Chemical Explosion Near Houston Creates Huge Fire, Residents Told to Avoid Area

First responders in Texas are fighting a fire from a chemical plant explosion north of Houston on Wednesday morning.

The explosion, and the huge plume of dark smoke at the Sound Resource Solutions plant, prompted the San Jacinto County Office of Emergency Management to ask residents to avoid the immediate area, according to a post on the agency’s Facebook page. The agency initially called for a 5-mile radius shelter-in-place order earlier today that was eventually updated to only one mile. As of this afternoon, the shelter-in-place orders have been lifted, but residents were encouraged to be vigilant of their health.

The nearby Polk County Emergency Management recommended that residents turn off their HVAC systems in homes and businesses for the time being.

“At this time, the effects of the chemical in the air are unknown,” the emergency department wrote on Facebook.

Videos uploaded to X (formerly Twitter) show the dark ominous cloud coming from the chemical fire:

Geoff Harfield, the president of Sound Resource Solutions, confirmed that one employee was injured and has been treated for minor burns, KHOU reported. The rest of the employees are safe, he said. Harfield says a “forklift incident” was responsible for the explosion.

The plant specializes in making and distributing petroleum-based products and is located in Shepherd, which is in San Jacinto County, which is approximately an hour north of Houston. There are several extremely flammable chemicals on its list of products including acetone. The company also produces xylene, which is known to cause headaches along with eye and throat irritation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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