An explosion and fire occurred at the TPC Group chemical plant in Port Neches, Texas, on November 27, 2019.

An explosion occurred that shattered windows and ripped doors of nearby homes.
A second blast followed 13 hours later, and it took several days to extinguish the resulting fires. Three out of the 30 workers on site at the time of the initial explosion were injured.

Around 60,000 people within a four-mile radius of the chemical plant were asked to
evacuate due to concerns over air quality. Elevated levels of butadiene were registered
as well as other volatile organic compounds, exposure to which can cause irritation,
shortness of breath, headaches, and nausea.

The explosion’s cause has not been determined yet, but is said to have occurred in the south processing unit at a tank with finished butadiene.

Image credit: CSB