Evacuations underway after Texas chemical plant explosion, fire, police say

Evacuations are underway after a chemical plant exploded and caught fire in Shepherd, Texas, officials said Wednesday. 

"CHEMICAL PLANT ON FIRE," the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office, where Shepherd is located, wrote on Facebook Wednesday morning. "Evacuations in progress. Please AVOID the area and watch for multiple emergency vehicles."

A private school near the scene was evacuated and a highway was "closed due to the plant explosion," the San Jacinto County Emergency Management Office said. 

Shortly before noon, the emergency agency reduced the shelter-in-place from a five-mile radius to a one-mile radius. 

The shelter-in-place still appears to be in effect for nearby Polk County.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday morning that a smoke plume was headed toward the area and advised residents in the southern half of the county to "shelter-in-place and turn off HVAC systems in homes and businesses immediately."

Law enforcement also said Wednesday morning that "the effects of the chemical in the air are unknown."

Videos posted online show smoke plumes purportedly from the plant billowing throughout the air. 

The cause of the incident as well as the number of injuries, if any, is unclear at this time.

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