WIDESPREAD FLOODING ACROSS THE
HOUSTON AREA, AS YOU WELL KNOW,
NEAR WATERWAYS STILL IN
JEOPARDY TONIGHT.
>> WE'LL GO LIVE FROM SOME OF
THOSE AREAS TONIGHT, BUT FIRST,
WE DO HAVE THAT BREAKING NEWS
THAT WE'VE BEEN BRINGZ YOU
THROUGHOUT THE 5:00 HOUR, THIS
BRAND-NEW EXPLOSION AND FIRE
BURNING AS WE SPEAK AT THE
ARKEMA PLANT IN CROSBY.
THAT'S THE PLANT THAT LAST FIRE
AFTER HARVEY FLOODING.
>> LET'S GET RIGHT TO BRANDON
WALKER NEAR THE ARKEMA PLANT
BRANDON?
>> Reporter: BILL AND
DOMINIQUE, SO WE'RE ON RAMSEY
ROAD ABOUT 4-1/2 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF THE PLANT.
I'M GOING TO STEP OUT OF THE
SHOT AND GIVE YOU A LIVE LOOK
FROM OUR VANTAGE POINT.
YOU CAN SEE THAT PLUME OF BLACK
SMOKE BILLOWING INTO THE AIR.
IN FACT, YOU CAN SEE IT FOR
MILES AND MILES AWAY.
WE WERE DRIVING IN ON CROSBY
FREEWAY SOME MINUTES AGO, WE
COULD SEE THAT TOWER OF SMOKE,
AS I DESCRIBED IT, A TWITTER
POST, BILLOWING INTO THE AIR
THERE.
THERE HAVE BEEN CONCERNS ALL
WEEK ABOUT THISPLANT AND FIRES
YESTERDAY, OF COURSE.
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW RIGHT NOW,
WE'RE STILL WAITING TO GET
CONFIRMED FROM OFFICIALS IS HOW
MANY OF THOSE BINS ARE
EXPLODING OR BURNING RIGHT NOW
OF THAT CHEMICAL REFERRED TO AS
ORGANIC PEROXIDES, UNSTABLE
THERE AT THIS COMPLAINT.
WE'VE EXPLAINED WHAT'S GOING ON.
ESSENTIALLY THE BACK-UP PLAN
FAILED AFTER HARVEY AND RAIN
FROM HARVEY WASHED ASHORE HERE
EARLIER IN THE WEEK, SO THE
REFRIGERATION SYSTEM THAT THEY
HAD IN PLACE FOR THOSE
CHEMICALS FAILED.
THESE CHEMICALS MUST BE
PROPERLY REFRIGERATE BECAUSE
THEY BREAK DOWN IN HEAT AND
THIS IS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE
RESULT OF THOSE CHEMICALS
BREAKING DOWN, THEY HAVE THE
POTENTIAL TO COMBUST.
WE'RE STILL WAITING IT HEAR
FROM OFFICIALS ON WHAT THE
SPECIFICS ARE TO THIS ONE, BUT
THERE REMAINS AN ALERT FOR
PEOPLE WHO LIVE WITHIN A
1-1/2-MILE RADIUS OF THIS
ARKEMA PLANT TO GET OUT OF HERE
BECAUSE THE CHEMICALS DO POSE A
THREAT TO THE EYES, TO THE
LUNGS AND OTHER PARTS OF THE
BODY.
TOXIC.
AFTER TENDING TO THE SITUATION
YESTERDAY, OFFICIALS TELLING US
THAT THOSE WHO RESPONDED ARE
STILL BEING MONITORED.
ON THE GROUND, SOME 412 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF THE ARKPLT,
TOWER OF SMOKE BILLOWING INTO
THE AIR AS IT IS CONFIRMED THAT
THERE IS A FIRE AND EXPLOSIONS
AND WE CAN SEE FROM VIDEO FROM
SKY 2 ABOVE THIS PLACE, BUT
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW IS HOW MANY
OF THE EIGHT BINS STILL THERE
ON THAT PLANT ARE BURNING RIGHT
NOW.
SO, WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO GET
ON A UPDATE FROM OFFICIALS ON
THIS INCLUDING FIRE OFFICIALS
ON WHAT THE ATTACK PLAN IS
RIGHT NOW.
I KNOW THAT OTHER REPORTS
SUGGESTED THAT THE BEST BET FOR
INSTABILITY REGARDING THE HEAT
WAS TO LET THESE CHEMICALS,
BURN.
WE'RE NOT SURE IF THAT'S WHAT'S
HAPPENING RIGHT NOW AND THAT'S
WHY YOU SEE THE FIRE, AND WE'RE
GOING TO TRY AND GIVE YOU
ANOTHER UPDATE.
