This photo provided by Ryan Meador shows an explosion at The Williams Companies Inc. plant in the Ascension Parish town of Geismar La., on Thursday, June 13, 2013.GEISMAR, La. – An ground-rattling explosion at a chemical plant in Louisiana ignited a blaze Thursday that killed at least one person and left dozens more hurt, officials said.
Thirty-seven people were taken to area hospitals by helicopter or ambulance, and another 24 with minor injuries were taken to a hospital by school bus, according to Clay Henry of Acadian Ambulance Service.
State police Capt. Doug Cain said a body was found by hazardous materials crews going through the aftermath of the blast at the facility owned by The Williams Companies, based in Tulsa, Okla.
The plant is in a sparsely populated area about 20 miles from Baton Rouge, with few homes nearby. Cain said it was unlikely anyone lived within a couple of miles of the plant.
The company said the blast happened at 8:37 a.m. at the plant in an industrial area of Geismar, about 20 miles southeast of Baton Rouge. The cause was not immediately known. The FBI said terrorism was not suspected.