Shepherd, Texas, is about 60 miles northeast of Houston, and this was the scene this morning as a fire broke out after an explosion at a petroleum processing plant.
Here's the report from the local emergency management team:
According to the constable, this is happening at a petroleum processing plant, named Sound Resource Solutions. A source told Eyewitness News that there is a 1000-gallon propane tank in the middle of the fire, and a four-inch natural gas main under the ground.
ABC13's investigative reporter Kevin Ozebek spoke to a current employee who said there was one man who was injured in a "freak accident" that was caused by a forklift incident. The source said the injured employee was taken to Memorial Hermann with second-degree burns to his arms and first-degree burns to his face. The source told us the injured employee is in good spirits and expected to be OK.
A representative from Sound Resource Solutions reported to ABC that all 40 employees are accounted for and only one suffered a minor injury and is being treated for burns.
The San Jacinto County Office of Emergency Management said a private school located along FM 1127 has been safely evacuated.
Some good news, the shelter-in-place order has been reduced from a 5-mile radius to a 1-mile radius, though the winds continue to be a problem for those living closer to the coast.
It is unclear what the effects of the chemicals in the air will have on those in its path, or whether the fire will be put out or simply left to burn to its end.
More from the scene:
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