Small Explosion Injures 2 At McKinney Brewery
MCKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) – Close to 100 people were touring Franconia Brewery Saturday when a beer kettle exploded at its facility.
Sean Koval was one of them.
"We were nearing the end of the tour and we were inside the walk in cooler," he said. "Then we heard a loud noise, 'Bang! Bang!' and then the door flew open and beer came flying in."
There are three rooms at the brewery and all of the people in the tour had just left the room where the explosion took place. They were in the main room when they heard the loud boom.
A beer kettle exploded and a canister hit the opposite wall, tearing the sheet metal.
Witnesses saw two employees being taken out of the room on a stretcher. One was flown via helicopter to a hospital, the other transported by ambulance.
The visitors taking a tour were shuffled out of the brewery, but not before many of them got pictures of the aftermath.
"Everybody was just kind of freaked out," Koval said. "It was shock, confusion."
Franconia owner and brew master Dennis Wehrmann told CBS11 that the injured people are now in good condition. "It was a scary moment for everyone. At this time we don't know what caused the accident."
Visitors, like Koval, said the beer is tasty and they are just glad the explosion didn't happen any sooner than it did.
"If it had been earlier," Koval said, "it could have been a lot worse."
