All we can tell you is if you live in that area shelter in place, Kanawha County Commissioner Kent Carper told MetroNews a few minutes after the explosion was first reported. Jim Justice initially said at least four people were hurt in the explosion. The plant is along the Kanawha River in eastern Kanawha County.Belle, with a population of around 1,100, is southeast of Charleston. The order was lifted around 2:30 a.m. "Unless it is in a container that says purified water, distilled water, or I bought it myself and put it through my machine, I don't drink anybody's water. A 2-mile radius shelter-in-place was in effect earlier near the chemical plant in Belle, West Virginia, after a fire. Shelter in place ordered for 2 mile radius of the plant, Metro 911 (@KanawhaCoAlerts) December 9, 2020. KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) New details are being released about an explosion at the Chemours plant along W. Dupont Ave. in Belle overnight. "This was not a coal company incident, this was a chemical company incident," he said, in an account of the scolding published in the Charleston Gazette. The outcome could have been much worse if not for all the first responders, said Justice. BELLE, W. Va. (KDKA/AP) - A shelter-in-place order has been lifted for hundreds of people following an explosion and fire at the former Dupont Chemical Plant in Belle, West Virginia.. The Kanawha County school board announced that all Riverside area feeder schools will be closed Wednesday because of the explosion. Belle Mayor David Fletcher, who also is a volunteer firefighter, said the blaze was extinguished before midnight. Officials do not believe any chemicals from the plant fire got into the Kanawha River, Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper told CNN affiliate WSAZ. Investigations: DuPont Corporation Toxic Chemical Releases . SHELTER IN PLACE IS IN EFFECT. Shelter in place up within two miles of Belle. BELLE, WV (WOWK) 12/8/2020 10:45 a.m. The explosion involved chlorinated dry bleach and methanol, Kanawha County Commissioner Kent Carper told the. Jim Justice tweeted that he has been briefed and that he and his wife were praying for the safety of everyone involved.Sen. House approves bill named after fallen Charleston police officer. The company will also install a 100-kilowatt solar array on a Berkeley County School at no cost to the Berkeley County Board of Education. Four . For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. There are about 200 employees at the Belle location. KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - The name of the person who was killed in an explosion at Optima Chemicals Company in Belle, West Virginia Tuesday evening has been released. "Gayle and I send our thoughts and prayers to John Gillenwaters family, friends, and loved ones, especially his wife Tina and their children," Manchin said in a statement. Minutes later, the Belle fire chief and volunteer firefighters arrived. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider These animals can sniff it out. Site responders are working to contain the fire. The water company says customers will not see any changes to their water services. The extent of their injuries is unknown at this time. After the 2008 explosion at Bayer CropScience, the federal Chemical Safety Board recommended new state and federal safety regulations. "The fire was significant," Carper told local outlet MetroNews. Four people were injured. 60 has reopened between Campbells Creek and the Chelyan Bridge. Spruance employs more than 2,000 people, many of which are second and third-generation employees. It directed questions to another company that did not immediately return a voice message.Aerial video posted to social media captured images of the fire burning.The shelter-in-place remained in effect early Wednesday. Last week's spill is believed to be West Virginia's first chemical accident involving contamination of a large municipal system, and Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has warned out-of-town media against misattributing blame. Or bathtub enamel eaten away, leaving locals to wonder what the same water was doing to their teeth. Chemours formed as a spinoff from DuPont in 2015. 10:28 PM EST, Wed December 9, 2020. Kanawha County Commissioner Kent Carper saidtwo people were injured. According to the company, no changes have occurred in the finished water quality leaving the companys water treatment plants and no drinking water advisories have been issued. Weve contacted the state and the Governors Office for assistance, Carper said. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Chemours says the incident occurred at Optima Chemicals, which is a tenant on the property. The DuPont Spruance manufacturing site sits along the James River in Richmond, Virginia. Not according to biology or history. Animation of April 26, 2018, Explosion and Fire at the Husky Energy Refinery in Superior . John Gillenwater was killed in the explosion. GRAFTON, W.Va ( WDTV /Gray News) - Two West Virginia women have been charged after police reported deplorable, unsanitary and unsafe living conditions at an animal rescue. Our focus at this time is the safety of our employees and others who are employed on the site, the community members and our first responders.. How a zoo break-in changed the life of an owl called Flaco, Naked mole rats are fertile until they die, study finds. "We just live with it until the next thing happens and then we rehash it all over again," Nye said. We have no further details at this time., U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., tweeted, Gayle and I are praying for those at the Chemours plant in Belle & for our brave first responders who are running to the fire tonight. Cathy and I are praying for the safety of all involved," Justice said. (WSAZ) - West Virginia American Water says customers are not impacted by the chemical plant explosion. According to emergency officials, the explosion occurred at 8:40 a.m. in a furnace. Chemours formed as a spinoff from DuPont in 2015. It was at Optima Belle Chemical, a tenant of the Chemours Company Plant site. A homeowner in Belle shared this video shot Tuesday night during the explosion at the Chemours plant in Kanawha County. No staff should report. "We are seeing a renaissance now because of Marcellus Shale," said Kevin DiGregorio, executive director of the Chemical Alliance Zone, a nonprofit economic development group dedicated to building the chemical industry in West Virginia. The water company says customers will not see any changes to their water services. !Fire, explosion at West Virginia chemical plant prompt warning for neighborsTwo people suffered injuries, a county official said, and the fire at the Chemours plant site was said to be under control. ET, WCHS reported. Kanawha County Emergency Management Director, CW Sigman, tells WSAZ.com chlorine and methanol were involved in the explosion. All rights reserved. