Compressor Fire Causes Chlorine Leak at Olin Facility

Residents near a Dow Chemical complex in Plaquemine, LA were told to shelter-in-place Monday evening after a fire and chlorine leak occurred at a plant operated Olin Corp., local news organizations reported.

Officials with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality told the Baton Rouge Advocate that the chlorine leak happened after a fire ignited in a compressor. The liquid pooled on the floor and became a gas.

“There is a fire/chlorine spill at the Olin plant on Dow’s Plaquemine site. Everyone south and east of Dow should shelter in place,” the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Monday night. “Please turn your AC units off and close doors and windows.”

First responders were called to the site at about 8:40 p.m., coverage by Reuters said. The shelter-in-place order lasted about five hours. Olin stated that there were no injuries or offsite exposure.

Olin’s Plaquemine location supports the firm’s Chlor Alkali business.