Steam billows from cooling towers at a power plant near the Kanawha River in West Virginia. Four injuries were reported, and area schools were closing Wednesday as a precaution. Chemours was founded in July 2015 as a spin-off from DuPont. Nitro has been back in the news more recently. Road closures, shelter-in-place in effect after chemical plant explosion in Kanawha Valley, Go Fund Me started for Rockingham County deputy in need of emergency heart surgery, High School Basketball Scoreboard: State Quarterfinals, JMU womens basketball moves past Marshall 62-43, advances to Sun Belt semifinal, COVID was a huge boom for us; Shenandoah National Park official talks about how they are moving forward, Charlie Obaugh RV & Outdoor Student Athlete of the Week. There will be no special education services. MARTINSBURG, W.Va. The site of the former DuPont Potomac River Works explosives manufacturing facility in Berkeley County will be the future home of a $100 million solar electricity production facility. No staff should report. The number to reach it for non-emergency calls related to the incident is 304-746-8828. Two years after the Bhopal disaster, Union Carbide sold its factory. Copyright 2020 WSAZ. He told TV stations, right now we feel like everything is in pretty good shape.". The Project will repurpose a former explosives manufacturing site, and with approximately $100 million invested will be one of the nations largest brownfield renewable energy projects. As fire lit up the night sky, the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department and State Police were controlling traffic at the roads around the plant. ET on Wednesday. According to the company, no changes have occurred in the finished water quality leaving the companys water treatment plants and no drinking water advisories have been issued. Gayle and I send our thoughts and prayers to John Gillenwaters family, friends, and loved ones, especially his wife Tina and their children. According to a spokesperson from the family, John Gillenwater was killed. His family is "devastated over the loss of their husband, father and friend," according to NBC affiliate WSAZ of Huntington. Jim Justice initially said at least four people were hurt in the explosion. Nick Barrickman. A homeowner in Belle shared this video shot Tuesday night during the explosion at the Chemours plant in Kanawha County. Or to see children with chronic skin rashes. It happened around 10 p.m. Tuesday at the . Even before last week's chemical spill fouled tap water in nine counties in West Virginia, where more than 200,000 people still cannot use their water after seven long days, it was not unusual to find black water running from kitchen faucets in homes outside Charleston. After the 2008 explosion at Bayer CropScience, the federal Chemical Safety Board recommended new state and federal safety regulations. It directed questions to another company that did not immediately return a voice message.Aerial video posted to social media captured images of the fire burning.The shelter-in-place remained in effect early Wednesday. Then, in 2008, after the plant was bought by Bayer CropScience, an explosion killed two workers. Chemours formed as a spinoff from DuPont in 2015. All Belle Chemical Company units have been shut down. The chemical giant also paid $9 million to clean dioxin-contaminated dust from 4,500 homes, according to the 385-page court order. It is heartbreaking to lose a fellow West Virginian, especially so close to the holidays. Several roads nearby were closed to traffic, according to WOWK. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. The. The fire was reportedly still burning early Wednesday morning and officials at the scene said it would have to burn itself out before they could go in to evaluate. It's the former DuPont chemical plant. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Long COVID patients turn to unproven treatments, Why evenings can be harder on people with dementia, This disease often goes under-diagnosedunless youre white, This sacred site could be Georgias first national park, See glow-in-the-dark mushrooms in Brazils other rainforest, 9 things to know about Holi, Indias most colorful festival, Anyone can discover a fossil on this beach. It is unclear whether the explosion involved any chemicals at the plant, formerly known as the DuPont . First published on December 9, 2020 / 6:39 AM. Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information. U.S. 60 was shut down from Campbells Creek to the Chelyan Bridge. Belle Mayor David Fletcher, who also is a volunteer firefighter, said the blaze was extinguished before midnight. A mans world? Shelter in place ordered for 2 mile radius of the plant, Metro 911 (@KanawhaCoAlerts) December 9, 2020. Emergency crews are on the scene of an explosion and fire at the Optima Chemical Plant on West Dupont Ave. in Belle. All Belle Chemical Company units have been shut down. At least two people have been injured after an explosion at a West Virginia chemical plant that prompted authorities to order residents within 3.2 kilometres (two miles) of the plant . "Welcome to our world," says Vivian Stockman, 52, a longtime resident of rural Roane County, north of Charleston, the state capital, and an activist with the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition. Scientists just confirmed a 30-foot void first detected inside the monument years ago. as well as other partner offers