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Officials believe the explosion involved chlorinated dry bleach and methanol, Kanawha County Commissioner Kent Carper told WCHS-TV. DUPONT PLANT IN BELLE WEST VIRGINIA JUST HAD AN EXPLOSION! "But it doesn't ever get any better.". It shook peoples houses on both sides of the river., He added, It shook homes and businesses clear over on the Marmet side of the river.. First published on December 9, 2020 / 6:39 AM. 2023 Cable News Network. All rights reserved. Shelter in place up within two miles of Belle. The explosion at a chemical facility in Belle erupted just after 10 p.m. Tuesday and prompted a warning to shelter-in-place for two miles around it. RELATED: Police: 4 killed after explosion at UK waste water plant, RELATED: US charities raise millions in wake of Beirut port blast. This is a developing story. The toxic wastewater produced in the cleansing process, known as coal slurry, is either injected into the grounda moratorium bans that for now, says Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition's Stockmanor is stored in impoundment ponds, or sludge "lakes" behind earthen dams. We are actively monitoring the situation, the release said. A plan to make mustard gas in the town for battlefields in Europe never materialized. The county commission said that the shelter-in-place order covers all of Belle, as well as the communities Marmet, Chesapeake and Chelyan.tags :- wsaz, dupont plant wv, wchs, dupont explosion, dupont, belle wv, dupont plant explosion, dupont plant, wsaz news, charleston wv news, chemours belle wv, wowk, charleston wv, wchs news, chemours, dupont plant belle wv, chemical plant explosion, belle west virginia, dupont plant west virginia, chlorine gas, wv news, dupont charleston wv, wchstv shelter in place charleston wv, kanawha countyCopyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for \"fair use\" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. The county commission said that the shelter-in-place order covered all of Belle, as well as the communities Marmet, Chesapeake and Chelyan. Steam billows from cooling towers at a power plant near the Kanawha River in West Virginia. According to the company, no changes have occurred in the finished water quality leaving the companys water treatment plants and no drinking water advisories have been issued. All Rights Reserved. Its still unclear what they produce at the plant. IE 11 is not supported. His family is "devastated over the loss of their husband, father and friend," according to NBC affiliate WSAZ of Huntington. Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information. It happened around 10 p.m. Tuesday at the Optima Chemicals Company along W. Dupont Ave. in Belle. Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said three people were transported to the hospital, while a fourth person took himself to seek treatment. The roughly 5,000-year-old human remains were found in graves from the Yamnaya culture, and the discovery may partially explain their rapid expansion throughout Europe. The chemical giant also paid $9 million to clean dioxin-contaminated dust from 4,500 homes, according to the 385-page court order. Belle Mayor David Fletcher, who doubles as a volunteer firefighter, says the fire was put out and an order for residents in the area to remain indoors was lifted early Wednesday. Its plant in Belle is located about 15 minutes south of Charleston. "Welcome to our world," says Vivian Stockman, 52, a longtime resident of rural Roane County, north of Charleston, the state capital, and an activist with the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition. Hey Kanawha County. Cathy and I are praying for the safety of all involved.. We encourage those who would like to show support for Tina and the family during this time to donate by contacting any local branch referencing the benefit account for John Gillenwater.. It happened Tuesday night at the Chemours property site in Belle. As of just before 2 a.m. Wednesday, the commission reported the fire was still burning at the plant. WSAZ-TV reports three people were taken to the hospital and a fourth transported themselves to get treatment. Four people have reportedly been injured after an explosion at a chemical plant in West Virginia. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) West Virginia American Water says customers are not impacted by the chemical plant explosion. Road closures, shelter-in-place in effect after chemical plant explosion in Kanawha Valley, Go Fund Me started for Rockingham County deputy in need of emergency heart surgery, High School Basketball Scoreboard: State Quarterfinals, JMU womens basketball moves past Marshall 62-43, advances to Sun Belt semifinal, COVID was a huge boom for us; Shenandoah National Park official talks about how they are moving forward, Charlie Obaugh RV & Outdoor Student Athlete of the Week. Chemical Valley begins at the hamlet of Gauley Bridge, population 614, in central West Virginia, where the New River and the Gauley River converge and flow into the much larger Kanawha. Heres why each season begins twice. Site responders are working to contain the fire. The area is the location of theformer DuPont chemical plant. A homeowner in Belle shared this video captured during the explosion: According to Metro 911, the shelter-in-place includes everyone between the Chelyan Bridge to Burning Springs. Please be careful everyone! Imagesposted on Twitter showed the fire from across the Kanawha River. Several schools in the area have already canceled classes Wednesday. !Fire, explosion at West Virginia chemical plant prompt warning for . Can we bring a species back from the brink?, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. The incident prompted a 2-mile radius shelter-in-place order, a county official told CNN, which has since been lifted. She's president of People Concerned About Chemical Safety, which pressed West Virginia lawmakers in 2009 to pass legislation modeled on a California industrial safety program that Nye says has minimized industrial accidents there. An aerial view of Catenary Coal Co. mountaintop removal site near Kayford Mountain in West Virginia. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. Keep checking the WSAZ App for the latest information. John was the sole bread winner for his family.. The plant is along the Kanawha River in eastern Kanawha County. Follow Laura Parker on Twitter and Facebook. That river wends through the mountains and empties into the Ohio River on the Ohio-West Virginia border at Point Pleasant. . Early Wednesday morning, the Kanawha County Commission said the order had been lifted. The Bedington Energy Facility will stand on the site of a former industrial facility that was previously designated as a Brownfield site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency due to potential contamination from the DuPont operations.