Storage Tank Explosion Rocks Arkansas Chemical Facility

A 6000-gal storage tank exploded at the Org Chem Group chemical processing plant in Hot Springs, AR in the early hours of Friday morning, the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record reported.
The blast at the Blacksnake Road site was reported at about 2 a.m., drawing a response from area firefighters and a HAZMAT team, Bo Robertson, the director of Garland County Department of Emergency Management, told the newspaper. A lawyer for the chemical company said in the Sentinel-Record’s coverage that the storage tank was holding about 3000 gal of a liquid composed of 80% water and 20% sodium hydroxide when the explosion occurred. No chemicals were released into the air or the area surrounding the plant and no injuries were logged. The newspaper said operations at the Org Chem Group facility were uninterrupted.