Firefighters who responded to reports of an explosion just after midnight were met by five workers who evacuated the building and were transported to hospitals in stable condition, Rebecca Diehm, assistant city officer for the City of Columbus, said Thursday.
Two people trapped in the building were removed and transported in critical condition to Ohio State University Hospital, Diehm said.
Authorities looking for personnel at the facility concluded that one person was missing and after “a thorough search of the building” said “that person has yet to be located”.
The cause of the explosion and fire, in which more than 100 firefighters arrived on the scene, is being investigated.
Diehm added that local businesses in the area were closed for the evening and no evacuations of homes were required.
This evolving story will be updated.