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Police call shelter in place after explosion at Huntsman
A shelter in place for residents of the El Vista area of Port Arthur was called by city officials after an explosion and fire near the intersection of Texas 73 and Savannah Avenue shortly after 7 a.m. Saturday at the Huntsman Chemical Plant.
Clark T. Colvin of Huntsman reported at about 8 a.m. that there were no reports of injures from the explosion and all plant personnel had safely evacuated the area. Rescue teams from all three of Huntsman's local facilities responded to the incident, Colvin said.
The Port Arthur Police Department issued the shelter in place warning, encouraging all residents of the El Vista area to stay indoors with doors and windows closed. El Vista is across Texas 73 from the plant and in the path of the heavy, black smoke plume coming from the burning unit.
Roadways surrounding the plant have been closed. Roads affected include:
€ U.S. 69 southbound at Texas 73.
€ Texas 73, all traffic between Texas 82 and U.S. 69.
€ Texas 82, all traffic.
€ Savannah Avenue, from 25th Street to Texas 73.
€ H.O. Mills at Texas 73.
Texas Department of Transportation, the Department of Public Safety and Port Arthur police and fire departments were manning roadblocks surrounding the fire site.
The heavy smoke from the burning unit was staying low to the ground as it crossed Texas 73 toward El Vista. Strong south southwesterly winds were pushing the smoke toward the residential area.
At 9 a.m. flames were still visible over the rooftop of buildings inside the plant near the intersection of Texas 73 and Savannah. Before about 8:30 flames billowed an estimated 100 feet into the sky from the burning unit. A loud roar accompanied the flames as highly pressurized hydrocarbon products fed the fire.
Ronny Daigle, a contractor who works in area plants and a member of the Pear Ridge Patrol, a volunteer unit that patrols the streets of a Port Arthur neighborhood, said he heard the explosion around 7 a.m. at his house on Ninth Avenue.
He responded to the sound of the explosion and went to Savannah Avenue, where he could see the flames.
“People were lined up all along Savannah on the road looking at the fire,” he said. “I told them to get away because if this thing went up again, they could all be blown away,” he said.
Troy Harper of KBTV, Channel 4, said he was at home when the blast occurred.
“The explosion, I felt it at my house, I live in Nederland,” he said. He said it woke him up.
Dozens of Huntsmen personnel were arriving at the plant shortly after the incident. Heavy equipment that appeared to be firefighting equipment was being trucked in to the site.
