The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has been on the scene at the Arkema chemical plant outside of Houston since its storage facility ignited a few weeks ago.
The trouble started in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. After the massive storm led to widespread flooding in the Houston area, the power at Arkema’s facility failed. CSB investigators recently told The Washington Post that the plant’s diesel generators had been placed on concrete pads that were, in general, about two feet high — nowhere near high enough to survive the six feet of flooding.
After Arkema realized that the power was out, the company alerted local officials that the plant was running on backup generators that could also soon fail, leading to rising temperatures inside the plant. Because the facility stores organic peroxides, which become volatile at high temperatures, residents within 1.5 miles of the plant were evacuated.
Ultimately, the worst case scenario came true. Within days, chemicals inside the facility erupted in a series of fires and explosions. In the weeks following the incident, a group of local first responders sued Arkema, saying they were not adequately prepared for the toxic smoke that caused many to vomit and gasp for air. Many local residents have also joined the suit and allege that Arkema downplayed the dangers.
CSB investigators told the WP that they will likely remain on the scene of the incident for the next few weeks while it conducts its investigation.