LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Residents of Louisville's Clifton neighborhood said they're grateful to be alive after Tuesday's explosion at the Givaudan Sense Colour plant, which killed two.
Craig Wilson, 31, said he's in shock and hasn't processed what he survived.
“I’m very fortunate, very grateful to be alive, for real, for real," Wilson said as he cleared a pile of debris covering the bed.
He said was laying down in this bed trying to nap Tuesday before work. He had not fallen asleep and heard a loud boom that shook the whole place.
“Next thing I know, I’m literally laying under these two covers, trying to cover myself up because all of this stuff was just falling on me," Wilson said. "It was just falling on me and it was just falling on me.”
There's now a large hole over the bed, which one can see clear through to the sky. Shattered glass, splintered wood and bent metal surround the room. The surreal view of the explosion site is right out the back porch. A huge piece of metal was resting against the house Wednesday.
“Seeing it from downstairs, I could see everything’s destroyed down here.” Wilson said. “The downstairs neighbors' doors, windows blown off. There’s this big metal piece here. There’s this God-awful smell."
Broken windows, shattered glass and bent window frames were a common theme at neighborhood homes Wednesday fewer than 24 hours after the deadly explosion.
Some residents said they think a large heavy metal lid inside the facility was moved with such force that it is now partially buried into the ground in front of homes across the street. They added the large piece of metal bounced in the street and gouged some of it out.
“I think that a lot of people are just damn lucky," said John Meerman, whose home was also damaged.
“This is a devastation, you know what I’m saying? It’s crazy just to not have a home anymore, just to be this close to this building and it explodes," said resident Shelby Dix. "It's just crazy ... I feel like I'm 'Alice in Wonderland,' and I'm about to wake up."
"I don't know how I feel; it's crazy."
Wilson added he and his family have a safe place to stay for the time being.