>> BEFORE YOU GO, THEY SAY THIS
CHEMICAL BURNING, THIS ORGANIC
PEROXIDE, IS A LUNG AND EYE
IRTAPT.
IRRITANT.
YOU'RE NOT THAT FAR AWAY.
ARE YOU SMELLING OR SENSING
ANYTHING FROM IT?
>> WELL, WE'VE ONLY BEEN HERE
10 MINUTES AND WE'RE A GOOD
4-1/2 MILES AWAY.
THE ALARM THEY SOUNDED WAS FOR
RESIDENTS WHO LIVE WITHIN 1-1/2
MILES RADIUS OF THE FACILITY,
SO PERHAPS WE ARE FAR ENOUGH
AWAY IN THE TO WITNESS ANY OF
THOSE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS AS A
RESULT OF BREATHING THIS, BUT
THAT ALSO DEPENDS ON WIND FLOW,
AS YOU CAN SEE, IT IS BLOWING
IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO
WHERE WE ARE, AND SO THAT'S
GOING TO HAVE AN EFFECT ON WHAT
WE'RE BREATHING HERE RIGHT NOW
AS WELL.
>> THERE'S ALSO THE POSSIBILITY
THIS WILL CONTINUE, THE
OFFICIALS THERE AS OF
YESTERDAY, WHEN WE FIRST
STARTED SEEING THESE FIRES AND
EXPLOSIONS, SAID THAT THERE
WILL BE MORE CONTINUOUS POPPING
SOUNDS, SO WE ARE EXPECTING
THIS TO CONTINUE, COULD GO
THROUGH THE NIGHT.
>> INDEED, AND THAT'S WHAT THEY
ARE SAYING.
THERE'S REALLY NO WAY TO TELL
WHEN THOSE CHEMICALS, WHATEVER
THE NUMBER OF BINS OF THIS
CHEMICAL ON THIS FACILITY, HOW
MANY OF THEM REMAIN, BUT
OFFICIALS SAY AS LONG ASTHERE
IS THAT INSTABILITY THERE
REGARDING THE HEAT, SO NO
REFRIGERATION FOR THEM, WE WILL
SEE THAT POPPING AND THEM
POTENTIALLY CATCHING FIRE WHAT
WE'RE SEEING HERE.
>> EVENTUALLY ALL EIGHT OF THE
HIGHLY UNSTABLE CHEMICALS WILL
CATCH FIRE AND BURN BECAUSE
THEY MUST BE REFRIGERATE TO
PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING.
MITIGATING FACTORS ARE, NUMBER
ONE, THERE IS NO DANGER TO
ANYBODY WHO LIVES IN THE AREA
BECAUSE THE SMOKE FROM THIS,
WHILE BEING ACRID COMPARED TO A
CAMPFIRE, IS NOT DEADLY.
IT'S A VERY IRRITATING THING TO
BREATHE IN, BUT IT WON'T KILL
YOU UNLESS YOU STAND THERE AND
BREATHE IT IN AN AWFUL LONG
TIME.
THE OTHER MITIGATING FACTOR IS
THAT THE SECRETARY HAS BEEN
LARGELY EVACUATED, THE 5,000
PEOPLE WHO LIVE AROUND THERE
HAVE ALREADY LEFT THE AREA
BECAUSE THEY WERE WARNED ABOUT
THIS AS EARLY AS TUESDAY
BECAUSE THE COMPANY KNEW THIS
WAS GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN ITS
BACK-UP GENERATORS WERE KNOCKED
OUT BY THE FLOODWATERS AND
THESE CHEMICALS BECAME UNSTABLE
AND BEGAN TO DEKAI. >> WHILE IT
DOESN'T POSE A DANGER FOR
PEOPLE NOW AND THEY ARE
ENCOURAGING YOU TO CLOSE YOUR
WINDOWS AND TURN OFF YOUR AIR
CONDITIONING, WHEN THIS
EXPLOSION FIRST OCCURRED, THERE
WERE 15 DEPUTIES WHO RESPONDED
AND WERE ACTUALLY HOSPITALIZED
AFTER BEING AFFECTED BY THE
IRRITANT AND THE SMOKE, AND WE
UNDERSTAND THAT TWO STILL
REMAIN IN THE HOSPITAL.
SO FOR THOSE WHO WORK CLOSE TO
THE PRODUCT, IT CAN BE
EXTREMELY IRRITATING, BUT WE DO
WANT TO ENCOURAGE THE COMMUNITY
YOU TO DO, CLOSE YOUR WINDOWS,