A chlorine chemical fire that erupted last Thursday, triggering shelter-in-place orders and closing roadways in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, has been brought under control, the plant’s owner said on Friday.
KIK Custom Products said the site is secured and emergency responders remain on the scene. The business manufactures chlorine-based products for home cleaning and swimming pools, according to its website.
A shelter-in-place issued for Westlake, Moss Bluff and Sulphur, Louisiana, was lifted on Friday afternoon, according to a local emergency management official. A cause of the fire has not been disclosed.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which investigates industrial disasters, said on Friday it was sending a team to the KIK-owned Biolab facility near Lake Charles, Louisiana, according to a tweet.
The smoky fire ignited in the wake of Hurricane Laura, which slammed the Texas and Louisiana coasts as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 150 miles (240 km) per hour. It killed at least six people and caused extensive damage to buildings in its path.
A large plume could be seen on Thursday billowing across an industrial area and a major highway that links Louisiana to Texas and Mississippi. The plant had been evacuated ahead of the storm and no fatalities or injuries were reported.
(Reporting by Liz Hampton Editing by Chris Reese)
Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Louisiana Hurricane Chemicals
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