At least one person was badly burned and another missing after an explosion and large fire erupted Thursday morning at a chemical plant southwest of Fort Worth, Texas, authorities said.
The Forth Worth Fire Department was sending units to the plant near Cresson, located at the corner of three counties. A witness described a “big kaboom” sound before the first calls were received at 9:45 a.m. CT (10:45 a.m. ET), according to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.
“Things were blowing out of the roof, like metal lids on buckets. Then, the fire,” Jesse Bailey, who was working next door, told the NBC station. “It smells like sulfur,” he added.
At least one more explosion was captured by cameras above the scene.
Other fire departments were en route as well, but firefighters remained cautious in the event of further blasts, Cresson Mayor Bob Cornett told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.
Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds could not immediately tell reporters the extent of the one injury.
A part of State Highway 171 was closed because of the fire. Plumes of black smoke could be seen coming from the plant, which appeared to belong to Tri-Chem Industries, a chemical blending facility. The company did not immediately comment about the incident.
Hood County Sheriff’s Lt. Johnny Rose said fertilizers were not stored at the plant.
Johnson County Emergency Management tweeted that smoke was blowing away from Johnson County, but that officials would continue to monitor wind direction.
Texas has been the scene of other plant explosions in recent years, including one in Crosby last summer after Hurricane Harvey and a massive fertilizer plant fire in West in April 2013 that claimed 15 lives.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.