Fremont plant fined nearly $148,000 by OSHA for fatal explosion last summer

Fremont wood processor Horizon Biofuels will be fined up to $147,500 by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration for “willful and serious safety violations after a deadly explosion at the company’s Fremont facility in July 2025,” the U.S. Department of Labor announced on Tuesday.

Horizon has until Feb. 19 to decide whether it wants to appeal the citation, according to a spokesperson with the Kansas City OSHA office. The Department of Labor said in a press release that “penalties and citations may be adjusted throughout the course of the case.”

The explosion killed 32-year-old employee Dylan Danielson and his two daughters, both under the age of 12.

The violations include “combustible dust buildup, failure to ensure equipment within the facility was protected from creating an ignition source and lack of fall protection for employees working at heights greater than four feet,” the Department of Labor said in a news release. “The citations carry $147,542 in proposed penalties.”

By the deadline, Horizon can “comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission,” the agency said.

The news follows the confirmation from the agency that a citation had been issued in late January, but OSHA didn’t provide details of the fine and penalties. Violations align with a preliminary report from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board that found the incident to be completely preventable.

“This terrible tragedy should not have happened. Preliminary evidence points to a combustible wood dust explosion, a well-known – and completely avoidable – hazard in wood processing,” CSB Chairperson Steve Owens said in a September press release.

That report found Danielson initially survived the explosion and tried to call his wife and the plant manager. But the instability of the structure prevented emergency personnel from entering.

The Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s office also has a pending investigation. Fire Marshal Doug Hohbein said in January that his investigative division was still in standby mode due to the building’s instability. In some cases, investigations remain open for multiple years, Hohbein said.

Former assistant regional administrator at OSHA John Newquist told Nebraska Public Media last month that he “strongly believed” any citation would be a housekeeping violation.

“Just on my history of dealing with wood dust, it's everywhere, and that's on them,” Newquist said, adding that 99% of facilities handle wood dust appropriately. “I mean, they have a responsibility to do basic housekeeping, not have this place so filled with wood dust that it blows up the facility and kills three people.”