PORT NECHES, Texas (AP) — Two massive explosions 13 hours apart tore through a Texas chemical plant Wednesday, and one left three workers injured.
The blasts blew out windows and doors of nearby homes and prompted a mandatory evacuation of a 4-mile (seven-kilometer) radius from the plant in Port Neches in Southeast Texas, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) east of Houston. Officials say they have no estimate for how long the fire will burn.
The initial explosion at the TPC Group plant, which makes chemical and petroleum-based products, occurred around 1 a.m. It sent a large plume of smoke stretching for miles and started a fire.
The three workers hurt during the blast —two TPC employees and a contractor — were treated at hospitals and released, said Troy Monk, TPC's director of healt
