Posted on December 9, 2009 at 9:04 AM
Updated today at 10:42 AM
* Photos: Explosion rocks Seabrook area
* Home video: American Acryl blast
* Raw aerials: Crews fight fire at plant near Seabrook
SEABROOK, Texas—A huge explosion rocked a plant near Seabrook Wednesday.
It happened just before 9 a.m. at American Acryl, located in the 12100 block of Port Road at Highway 146 in Pasadena.
A thick, black cloud of smoke was visible for miles over the area. Fire was still burning at the plant about an hour after the blast, but crews appeared to be getting it under control.
Shelter-in-place orders were issued for Seabrook, League City and Kemah via automated messages from city officials. Residents should turn off their air conditioners and heaters.
Clear Creek ISD placed all schools south of Seabrook and east of I-45 under a shelter-in-place. Students there will stay indoors with the air and heat off until further notice.
District spokeswoman Elaina Polsen said all the children and teachers are fine and classes are continuing.
The schools included in the shelter-in-place are Armand Bayou Elementary, Bay Elementary, Brookwood Elementary, Clear Lake City Elementary, Falcon Pass Elementary, Ferguson Elementary, Goforth Elementary, Hyde Elementary, League City Elementary, McWhirter Elementary, Mossman Elementary, North Pointe Elementary, Ralph Parr Elementary, Robinson Elementary, Stewart Elementary, Ward Elementary, Whitcomb Elementary, White Elementary, Clear Creek Intermediate, Clear Lake High School, League City Intermediate, Seabrook Intermediate. Space Center Intermediate, Victory Lakes Intermediate, Clear Path Alternative School and the Clear View Education Center.
Kemah city manager Bill Kerber told 11 News at 10:40am that although the smoke from the explosion had generally cleared, he was waiting for word from the Fire Department about whether the air in the area was safe enough to lift the shelter-in-place. He said an automated phone system would let residents know when the alert was lifted.
Viewers in Bacliff, San Leon, Clear Lake, Dickinson, La Marque, Texas City, League City, Seabrook and Friendswood all reported hearing and feeling the blast.
"The explosion was strong enough to shake our building. We are located in Baytown by the Hwy 99 and FM 1405 intersection," one viewer e-mail read.
"FYI-I live in League City (Hwy96 near 146) and I felt and heard the explosion from there. It was loud and clear. Thought it was a home explosion b/c it sounded so close," another viewer reported.
"I’m directly south of the plant. I had just sat down at my computer, by a north window, when I heard the BOOM then felt the percussion," a viewer reported.
"This explosion took place just around the corner from our office. It violently shook our building. Thinking it was a car that had ran into the building, we ran outside to see the 1st plume of smoke from this explosion," viewer Jacob Varisco said in an e-mail.
It was unclear what caused the explosion. No injuries were reported.
A viewer in Seabrook reported a chemical smell permeating the air around 9:40 a.m.
The American Acryl plant makes acrylic acid, a building block for plastics.
A Shoreacres official said the chemical that was released was toluene.
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, toluene is a respiratory tract irritant. It’s described as clear and colorless and has a distinctive smell.
The ATSDR said toluene can affect the nervous system. In low to moderate levels, it can cause tiredness, confusion, weakness, memory loss, nausea, intoxication, loss of appetite, loss of hearing and color vision loss. The symptoms usually stop as soon as exposure ends.
High levels of toluene can affect the kidneys, and inhaling high levels in a short time can cause unconsciousness and even death, the ATSDR said.
The effects of toluene in children are similar to those seen in adults.
Check back for more information as this story develops.
Source:
http://www.khou.com/news/Huge-explosion-rocks-plant-in-Seabrook-78865017.html
RELATED:
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7161089&rss=rss-ktrk-article-7161089
Updated today at 10:42 AM
* Photos: Explosion rocks Seabrook area
* Home video: American Acryl blast
* Raw aerials: Crews fight fire at plant near Seabrook
SEABROOK, Texas—A huge explosion rocked a plant near Seabrook Wednesday.
It happened just before 9 a.m. at American Acryl, located in the 12100 block of Port Road at Highway 146 in Pasadena.A thick, black cloud of smoke was visible for miles over the area. Fire was still burning at the plant about an hour after the blast, but crews appeared to be getting it under control.
Shelter-in-place orders were issued for Seabrook, League City and Kemah via automated messages from city officials. Residents should turn off their air conditioners and heaters.
Clear Creek ISD placed all schools south of Seabrook and east of I-45 under a shelter-in-place. Students there will stay indoors with the air and heat off until further notice.
District spokeswoman Elaina Polsen said all the children and teachers are fine and classes are continuing.
The schools included in the shelter-in-place are Armand Bayou Elementary, Bay Elementary, Brookwood Elementary, Clear Lake City Elementary, Falcon Pass Elementary, Ferguson Elementary, Goforth Elementary, Hyde Elementary, League City Elementary, McWhirter Elementary, Mossman Elementary, North Pointe Elementary, Ralph Parr Elementary, Robinson Elementary, Stewart Elementary, Ward Elementary, Whitcomb Elementary, White Elementary, Clear Creek Intermediate, Clear Lake High School, League City Intermediate, Seabrook Intermediate. Space Center Intermediate, Victory Lakes Intermediate, Clear Path Alternative School and the Clear View Education Center.
Kemah city manager Bill Kerber told 11 News at 10:40am that although the smoke from the explosion had generally cleared, he was waiting for word from the Fire Department about whether the air in the area was safe enough to lift the shelter-in-place. He said an automated phone system would let residents know when the alert was lifted.
Viewers in Bacliff, San Leon, Clear Lake, Dickinson, La Marque, Texas City, League City, Seabrook and Friendswood all reported hearing and feeling the blast.
"The explosion was strong enough to shake our building. We are located in Baytown by the Hwy 99 and FM 1405 intersection," one viewer e-mail read.
"FYI-I live in League City (Hwy96 near 146) and I felt and heard the explosion from there. It was loud and clear. Thought it was a home explosion b/c it sounded so close," another viewer reported.
"I’m directly south of the plant. I had just sat down at my computer, by a north window, when I heard the BOOM then felt the percussion," a viewer reported.
"This explosion took place just around the corner from our office. It violently shook our building. Thinking it was a car that had ran into the building, we ran outside to see the 1st plume of smoke from this explosion," viewer Jacob Varisco said in an e-mail.
It was unclear what caused the explosion. No injuries were reported.
A viewer in Seabrook reported a chemical smell permeating the air around 9:40 a.m.
The American Acryl plant makes acrylic acid, a building block for plastics.
A Shoreacres official said the chemical that was released was toluene.
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, toluene is a respiratory tract irritant. It’s described as clear and colorless and has a distinctive smell.
The ATSDR said toluene can affect the nervous system. In low to moderate levels, it can cause tiredness, confusion, weakness, memory loss, nausea, intoxication, loss of appetite, loss of hearing and color vision loss. The symptoms usually stop as soon as exposure ends.
High levels of toluene can affect the kidneys, and inhaling high levels in a short time can cause unconsciousness and even death, the ATSDR said.
The effects of toluene in children are similar to those seen in adults.
Check back for more information as this story develops.
Source:
http://www.khou.com/news/Huge-explosion-rocks-plant-in-Seabrook-78865017.html
RELATED:
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7161089&rss=rss-ktrk-article-7161089
