Arkum Chemical Plant Fire- Houston Area- Stay Clear- Do Not Breathe Smoke!

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/08/31/harvey-flooding-chemical-plant-explosions/ Arkum Chemical plant near Houston. 

   There have been two explosions at the plant. The cause of the explosion is from containers with materials that need to be cooled that became volatile when the cooling systems failed due to power outages. The company in an effort to stabilize the situation brought in generators to keep power to the cooling systems. The water rise compromised the generators. Other efforts were made after that. One container became heated causing the material inside to  began to degrade. As the material degraded, it generated heat. The heat caused the explosion in the tank that is pressurized. At that point, it became too dangerous to try and go back into the plant. It has been advised to evacuate the surrounding area and not to breathe the smoke from the fires.

   The smoke from the fire is an irritant to the lungs. The containers are in a remote area of the plant. The fires should not cause other chemicals to be affected.

    The main chemical is a type of industrial peroxide.

  Do not breathe the smoke from the fire. Stay clear of the plant.