Investigators tread carefully at charred Tennessee explosives plant as families of 16 blast victims learn of their loss

Residents attend a vigil honoring the victims of a blast at an explosives plant, Accurate Energetic Systems in Centerville, Tennessee, on Friday. Obed Lamy/AP

The families of 16 victims killed in a devastating blast at a Tennessee explosives plant have been notified of their loss, as investigators methodically work to clear the scene and gather evidence to determine what caused the tragedy in the tight-knit community.

In the coming days, authorities will slowly work their way through the debris-ridden plant “foot by foot,” ensuring each area of the site, approximately half a square mile, is safe for those at the scene.

“Due to the constraints that we have here … we’re literally having to take one foot at a time,” said Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis.

The thundering early morni