After a bomb in Texas, one person was hurt and neighbouring areas were placed under lockdown.
Wednesday saw the explosion and fire of a chemical solvent manufacturing factory in southern Texas, forcing the local populations to take cover in order to protect themselves from possibly hazardous chemicals. The school in the area was evacuated.
The explosion happened at Shepherd, a 2,000-person town located 60 miles (100 km) northeast of Houston, at a place called Sound Resource Solutions.
About forty other workers made it to safety, according to business president Geoff Harfield, who told reporters that one employee had “minor burns” and was receiving treatment at a nearby hospital. It took some time to determine what caused the explosion.
After a five-mile (eight-kilometer) radius was first issued, San Jacinto County officials then lowered it to one mile. Excessive caution led to the evacuation of a private school situated on the same road as the enterprise.
Social media users have been posting images and videos of dense, black smoke clouds rising into the sky.
Authorities in Polk County, which is adjacent, issued a warning to locals to shut down their air conditioners and seal all of their windows because smoke was approaching the city of Livingston from US Highway 59.
The plant produces “solvents for glue and paint remover,” which are known to have “acute toxicity, carcinogenicity, and reproductive toxicity” and could seriously harm the eyes, skin, and lungs if inhaled, according to Polk County. The specific chemicals that may have been released by the fire are unknown.
