Smoke resulting from two explosions at a Houston-area chemical plant presents “no danger to the community,” authorities tell The Associated Press.
The Harris County Emergency Operations Center reported the explosions and black smoke coming from the Arkema chemical plant at about 2 a.m. today.
The French-owned plant manufactures organic peroxides, a family of compounds used for making pharmaceuticals, construction materials and other products.
Different grades of organic peroxides in a semitrailer caught fire not long after midnight, says Bob Rayall, an assistant fire chief for Harris County, Texas. The fire emitted 30- to 40-foot flames and black smoke.
Rayall did not refer to any blasts, but Harris County Fire Marshal spokeswoman Rachel Moreno says there had been “small explosions.”
