Texas Chemical Plant Explosion Leads to Shelter-in-Place Order and School Evacuation
A massive explosion at a chemical plant just north of Houston had local authorities scrambling to evacuate people away from the area on Wednesday morning.
Others in the general area of the facility in the city of Shepherd, Texas, were told to shelter in place or leave the area.
Those who remained were asked to turn off their central heat and air units.
KHOU reported the explosion occurred at a plant for Sound Resource Solutions. The company’s website says it makes numerous chemicals, including Methyl Ethyl Ketone and acetone.
One person who works at the plant was injured and was taken to a local hospital in an unknown condition, according to KHOU.
Numerous viral videos posted on X (formerly Twitter) showed a thick, black plume of smoke rising up from the plant:
A massive fire at a chemical plant in Shepherd, Texas, is prompting evacuations as smoke fills the sky https://t.co/tOTeP2fxjypic.twitter.com/HzLWycN8Q0
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) November 8, 2023
BREAKING: Massive explosion at a chemical plant in Shepherd, Texas, residents ordered to shelter pic.twitter.com/7csSMETw7S
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) November 8, 2023
Shelter-in-place order issued after chemical plant explosion in Shepherd, Texas; smoke visible for milespic.twitter.com/0krc7baQlk
— BNO News (@BNONews) November 8, 2023
BREAKING: Explosion reported at chemical plant in Shepherd, Texas; shelter-in-place issued for nearby towns pic.twitter.com/5wiXPGKkXD
— Intel Point Alert (@IntelPointAlert) November 8, 2023
At around 9 a.m. CT, the San Jacinto County Office of Emergency Management urged people in the immediate vicinity of the plant to evacuate.
“CHEMICAL PLANT ON FIRE FM 1127 in Shepherd,” the office posted on Facebook. “At this time a private school located on FM 1127 has been safely evacuated. All other residents living in a five mile radius around this location should shelter in place at this time.”
In neighboring Polk County, emergency management officials posted on Facebook, acknowledging the chemicals in the air. “At this time, the effects of the chemical in the air are unknown,” the post read in part.
Emergency management officials also shared a projected map of a smoke plume from the National Weather Service warning people in the area the smoke would likely continue to head in a north northeastern direction.
The city of Livingston was directly in the path of the smoke. The initial five-mile radius shelter order was later reduced to one mile, KHOU reported.
Local law enforcement and health officials scheduled a media briefing for Wednesday afternoon.
Numerous highways near Shepherd were completely closed as of midday local time.
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