People Evacuated from Area around Texas Chemical Plant

People living near a chemical plant that produces organic peroxides in flooded southeast Texas have been evacuated as a precautionary measure, authorities said Tuesday.

The plant in Harris County is owned by the French group Arkema.

"As a protective measure Harris County has evacuated all residents within 1.5 miles of the Arkema facility," the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office tweeted.

The facility is flooded and some chemicals made there might react and start a fire that would belch black smoke, Arkema had warned.

Organic peroxides are compounds commonly used in the plastics manufacturing process.

In a a statement Tuesday the company said all personnel had been evacuated as the situation "had become serious."

"At this time, while we do not believe there is any imminent danger, the potential for a chemical reaction leading to a fire and/or explosion within the site confines is real," the company said.

The products on site must be refrigerated, the statement said, but electricity had been cut off by torrential rains and back-up generators had been flooded.

Chemicals had been transferred into diesel-powered refrigerated containers, according to the statement, but some of that refrigeration had also "been compromised due to extremely high water."

Arkema said it was monitoring remotely the temperature of each refrigerated container.