Thursday afternoon, hours after Hurricane Laura exited the area, thick smoke poured across interstate 10 from a chemical plant fire near Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Officials said the fire was related to the storm, and downed utility lines, trees, and other wreckage from Laura posed a challenge for crews trying to reach the fire.
“Finding a way into it was a bit of a challenge, but they got there,” Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Greg Langley said.
Langley said environmental officials hope to fly over the site as soon as it is safe to do so. =Residents were advised to follow the situation closely.
The owner of the Biolab plant, KIK Custom Products, said the fire was a result of the damage sustained during Hurrican Laura.
At some point during the storm, some of the plant’s products began to react and decompose which caused the fire. Chlorine gas was released into the air by the fire, according to Col. Kevin Reeves, the superintendent of the State Police.
According to the State Fire Marshal H. Browning said staffers from the Environmental Quality detected no chlorine in lower level areas where people would be.
