SULPHUR, La. — Five workers were reportedly hurt in an explosion at a chemical plant just south of Sulphur on Monday night.
The explosion happened at Westlake Chemical's Petro Complex 2 Unit on Louisiana Highway 108 near Beglis Parkway KPLC reported.
Joe Andrepont, a spokesperson for the company, told the television station that the facility, used to produce ethylene, was undergoing maintenance at the time of the explosion.
As of 1 p.m. KPLC reported that three of those injured have been released from the hospital according to the Louisiana State Police.
KPLC also reported that a plant spokesperson said that the explosion was a flash fire and beyond that there was no sustained fire.
Andrepont said the five employees that were injured were contracted employees, and all plant personnel were accounted for.
Newsweek reports that a video posted on Facebook late Monday night reportedly showed plums of smoke drifting into the sky after the explosion.
Shawn Carter, who reportedly filmed the video, told Newsweek that he learned that one of the five injured employees sustained severe burns to half of their body.
Several people who commented on Carter's photo reported hearing the explosion miles away. "I heard and felt the explosion in Sulphur," one commenter said.
GET NEWS & WEATHER ALERTS | Download the 12News App to your mobile device
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
