Fire Breaks Out at Dow Plant And Leads to Chlorine Leak!

On the evening of April 18, local time, a fire broke out at the Dow plant in Plaquemine-Louisiana, which resulted in the leakage of chlorine gas. It is reported that the company involved in the accident was Olin Company.

Dow Louisiana Operations subsequently issued an emergency statement stating that Dow Emergency Services is actively responding to the incident in Olin, our third-party tenant in the Plaquemines area. Dow is working closely with the Ibeville Parish Sheriff's Office and will take appropriate precautions to prevent the continued release of chlorine gas.

At 9:45 p.m., Olin also issued a statement saying that a chlorine gas leak occurred at Olin’s plant in Plaquemin, the emergency response at the scene had been activated, and the employees of the plant had also taken safety measures, and the company was working hard to stop the gas leak.

Local officials said the blaze was extinguished at 9:30 p.m. and crews were still working to contain the chlorine leak until 11:15 p.m.

In addition, at 10:23 a.m. on April 19, local police released a message that the Plaquemine-Louisiana State Police Emergency Services was responding to a chlorine leak at the Dow Chemical Plant in Ibbyville Parish. An "emergency shelter" notice has been issued to residents in the area near the factory, and two-way lanes of Louisiana Highway 1 near the factory have been closed.

So far, there have been no reports of harm caused by chlorine leaks.

It is reported that in 2015, Olin acquired Dow's chlor-alkali and vinyl, global chlorinated organics and global epoxy businesses in North America. After the acquisition, Olin became the world's largest chlorine producer.