Fire at chlorine plant near Lake Charles under control

WESTLAKE, La. – A fire and chemical leak at a chlorine plant near Lake Charles, Louisiana, is under control Friday after catching fire in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura.

According to KPLC-TV, the plant is located in the town of Westlake. Precautionary shelter-in-place orders are still in effect for Sulphur, Westlake and Moss Bluff.

Video from Sky 2 showed smoke coming from the BioLab plant near Interstate 10.

Smoke from the fire was billowing across the interstate and drivers were being diverted around the scene of the fire, according to KPLC-TV.

KPLC-TV reported that crews were spraying water on the area of the chlorine leak in order to dilute the chemical.

Statement from the company

The company that operates the plant issued the following statement, saying that all employees were safe and that a specialized team is headed to the scene:

“KIK Custom Products confirmed that, as a result of damage sustained during Hurricane Laura, there is currently a fire at one plant located at the company’s Biolab Lake Charles, LA facility. Our priority is the safety and well-being of the Lake Charles community of which we are a part. We are deploying a specialized team to the site, and we are working with first responders, local authorities, and environmental agencies to contain and mitigate the impact of this incident as quickly as possible. The facility had been evacuated when the hurricane was upgraded to category 4 after following shut-down protocols, and all employees are confirmed to be safe at this time. We will provide additional information as it becomes available.”