The mandatory evacuation order was lifted on Friday morning, November 29, two days after 60,000 residents were forced to leave their homes before Thanksgiving.
Unfortunately, many residents returned to find serious damage to their homes, shattered windows, doors blown off their hinges, and roofs destroyed.
The first explosion occurred at about 1 a.m. on Wednesday, November 27. Two employees and a contractor were injured in the initial blast.
Around 13 hours later, a second major explosion occurred, followed by several smaller explosions.
The fires sent toxic plumes of burning chemicals into the air, blew a metal tower into the air “like a missile” toward the high school, and spewed asbestos-contaminated debris into residential neighborhoods.
Residents were warned to contact TPC immediately if they find any metallic debris or things covered in a white, chalky substance. Officials said they did not detect any measurable levels of asbestos in the air.
The TPC chemical plant is located in Port Neches, Texas, on the Louisiana border about 80 miles east of Houston, Texas.
Officials said the fires started in a part of the facility that manufactures butadiene, a colorless chemical that is used to make synthetic rubber and other products.