A 'very serious' blast at a West Virginia chemical plant has left four people injured and forced all residents within a two-mile r...
A 'very serious' blast at a West Virginia chemical plant has left four people injured and forced all residents within a two-mile radius to shelter in place, after chlorinated dry bleach and methanol exploded in the building.
The blast took place at the Chemours Co chemical plant in Belle, West Virginia, just after 10 p.m. Tuesday night.
Four people were injured and taken to hospital. Their conditions are currently unknown.
Officials said earlier that two people - a plant employee and a person driving past as their car was hit by debris - had been injured, before crews located another two plant employees around 1:30 a.m. and rushed them to hospital.
The blast was caused by the chemicals chlorinated dry bleach and methanol, according to Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper, per local media reports.
County officials had earlier said there were reports of a smell believed to be chlorine in the area.
A 'very serious' blast at a West Virginia chemical plant has left four people injured and forced all residents within a two-mile radius to shelter in place, after chlorinated dry bleach and methanol exploded in the building
Aerial footage shows the 'very serious' explosion and fire at the Chemours Co chemical plant in Belle, West Virginia
Kanawha County Commission said 'a chemical incident and explosion' occurred in the Optima Chemical operations area of the plant at 10:02 p.m.
Emergency crews were deployed to the scene and county officials declared a shelter-in-place order for residents within a 2-mile radius of the plant soon after, telling people to stay inside their homes until further notice.
The US National Weather Service said the warning covered all residents from Burning Springs to the Chelyan bridge on the Belle side of the Kanawha river and west city limits of Marmet to Chelyan bridge.
'We've had at least one very serious explosion and a working fire at the plant,' Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said.
Carper said the destruction was 'extensive' and he said the blast was felt by residents in homes on both sides of the Kanawha River.
Aerial footage on social media of the aftermath showed a huge fire coming out of the top of the building.
Carper told local media there had been reports of a smell of a chemical which some believed to be chlorine. However, he did not confirm it.
Kanawha County Commission said in a press release that 'a chemical incident and explosion' occurred at the plant (above) at 10:02 p.m. Tuesday
'We believe it was probably caused by a barge in the river area of the plant,' Carper said.
Officials later confirmed two people had been taken to hospital with injuries from the explosion.
One person was taken to hospital by ambulance while the second person drove themselves to hospital for treatment, reported WCHS.
VW Metro News said one of the victims was an employee of the plant and another was a driver injured when their car was struck by debris.
Another two victims were discovered more than three hours after the blast and rushed to hospital around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Officials confirmed they were two plant workers, taking the total number of people injured to four.
No further details have been given about any of their conditions or identities.
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice tweeted at 11:20 p.m. urging residents to comply with the shelter-in-place order and saying he was praying for the safety of anyone involved.
'I was just briefed by our @WVEMD. They are coordinating with @KCCDHSEM in response to the incident tonight at the Chemours plant in Belle,' he tweeted.
The blast took place at the Chemours Co chemical plant in Belle, West Virginia, just after 10 p.m. Tuesday night
Four people have been injured and taken to hospital. Their conditions are currently unknown
The cause of the blast is not yet known but county officials said there were reports of a smell believed to be chlorine in the area
'I urge everyone in the area to follow the Shelter-In-Place Order currently in effect. Cathy and I are praying for the safety of all involved.'
By around 11:45 p.m., Kanawha County Office of Emergency Management Director C.W. Sigman said the situation had stabilized and the blaze put out.
Officials were working with the plant to ensure another blast doesn't take place and to lift the shelter-in-place as soon as possible, WCHS reported.
Kanawha County Schools announced all schools along the Riverside area will be closed Wednesday in light of the blast.
'Due to an explosion at the Chemours Plant in Belle and an associated shelter-in-place, all Riverside Area feeder schools will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 9th,' the statement said.
'This includes Carver Career Center, Riverside High School, DuPont Middle, East Bank Middle, Cedar Grove Middle & Elementary, and the following additional elementary schools - Belle, Chesapeake, Malden, Marmet, Mary Ingles, Midland Trail, Pratt and Sharon Dawes. No staff should report.
'There will be no special education services. Students should log in to Schoology tomorrow for eLearning.'
Chemours said in a statement to DailyMail.com: 'There was a fire at one of the tenant companies at our site in Belle, West Virginia. Site responders worked to contain the fire which is under control.'
The Chemours Co plant, which used to be owned by DuPont, has around 200 employees.
It is located in what is known as the Chemical Valley, situated around 15 miles from the state capital Charleston.
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