An explosion occurred at a chemical plant early Wednesday morning in Shepherd, Texas, which is an hour outside Houston, in San Jacinto County. The blast caused a significant fire and prompted evacuations along with stay-at-home orders.

Geoff Harfield, the president of Sound Chemical Solutions, reported that a “Forklift incident” triggered the lead-up for an explosion. Harfield did not release any other information regarding the cause of the incident.

An employee was treated for minor burns at a local hospital. There has been no update on the man’s condition. The other 40 workers were reported to be safe with no injuries. However, the massive plume of smoke could harm the local communities.

A local school had to evacuate due to the severity of the incident because they were within a five-mile radius of the plant. There was also a shelter-in-place order for everyone who lived within a five-mile radius of the plant, but it was later reduced to one mile.

Officials advised that citizens should not spend unnecessary time outside because the effects of the chemicals were not yet known despite no chemicals being found in the air. The wind blew smoke toward Polk County, and the county officials advised citizens to stay inside.

Records show the plant had chemicals that may cause severe eye and skin damage. It was also reported that the chemicals were very toxic because the company makes glue and paint remover solvents.

Now, the fire has been contained thanks to the help of twenty fire departments. There are also units on the ground who are monitoring the air quality.