COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — As investigators continue to figure out what caused an explosion at a Coweta County metal plant, injuring five people, a local man said the incident immediately made him think of his own father.%
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It has been 11 years since Jonathan Russell's father died at the Bonnell Aluminum plant in Newnan.
Drew Russell worked at the aluminum plant for 30 years, right up until he was killed in an accident in July 2005.
“It was real painful, because I not only lost a father, I lost a best friend,” Jonathan Russell told Channel 2’s Tyisha Fernandes. “The machine crushed him. When I got to the hospital, they pronounced him dead. It made me not want to work at a plant or a warehouse.”
[ Wednesday morning's explosion at the same plant ]
brought back horrible memories of his father’s death.
Witnesses told Channel 2 Action News that Wednesday’s explosion was so intense, they saw metal fly up at least a couple hundred feet in the air.
Images from NewsChopper 2 showed massive damage to the casting area of the plant.
When Jonathan Russell found out two people were critically injured and airlifted to a nearby hospital, and three others were transported to the hospital by ambulance, he was heartbroken and prayed for them and their families.
“My heart goes out to the people that were hurt today, because I know how painful it can be,” Jonathan Russell said.
The company sent Channel 2 Action News a statement Wednesday, saying: "Bonnell has a very strong safety culture and takes the safety of its employees and the surrounding area very seriously. We provide regular training to our employees and track safety very closely."