Incident Report

Subject:       US - Explosion, Fire Reported at Louisiana Chemical Plant – Injuries Reported…            

Date of Email report:   Thu 13/06/2013

Report Detail:

A reported explosion touched off a fire at a petrochemical plant about 20 miles south of Baton Rouge, resulting in an unknown number of injuries, state police said.  Louisiana State Police Capt. Doug Cain said he doesn't know how many people were hurt, but saw ambulances taking people from The Williams Companies Inc. olefins plant in the Ascension Parish town of Geismar.  

The fire broke out Thursday morning at the plant, which makes highly flammable gases that are basic building blocks in the petrochemical industry.  Authorities are sending a hazardous materials team to the scene, CBS affiliate WAFB-TV reports.  State police are asked residents in St. Gabriel area to shelter in place from Highway 3115 to Highway 74 as a precaution. The company's website says the plant puts out about 1.3 billion pounds of ethylene and 90 million pounds of polymer grade propylene a year. 

The Olefin team is responsible for the ethane transportation business consisting of approximately 200 miles of pipelines, as well as a refinery-grade propylene splitter, WAFB reports.

Additional Documentation:

Some reports and short videos from Twitter : http://rt.com/usa/reported-explosion-fire-plant-647/