A fire that broke out at the KMCO LLC facility, owned by ORG Chemical Holdings in Crosby, Texas, has resulted in the death of one individual and two other people being flown to a nearby hospital by helicopter Tuesday.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez says that preliminary information shows that the chemical isobutylene a type of colorless gas, initially started the fire and it is still burning.
All residents within a 1-mile radius of the plant have been ordered to shelter in place, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said. But there does not appear to be hazardous chemicals in the air.
According to recent reports, KMCO was convicted of two counts of violating the Clean Air Act in 2016, KHOU 11 Investigates found. In addition to the charges, the company was ordered to pay several million in fines, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
John Foley, president and chief executive officer of KMCO, says the company is "deeply saddened" to confirm the injuries and fatality, reported KWTX. He says the company has activated its emergency response team and incident command center because of the blaze.
