More fires are expected to ignite at a flooded chemical plant northeast of Houston, its operators said Thursday, after a series of overnight explosions sent a plume of toxic smoke spewing from the site.
Richard Rennard, a senior executive with French group Arkema, encouraged anyone who has been exposed to the smoke, which irritates the eyes and lungs, to seek medical advice.
However Rennard, who is Arkema's president of acrylic monomers, also stressed: "It's not a chemical release that's happening. I want to be clear about that. What we have is a fire."
The fire was triggered inside a container after the organic peroxides it contained could no longer be refrigerated due to flooding caused by storm Harvey that cut off electricity and flooded emergency generators.
The chemical plant makes compounds with many commercial uses, including plastics, pharmaceuticals and construction materials -- compounds that can combust if not cooled to the proper temperatures.
"We're anticipating the remaining eight containers that have not yet started to have product degrade in them, for that to start to happen," Rennard told reporters, cautioning it was unclear when the containers would burn.
"We fully expect that the other eight containers will do the same thing."
The company has said the organic peroxides could cause eye, skin or respiratory irritation as well as nausea, drowsiness or dizziness, and urged residents within the 1.5-mile evacuation area to turn off their air conditioners to avoid possible smoke exposure.
"The smoke is noxious. Toxicity is a relative thing," Rennard said, declining to elaborate.
Bob Royall, assistant chief of emergency operations for the Harris County fire marshal, cited the sheriff as saying the smoke from the organic chemicals was similar to a camp fire, but refused to further press the comparison.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long earlier said the plume of fumes from the plant was "incredibly dangerous."