A chemical factory fire near Houston kills a person and forces containment

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At least one person was killed Tuesday at the KMCO plant in Crosby, Texas, said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Two others are in critical condition and were driven by helicopter to a hospital, said spokeswoman for the office of the Fire Marshal Rachel Moreno.

The fire is contained, she said, but firefighters are trying to prevent it from spreading.

The incident began when a transfer line ignited in the area of ​​a tank containing isobutylene, according to the sheriff. An adjacent storage building also caught fire.

All residents within a 1.5 km radius of the factory have been ordered to be housed on site, announced the Harris County Sheriff's Office. But there does not seem to be any dangerous chemicals in the air.

"We have not seen any detection at the action level," said Matt Loesel, on-site coordinator of US Environmental.

Moreno said that there were dry and combustible chemicals in the storage building where the flames were suffering.

The Crosby Independent School District has shut down the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems on all campuses. "The teachers have, if possible, sealed the doors, for added security," said the district.
The Galena Park Independent School District canceled all outdoor activities and shut down the air and ventilation systems for the remainder of the school day.
The KMCO plant is located about 25 miles northeast of Deer Park, where an installation of Intercontinental Terminals Co. caught fire and burned for several days last month.

Pierre Meilhan from CNN contributed to this report.

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