This afternoon, a terrifying explosion resulted in a fire at a Deer Park
chemical plant in La Porte. For miles, people could see the rising pillar
of smoke from the accident. Local ABC News says that the fire was centered
at the AzkoNoble plant and emergency workers rushed to the scene after
receiving the call at about 1:00 p.m. There were 80 to 100 employees and
contractors near the explosion, and all were evacuated shortly after the
explosion. One worker was harmed in the accident and was transported to
a local hospital.
The victim of the accident was a contractor and is currently being treated
for his wounds. The fire was brought into containment in about 45 minutes.
According to AkzoNobel officials, the accident happened because of a spontaneous
reaction with the chemical that is used to manufacture plastics. One spokesperson
for the company says that the product that was burning was called magnesium
oxide and is not toxic.
There were no shelter-in-place warnings that were issued and workers were able to return back to their jobs only a few hours after the explosion. Still, many of them were hesitant to do so. The spokespeople at AkzoNobel say that the accident happened in the magnesium alkals unit but emergency response teams, and an internal team were able to put the fire out quickly. The company says that they are still not sure exactly what started the fire. Read the early version of this unfolding story here.
Workers are thankful to return back to work but are slightly worried about
the possibility of another explosion. If you want more information about
chemical plant accidents, then you may want to discuss your situation
with a lawyer from Arnold & Itkin. The firm is here to help victims of
chemical plant accidents and wants to litigate on behalf of injured workers.
