Explosion at Chemical Plant Occurs After Railcar Accident

An explosion at the Evonik Industries chemical plant in Theodore, AL occurred Saturday afternoon.

At approximately 2:36 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to Evonik’s facility in response to an accident that occurred a half-hour earlier.

A large smoke cloud was visible from across Mobile Bay, reported local news.

An initial investigation by three units revealed a railcar carrying hydrogen peroxide was involved in an accident which led to the incident.

It was later found that the railcar exploded due to over-pressurization.

No serious injuries were reported at the time of the incident. While Evonik announced the situation was under control, MFRD units remained on standby to assist as needed.

Later updates confirmed that the plant is expected to resume normal operations by Sunday.

The Evonik facility in Theodore employs approximately 750 people and is the company's largest site in North America.