Explosions Rock Texas Chemical Plant Affected by Hurricane Harvey

A chemical plant outside Houston was rocked by two explosions early Thursday morning after flooding overwhelmed its power sources and caused the plant to lose refrigeration.

Arkema, Inc., said in a release that some of its products burn if not stored at the proper temperature, and despite following its hurricane preparation plan and redundant contingency plans, the refrigeration still went down.

“However, unprecedented flooding overwhelmed our primary power and two sources of emergency backup power,” they said. “As a result, we lost critical refrigeration of the products on site. Some of our organic peroxides products burn if not stored at low temperature.”

The plant was notified of the explosions by Harris County Emergency Operations at about 2 a.m. local time and is now working with officials, determining that the best course of action is to let the fire burn itself out. Black smoke was also seen rising from the plant.

The release warns residents that as the products are stored in different locations on the site, other explosions may be possible. The plant makes organic peroxides, which used in the production of a wide range of products including pharmaceuticals and construction materials.

Harris County police said on Twitter that one deputy was taken to the hospital after inhaling fumes from the plant and nine others drove themselves to the hospital as a precaution. The release warned residents not to return to the area until advised to do so by local emergency response authorities.

Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, who represents the district that includes the chemical plant, called the situation “very dangerous” and told ABC News that “The worst-case scenario is that this chemical plant could explode.”

Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas over the weekend and has caused massive flooding in the Houston area.

Photo Credit: Twitter / @NYDailyNews, @HoustonChron