and accept our. The explosion involved chlorinated dry bleach and methanol, Kanawha County Commissioner Kent Carper told the. It is unclear whether the explosion involved any chemicals at the plant, formerly known as the. A National Geographic team has made the first ascent of the remote Mount Michael, looking for a lava lake in the volcanos crater. Incident Description: On July 28, 2021, MetroNews reported an explosion at a chemical plant in Belle, West Virginia. An explosion that injured four people at a West Virginia chemical plant and shook surrounding homes prompted authorities to impose a shelter-in-place order early Wednesday. Copyright 2023 West Virginia MetroNews Network. KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - The name of the person who was killed in an explosion at Optima Chemicals Company in Belle, West Virginia Tuesday evening has been released. 60 has reopened between Campbells Creek and the Chelyan Bridge. The call came in around 10 p.m. Tuesday, December 8, 2020. James Mason, whos with KCEAA, said they have their mass causality teams and mass triage teams ready as a precautionary measure. Heres the technology that helped scientists find itand what it may have been used for. An explosion Tuesday evening at the Optima Chemicals plant in Belle, West Virginia resulted in the death of one worker and injured three others. It happened around 10 p.m. Tuesday at the Chemours plant along W. Dupont Ave. in Belle. Tina and her children are surrounded by family and friends in this great time of need. KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) West Virginia American Water says customers are not impacted by the chemical plant explosion. The Belle Volunteer Fire Department was also at the scene along with every volunteer fire department in the area.. The town of Belle has about 1,100 residents. "I urge everyone in the area to follow the Shelter-In-Place Order currently in effect. Kanawha County Commissioner Kent Carper told a local radio program Wednesday morning that there was a "massive explosion" at the site that sent metal debris onto an interstate and across the river. Officials let the fire continue to burn off until just after midnight when it was extinguished, Justice said. Four people were injured. At least 10 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 18; more than a dozen missing, 3 children killed, 2 others wounded at Texas home, Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed last month, doctor says, Duo of 81-year-old women plan to see the world in 80 days, Bus with 40 children crashes in French Alps, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Alex Murdaugh trial: What to know about the double murder case. The Bedington Energy Facility will stand on the site of a former industrial facility that was previously designated as a Brownfield site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency due to potential contamination from the DuPont operations. BELLE, W.Va. An explosion at a West Virginia chemical plant on Wednesday night prompted authorities to order residents within 2 miles of the plant to remain indoors. A homeowner in Belle shared this video captured during the explosion: According to Metro 911, the shelter-in-place includes everyone between the Chelyan Bridge to Burning Springs. She's president of People Concerned About Chemical Safety, which pressed West Virginia lawmakers in 2009 to pass legislation modeled on a California industrial safety program that Nye says has minimized industrial accidents there. "This was not a coal company incident, this was a chemical company incident," he said, in an account of the scolding published in the Charleston Gazette. Rt. Please be careful everyone! Keep checking the WSAZ App for the latest information. "To those of us in the chemical industry, safety is number one," he said. Appalachian Power and Mon Power report approximately 60,000 customers without service Saturday morning. Site responders are working to contain the fire. Do Not Sell My Personal Information All rights reserved. The incident was reported around 10 p.m. Aaron Spencer captured the following drone footage of fire after the explosion: Dispatchers said there was some type of explosion, but the cause is unknown at this time. !Fire, explosion at West Virginia chemical plant prompt warning for . The extent of their injuries was unknown. And though about 70,000 customers have been told their water is safe again as of Wednesday night, the spill has renewed the long-running debate over environmental oversight of the coal and chemical industries, the foundation for West Virginia's fragile economy. The Chemical Safety Board made similar recommendations in its reports of the 2008 and 2010 accidents, but the proposal died in the legislature without coming up for a vote. Early Wednesday morning, the Kanawha County Commission said the order had been lifted. We have no further details at this time., U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., tweeted, Gayle and I are praying for those at the Chemours plant in Belle & for our brave first responders who are running to the fire tonight. Chemours released the following statement: An incident at one of the tenant companies at the Chemours site in Belle, West Virginia has resulted in a fire. Carper said at first they believed there was a barge accident, but they soon realized it was an incident at the plant. Not in this state.". The explosion occurred near the Chemours plant in Belle just after 10 p.m. But Agent Orange, which was used extensivelyand controversiallyin Southeast Asia to defoliate jungles during the Vietnam War, was produced at Nitro's Monsanto Co. plant from the 1940s until 1971. Why wetlands are so critical for life on Earth, Rest in compost? Not according to biology or history. Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said three people were transported to the hospital, while a fourth person took himself to seek treatment. Shelter in place up within two miles of Belle. The shelter in place was lifted about 2:30 Wednesday morning. "The fire was significant," Carper told local outlet MetroNews. 2023 Cable News Network. Site responders worked to contain the fire,\" Chemours said in an email. The explosion took place at the Optima Belle Chemical plant at around 10 p.m. Tuesday, when a 1,200-gallon metal dryer became over-pressurized during a chemical product drying operation, a news. Imagesposted on Twitter showed the fire from across the Kanawha River. West Virginia American Waters Kanawha Valley water treatment plant is located along the Elk River, which is a separate source water supply from the chemical plant. John Gillenwater was killed in the explosion. The water company says customers will not see any changes to their water services. Carper said he hopes the shelter-in-place is lifted soon, but for now it is best to stay put and stay inside their homes for the safety of their families. John Gillenwater was a true man of faith and the family believes in the power of prayer. Site responders are working to contain the fire. It left 300,000 people surrounding Charleston unable to even touch tap water and essentially shut down the state's capital city as residents scavenged for bottled water, baby wipes, and frozen TV dinners requiring no water for cooking or cleanup. Optima said preliminary information is that a 1,200-gallon metal dryer became over-pressurized during a chemical product drying operation, and what was in the dryer was a compound used for sanitation. Other tenants at the Belle site also include Kureha, Optima Chemical Group, and Sentinel Transportation. "We've had at least one very serious explosion and a working fire at the plant," Carper told the news station. KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - U.S. Pasco sheriff: 3 people, including a 6-year-old girl, shot in the head during home invasion, Missing child alert canceled for Miami 15-year-old, 10 Weather: Warm weekend, isolated rain chances, Windy conditions ahead of chance of rain this weekend, Police: 4 killed after explosion at UK waste water plant, US charities raise millions in wake of Beirut port blast. All Videos; Safety Videos; Safety Messges; . According to emergency officials, the explosion occurred at 8:40 a.m. in a furnace. The plant is along the Kanawha River in eastern Kanawha County.Belle, with a population of around 1,100, is southeast of Charleston. WSAZ-TV reports three people were taken to the hospital and a fourth transported themselves to get treatment. It happened around 10 p.m. Tuesday at the Chemours plant along W. Dupont Ave. in Belle. Scanner audio of the initial dispatch of last Tuesday night's explosion at Optima Chemical in Belle, West Virginia at the former DuPont Chemical plant. Carper also says it does not appear any chemicals got into the Kanawha River. View of fires at a Chemours chemical plant following an explosion in Belle, West Virginia, U.S., December 8, 2020 in this still image taken from social media video. But Donna Willis, 58, a disabled legal secretary who grew up in Institute and remembers the toxic releases and explosions, argued that drawing a bright line between the coal and chemical industries as if they have nothing to do with each other misses the larger point. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, also tweeted his concern.School closings for Wednesday were announced by the county.Chemours formed as a spinoff from DuPont in 2015. The only place in the U.S. where MIC was manufactured and stockpiled was at Union Carbide's plant in Institute, West Virginia, in the heart of Chemical Valley. Several schools in the area have already canceled classes Wednesday. The explosion took place at the Optima Belle Chemical plant at around 10 p.m. Tuesday, when a 1,200-gallon metal dryer became over-pressurized during a chemical product drying operation, a news release from Optima Belle said. Kanawha Countys Emergency Operations Center was activated, and Kanawha County emergency and homeland security responders were at the scene. There was a shelter in place for a two-mile radius late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, according to dispatchers. Can we bring a species back from the brink? The Belle Chemical Company that oversees the chemical operations at the site said in a 1:30 a.m. news release the explosion occurred at the site but was not related to chemical company operations. It includes all of Belle, Marmet, Chesapeake and Chelyan. A 2-mile radius was ordered to shelter in place around the Chemours chemical complex in Belle, WV, WOWK-TV reported. DUPONT PLANT IN BELLE WEST VIRGINIA JUST HAD AN EXPLOSION! For all the industrial incidents and accidents, residents say not much in their state seems to change. The proposal calls for annual safety audits by public health officials and other chemical safety experts.
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