Texas Chemical Plant Explosion: A Boom, a Fireball, and 3 Injured
What Happened
Imagine waking up to a thunderous boom and a sky‑high fireball. That’s exactly how the TPC Group facility in Port Neches (just 85 miles from Houston) rolled out a morning that the locals will remember for years.
- Time: around 1:00 am local time (0700 GMT)
- Location: a processing unit at the plant
- Outcome: a big explosion that threw a massive fireball into the sky
The Aftermath
On social media, videos shocked viewers with kites of flames leaping out of the roof, while photographs captured the chaos: shattered glass, parts of the ceiling caved in, and doors ripped open. A local resident, Ryan Mathewson, famously described the scene:
“We woke up to glass all over us and parts of the ceiling caved in, doors blown in.”
Ryan, 25, shared his calm before the storm: “We were just shook up and scared.”
Who Is Affected
- Two plant employees + one contractor = 3 injured
- Injuries reported: burns (1), broken wrist, broken leg
- County Judge Jeff Branick praised the “miracle” that nobody died.
Emergency Response
The TPC Group swiftly activated its Emergency Response Plan, and helped by the Port Neches Fire Department and Huntsman. The press release read:
“The event is ongoing, but will be brought under control as quickly and safely as possible. Personnel at the site have been evacuated. All site personnel accounted for; three injured and receiving treatment.”
County officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for anyone within a half‑mile radius, and a temporary shelter opened at a local church in Nederland.
Local Impact
More than 200 workers ply their trade at the plant, which makes butadiene (a flammable gas for synthetic rubber) and other petrochemicals like butane. With the facility just a stone’s throw from Port Neches, residents are watching the cleanup unfold, hoping the fireball never returns.
