A toxic cloud that formed after 300 gallons of hydrochloric acid leaked
at a southeast Texas storage facility sent nine people to hospitals and forced
thousands of residents indoors, an emergency management official said Thursday.
Four firefighters were among those who were hospitalized for exposure
after a tank ruptured at a storage facility near the Port of Texas City, Bruce
Clawson of the local emergency management office said. More than 45,000
residents of Texas City were ordered by emergency management officials to remain indoors, turn off air conditioning
units and make sure all windows and doors were closed until the vapor cloud
dissipated. The order was expected to be lifted by 6 a.m. (7 a.m. ET), Clawson
said.
Officials did not immediately detail what caused the tank to rupture
late Wednesday at the Dallas Group of America's facility near the port. A
telephone call by CNN to the New Jersey-based company early Thursday morning
was not immediately returned. City officials were working to clean up the leak, Clawson told CNN affiliate KTRK.
None of those exposed to the chemical cloud sustained life-threatening
injuries, according to KTRK. It wasn't immediately known what the chemical was
being used for at the facility. Hydrochloric acid has a number of industrial
uses. It also has a corrosive effect on human tissue, with the potential to
damage the lungs, eyes, skin, and intestines. It is not the first time the
residents of Texas City have dealt with a threat from a chemical leak. In
March, an acid leak was reported at BP's refinery in the port city. And last
year, several dozen homes were evacuated when 250,000 gallons of gasoline spilled
following a pipeline rupture.
CNN News
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