Chemical Tanker Blast at Mooresville, NC, Plant Leaves One Dead, One Hurt
The Charlotte Observer
(TNS)
A tanker carrying a cleaning chemical exploded at a Mooresville-based beverage company Tuesday morning, killing one person and injuring another, the town’s fire chief said.
The injured employee, a woman, was close to the tanker when it exploded at 110 Barley Park Lane around 7 a.m. and suffered chemical burns, Fire-Rescue Chief Shane LaCount said. She was taken to a Charlotte hospital.
The tanker “is deformed and defective from the blast,” LaCount said. “It was a pretty large blast for this area.”
The company there is Carolina Beverage Group, which prides itself on safety. The Mooresville location is the production company’s flagship location, according to its website. It makes drinks including teas, energy drinks and juice-based products, distilled spirits, malt based beverages and wine.
LaCount said the rear of the tanker, which carried sodium hydroxide, separated from the explosion. Sodium hydroxide is a cleaning chemical, he said. It’s believed the explosion caused a nitrogen tank to leak, the chief said.
Hazmat and cleaning crews are still cleaning chemicals off the ground of the site, as well as equipment and the building’s roof. An additional cleaning crew was called in because of the size of the area impacted, LaCount said.
The NTSB will take over the investigation, LaCount said.
Four investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board’s hazardous material division are on their way to the site, Peter Knudson, an agency spokesperson, said in an email.
“We may have additional information tomorrow after they get to the scene and begin to gather information about the circumstances of the event,” Knudson said.
Although there is no danger to anyone in the surrounding area, people are advised to stay away.
Previous violations at site
Carolina Beverage Group has had four serious violations at over the last 10 years that racked up nearly $27,000 in fines.
In 2023 in Texas, OSHA cited the company for failing to ensure its workers used eye protection when working with chemicals and for leaving electrical equipment in a wet area, exposing workers to potential electric shock.
Federal data do not provide specific details on the company’s other two serious violations that happened in 2022 at the Mooresville location. But one of them had to do with controlling “hazardous energy” and another had to do with machinery safety.
Company officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
Crews at scene
Firefighters were walking around on scene just before noon Tuesday. At least four fire trucks and two ambulances were still on scene at the corner of Mazeppa Road and Barley Park Lane.
The cashier at a four-pump gas station down the road and behind the woods heard their sirens Tuesday morning.
He didn’t know what happened, but by noon the news had reached behind the register: “Somebody’s dead, right?“ he asked.
By 1:30 p.m., a line of at least 30 workers had migrated across the parking lot, leaving the area near the explosion and briefly entering the Carolina Beverage Group office before coming back out with backpacks and lunchboxes.
Many got in their cars and turned right, toward Interstate 77. Two women still had hairnets on as they drove away.
A look at Carolina Beverage Group
In 2014, Carolina Beverage expanded to Fort Worth, Texas, with high-speed production lines and a secure in-house distribution center. Three years later, the company also expanded to Minnesota, where it produces, packages and distributes its own beer brand as well as “top names” in soft drinks, beer, malt beverages, sparkling waters and other drinks.
On its website, the company called employee workplace health and safety “our number one priority at Carolina Beverage Group. Our employees are committed to working in a safe manner in all our facilities.”
Carolina Beverage said it provides ongoing safety training for all employees and works “towards a zero accident rate, keeping us well below industry accident rates averages.”
The company has said its mission is to be a one-stop provider for its contract packaging customers, emphasizing customer service and high standards for quality production.
Carolina Beverage Group LLC was formed in September 1997 under the name Carolina Beer & Beverage LLC, N.C. Department of State corporation records show. That was also the year its Mooresville facility was built, according to the company website. In 2010, it merged with Cottonwood Ventures LLC, and then changed its name to Carolina Beverage Group, state business records show.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Observer business editor Adam Bell contributed.
©2026 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.