Explosion and fire at Greenville, Mississippi chemical plant; shelter-in-place order lifted, no injuries reported
An explosion and fire at the Loveland Products chemical plant, formerly Platte Chemical, in Greenville, Mississippi, sent a thick column of black smoke over the city on Wednesday morning. Officials ordered nearby residents to shelter in place, then lifted the order once the fire was contained. No injuries have been reported and the cause is under investigation.
An explosion and fire at a chemical plant in Greenville, Mississippi, sent a thick plume of black smoke into the sky on Wednesday morning, 4 November, and led officials to order part of the city to shelter in place for several hours.
According to the City of Greenville, the fire department was alerted to an explosion at the Loveland Products facility, formerly known as Platte Chemical, at about 7:10 a.m. local time (15:10 Romanian time). Preliminary information from plant management indicates the fire involved a herbicide chemical inside a so-called hot box.
Crews from the Greenville, Riverside and Leland fire departments responded, and the Greenville Mid-Delta Airport fire department brought specialised firefighting foam. A regional hazardous materials team, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality also sent personnel to help with containment and air monitoring, and an ambulance service was placed on standby.
As the smoke spread, the Washington County Emergency Operations Center issued a shelter-in-place order just before 9:30 a.m. for residents in the area between Beauchamp Road and Kuehn Road, along Highway 182 and VFW Road. People were told to keep doors and windows closed, switch off ventilation that draws in outside air and stay indoors. No evacuation radius was announced.
Later in the morning, county officials said the fire was contained and the shelter-in-place order was lifted. Firefighters went through decontamination as a precaution against chemical exposure. Emergency managers said no injuries had been reported.
Mayor Errick Simmons said the safety of residents, first responders and plant workers was the city's first priority, and asked people to stay calm and keep away from the site. Officials advise anyone who was nearby and has burning eyes, coughing, headaches, dizziness, nausea or chest tightness to seek medical advice, and to call 911 for breathing difficulty.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation. Officials said further information on possible chemical exposure and air quality would be released once confirmed.