Memorial Planned for Men Killed in Plant Explosion

Memorial to honor four men from Illinois and Wisconsin who died in AB Specialty Silicones factory explosion.

May 10, 2019

Debris can be seen as emergency personnel and others search and clear the scene of an explosion and fire at AB Specialty Silicones chemical plant Saturday, May 4, 2019, in Waukegan, Ill. An explosion and fire at an Illinois silicone factory was believed to have killed three people, authorities said Saturday, as they recovered the body of one victim while suspending the search for the other two.

Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune via AP

WAUKEGAN, ILL. (AP) — A memorial is planned to honor four men from Illinois and Wisconsin who died in a silicone plant explosion.

AB Specialty Silicones factory general manager Mac Penman says the service will be Friday morning at the site north of Chicago. Fire officials say they believe the May 3 blast was the result of an accident in factory processes. Crews have spent the last week finding the remains of the men who died.

Those killed were 53-year-old Byron H. Biehn of Brighton Township, Wisconsin, 57-year-old Jeff Cummings of Kenosha, Wisconsin, 24-year-old Daniel Nicklas of Beach Park, Illinois, and 29-year-old Allen Stevens of Salem, Wisconsin.

Penman says there are plans to reopen the business. He says we have "lost our friends and colleagues and know that their families have lost even more."