Two explosions at flooded Texas chemical plant: Fifteen police officers hospitalized after blast at facility that will get MORE dangerous as the water rises
Two explosions were heard at the Arkema Inc plant in Crosby, Texas, early Thursday morning
The chemical plant lost power and backup generators amid storm Harvey’s deluge
It left the plant without refrigeration for its organic peroxides, which will burn as temperatures rise
The company said there is six feet of water at the plant and they have lost critical refrigeration of the materials
Plant officials warned that more explosions could occur and said they would let the fire burn itself out
Arkema manufactures organic peroxides, compounds used in pharmaceuticals and construction materials
The company shut down the Crosby site before Harvey made landfall last week
Local officials established a 1.5 mile evacuation zone around the plant on Tuesday after it lost power
Meanwhile, about 150 miles west of Houston, almost 30,000 gallons of crude oil and about 8,500 gallons of wastewater spilled because floodwaters from Harvey toppled two oil storage tanks
By Emily Crane and Ann Schmidt
DailyMail.com
31 August 2017
Two explosions have rocked a flooded chemical plant outside of Houston just hours after the company warned a gas explosion was imminent.
Despite 30 to 40 foot flames and black smoke spewing from The Arkema Inc plant in Crosby, local officials have insisted the explosions produced no toxins and said the community was not in danger.
Fifteen police officers were hospitalized as a precaution after being affected by the smoke following the explosion just before 1am on Thursday. Some of the officers complained of dizziness and headaches.
The explosions came after The Arkema Inc plant lost power and backup generators in the wake of Harvey’s days-long deluge. It left the plant without refrigeration for chemicals that will burn as temperatures rise.
The Harris County Emergency Operations Center reported the explosions at the plant and about 40-feet of black smoke rising from the facility in the early hours of Thursday morning.
At a news conference in Washington DC on Thursday, FEMA administrator Brock Long said he considered plumes from the explosion ‘incredibly dangerous.’
Local officials refused to refer to the incident as ‘explosions’ and instead called them a series of ‘pops’ and ‘chemical reactions’.
Arkema have warned that more explosions could take place in the coming hours or days and urged residents not to return to the area until it has been cleared.
The Rest…HERE
