Texas cities evacuated after second explosion at chemical plant; three injured in first blast

A second explosion Wednesday at an East Texas chemical plant prompted officials to issue evacuation orders for three small cities and a portion of another as flames and smoke surged into the sky.

An afternoon blast at the TPC Group plant in Port Neches, about 80 miles east of Houston, followed a powerful burst at 1 a.m. that sent three workers to hospitals, injured some residents and caused property damage to homes and businesses.

After the second explosion, Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick, the top county official, ordered a mandatory evacuation around a 4-mile radius that includes Port Neches and neighboring Groves, Nederland and part of Port Arthur.

TPC officials said two employees and a contractor were treated at hospitals after the initial blast and later released. The company said all employees are accounted for.

Branick told Beaumont TV station KFDM that one worker sustained burns and the others had a broken wrist and a broken leg, respectively.

Jefferson County Emergency Management coordinator Mike White told the Beaumont Enterprise that five residents were being treated for minor injuries, mostly related to shattered glass.

"There's extensive damage throughout the city," Police Chief Paul Lemoine said.

Troy Monk, director of health safety and security with TPC Group, said at a news conference that it’s unclear how long it will take to extinguish the fire that erupted after the morning explosion.

The company said it was trying to determine the cause of the blasts and the extent of the damage. It promised "a full and thorough investigation" and said the injured workers were the top priority.

"We are focused on their quick recovery and providing support to their families," the company said in a statement.

Monk said the plant has 175 full-time employees and 50 contract workers, and a total of about 30 were on the premises at the time of the explosion.

The first blast blew out windows from homes and created a chemical plume that reached neighborhoods miles away.

White said state environmental officials are monitoring air quality but that no elevated chemical levels had been detected.

Port Neches resident Roger Wallace said the explosion blew out the front window of his townhouse and tore an interior door off its hinges.

"That'll get you up quickly in the morning," he told the Beaumont Enterprise.

The company said it has activated its Emergency Response Plan and requested assistance from Port Neches Fire Department and other first responders.

"The event is ongoing but will be brought under control as quickly and safely as possible," TPC said in a statement.

The Nederland Fire Department in Jefferson County called for evacuations within a half mile of the plant. In neighboring Orange County, County Judge John Gothia issued a shelter-in-place order for some areas downwind of the plant because of the chemical plume.

Gothia urged residents to stay inside, close windows and turn off fans and air conditioning units.

TPC, headquartered in Houston, said teams were conducting air monitoring along the fence line of the facility and in surrounding neighborhoods.

TPC manufactures butadiene and other chemicals used in synthetic rubber, fuels, lubricant additives, plastics and surfactants. The company has manufacturing facilities in the industrial corridor adjacent to the Houston Ship Channel and Port Neches and operates a product terminal in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

"Right now our focus is on protecting the safety of responders and the public and minimizing any impact to the environment," the company said.

Texas has had several petrochemical-industry blazes this year, including a March fire that burned for days near Houston and another that killed a worker at a plant in nearby Crosby.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Port Neches blasts: 3 injured at Texas chemical plant, cities evacuate