He said initial reports indicated the chemicals involved in the fire were flammable liquids, including possibly diesel and turpentine. about an explosion at the company’s facility.Ĭapers said one employee suffered minor burns to his body and was taken to a hospital, where he was in stable condition. San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said that officials began receiving calls shortly after 8 a.m. Officials said a preliminary investigation found the explosion happened when an employee noticed a container leaking with chemicals and tried to use a forklift to lift the container, after which there was an ignition. Officials in San Jacinto County said the explosion took place at Sound Resource Solutions, a company that recycles and repackages various chemicals. Shepherd is a mainly rural area about 60 miles (100 kilometers) northeast of Houston. HOUSTON (AP) - A massive fire at a chemical plant in rural Texas on Wednesday sent a plume of black smoke into the sky as officials closed down a local highway and ordered residents to take shelter for several hours.Īuthorities had asked residents within a one-mile radius of a chemical plant fire in Shepherd as well as those in surrounding communities to shelter in place for about five hours on Wednesday and lifted the order early Wednesday afternoon.
