November 29, 2019 – In Breaking News – International Business News
The fire continued to rage at a local chemical plant in East Texas, a day after two massive explosions took place, forcing authorities to keep a mandatory evacuation order in place as a precaution.
More than 50,000 people in the vicinity of the TPC Group plant in Port Neches, about 80 miles east of Houston were forced to spend Thanksgiving away from their homes after mandatory evacuation orders remained in place.
(More than 50,000 people are still not allowed to return home, two days after explosions at a chemical plant in southern Texas. Firefighters are letting the fire burn out to prevent more explosions, and a decision will be made Friday on lifting mandatory evacuation orders. Courtesy of CBS this Morning and YouTube. Posted on Nov 29, 2019.)
According to Jefferson County Sheriff Zena Stephens, the evacuation orders are in place due to the ongoing danger from flames, explosions, and debris.
“It’s Thanksgiving, a lot of people are displaced, they can’t go home,” Stephens told TV station KFDM, adding that there were no lingering issues with the air quality near the plant.
Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick said that the fire will be allowed to burn at the plant in an effort to depressurize its pumping and storage systems.
Branick had earlier said that a loss of power at the plant prevented any investigation into the cause of the explosions or how much damage was done to the facility.
WAIT FOR IT: This video shows the intensity of the chemical plant explosion this morning in southeast Texas. The fire from the TPC plant explosion is still burning, and plumes of smoke can be seen from miles away. // video courtesy of Michael Buell pic.twitter.com/4Z4PDNNkRS
— Hanna Battah (@HannaBattahFox4) November 27, 2019
The plant manufactures butadiene and other chemicals used in synthetic rubber, fuels, lubricant additives, and plastics, USA Today reported.
TPC Group and government officials released a joint statement Thursday, which said that the air quality results around Port Neches showed “no actionable levels” above state and federal standards.
(Thousands of people are being told to evacuate after a series of explosions rocked a chemical plant in Texas. People felt it up to 30 miles away. Courtesy of CBS Evening News and YouTube. Posted on Nov 27, 2019.)
Continue reading… Texas Chemical Plant Explosion Forces 50,000 People Away From Their Homes
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