Egger Group, the owners of the Brilon plant, said that a replacement boiler exploded. In a statement, the company said: "The accident occurred in the biomass heating plant on the premises of the Sauerland wood-based material manufacturer. A replacement boiler, which had been recently approved by a certified companyÂ… exploded. The cause of the explosion is currently under investigation. Egger is fully supporting these investigations.
Company management has informed the families of the deceased employees about the accident, expressed its condolences and pledged its support. The employees were aged 21, 59 and 62 years."
The explosion caused a fire, which took 47 fire fighters 90 minutes to bring under control. More than a 1,000 people are employed at the plant.