are often complicated cases and all of them are difficult for police to deal with, particularly those that are civil and do not rise to criminal issues or violence,” O’Hara said.

NAACP Minneapolis President Cynthia Wilson says community groups have long been involved in solving neighborly disputes, but a stronger partnership with police will help community leaders reach more residents who need help.

“This initiative was created to give more options,” Wilson said.

“We’re not going to solve every situation, but we are being proactive.”

Wilson says community leaders are still working out the finer details of how this strengthened partnership will work.

She says residents who are experiencing problems can still call the police for help, or one of several community groups that are involved in this new partnership.

“You’ve got social workers, you got community crime prevention, you got community engagement, inspectors, there are so many different arms to this that will allow us to impact the community effectively,” Wilson said.

Some of these community groups involved in this strengthened partnership include the Minneapolis Unity Community Mediation Team, NAACP Minneapolis, Indigenous Protector Movement, Little Earth Residents Association, New Salem Baptist Church, Cedar Riverside Opportunity Center, Voice of East Africa Women, Nuestra Lucha and Quorum.

Wilson says she and other community leaders are also looking for volunteers and mediators who may be interested in joining their cause.

Hours after this announcement was made, the Minneapolis City Council listened to concerns from the community during a scheduled public comment period Tuesday afternoon.

Dozens of community members showed up at the meeting to raise concerns about how Minneapolis Police handled Moturi’s complaints regarding his neighbor John Sawchak.

Some community members demanded changes such as asking Chief O’Hara and Mayor Jacob Frey to step down from their positions.

Other community members urged the Minneapolis City Council to wait until MPD’s internal investigation is complete before making any significant changes to the department.

During a press event Tuesday Chief O’Hara said the internal investigation into the Moturi case is still ongoing and there is no timeline for when the investigation will be complete.