HOUSTON, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- A fire at a chemical plant owned by TPC Group in the southeastern U.S. state of Texas has been extinguished, while response measures are ongoing, authorities said Tuesday.
However, according to a news release issued by the Unified Command, which was established to respond to the explosion at TPC Group Port Neches Operations, some 150 km east of downtown Houston, the "all clear has not yet been issued yet."
The Unified Command said that the results of monitoring taking place around the facility continue to indicate both air and water qualities remain normal.
Three people were injured last Wednesday morning in the first blast, leading to a nearby neighborhood being evacuated.
TPC Group said there were 30 individuals on site when the first blast occurred, with all three of the injured individuals later allowed home after being treated.
The second evacuation order was issued last Wednesday afternoon after another explosion. The blast caused a tower to fall but there were no reports of major injuries outside the plant. Two days later, the evacuation order was lifted.
According to TPC Group, the incident occurred in its south processing unit and involved a tank filled with finished butadiene, a chemical used in the production of synthetic rubber for tires. The cause has not yet been determined.
The most recent explosion in Port Neches has made it the fifth plant fire in southeast Texas this year.
The county government that ordered the evacuation of about 60,000 residents last week said on Tuesday that it did not plan to sue the company, and would leave potential litigation to environmental bodies.
