LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The president of a Kentucky plant that exploded earlier this week said the company is responsible for the accident and will pay compensation to residents affected by the explosion.

“First of all, we are devastated by the accident that occurred on Tuesday,” Ann Leonard, president of Givaudan Sense Color, said during an invitational meeting with reporters on Friday afternoon. “We know this event has been felt deeply 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 east Louisville facility had their windows shattered, and the impact of the explosion knocked pictures off the walls and cracked drywall in some homes.

A home across the street from the factory had a two-story high piece of metal against it.

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

No cause of the explosion has been identified. Leonard said that will be determined by investigators, who are now checking the scene where the plant once stood.

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

Some neighbors have said the company should move, but Leonard said Friday that Givaudan is currently focused on the well-being of its employees and the surrounding community. Louisville’s mayor has also said there may be a better site in the city for the facility, which also had a fatal explosion in 2003.

“We’ve been a part of this community for more than 70 years,” Leonard said. “We love Louisville and would like to make a commitment to it. But again, it’s just very, very early stages.”

Leonard said the facility has about 55 workers and they will continue to be paid. The company has set up a crisis line where people can call and report injuries, she said.

Federal, state and local investigators are looking into the explosion.

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