LOUISVILLE, KY. – The president of a Kentucky factory exploded Earlier this week, the company said it was responsible for the accident and would pay damages to residents affected by the explosion.

“Above all, we are devastated by the accident that occurred on Tuesday,” Ann Leonard, president of Givaudan Sense Color, said in a call with reporters Friday afternoon. “We know this event was deeply felt throughout the community, and believe me, we feel it too. »

The afternoon explosion killed two workers and injured 11 other employees. Dozens of homes around the plant in east Louisville had their windows shattered, and the percussion from the explosion knocked paintings off the walls and cracked drywall in some homes.

A house directly across the street from the factory was covered in a two-story piece of metal.

Leonard said “absolutely we are responsible” for the explosion and pledged to pay damages to neighbors.

No cause has been identified for the explosion. Leonard said that will be determined by investigators, who are now in control of where the factory once stood.

She said Friday she was not aware of any equipment malfunctions before the explosion.

Some neighbors said the business should be relocated, but Leonard said Friday that Givaudan is currently focused on the well-being of its employees and the surrounding community. Louisville’s mayor also said there might be a better location in the city for the plant, which also experienced a deadly explosion in 2003.

“We’ve been a part of this community for over 70 years,” Leonard said. “We love Louisville and would like to commit to it. But again, we’re still in the very early stages. »

Leonard said the plant has about 55 workers and they will continue to be paid. The company has set up a crisis line for people to call and report damage, she said.

Federal, state and local investigators are investigating the explosion.

The plant made caramel colors for the food industry by heating sugar and water and adding chemicals such as ammonia for some products, according to documents filed with the city of Louisville.