Texas plant explosion forces evacuation of residents, including local man's family

BOSTON — A chemical plant explosion in Texas injured three people. A Boston man has family in the area, and they were told to evacuate.

That man grew up near the plant but is now living in Boston. His entire family is still in Texas. They had to evacuate their homes but are safe as of Wednesday night.

"Last night, I got a call," said John-Michael Beck. "It's 2 in the morning here in Boston and my father called. 1 a.m. The first explosion has just happened. He didn't want me to wake up in the morning and see it on the national news."

Beck is now sitting by his phone at home in the South End, waiting to hear from his family in Texas, who were forced to evacuate following two fiery explosions at a chemical plant in Port Neches, located about 80 miles east of Houston.

"Constantly look at my phone. I'm getting pictures, I'm getting updates from cousins, old high school friends that still live there," Beck said.

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This disaster hits close to home for John-Michael, who lived in the area up until college. His dad and step-mom can actually see the refinery from their backyard.

"My father actually had four windows blown out," Beck said. "But what's weird about it, three were on the backside. They were facing the refinery […] the shockwave went around the house and broke windows on the other side, so it was that powerful."

The first blast happened early Wednesday morning, blowing out windows and doors of nearby homes. Twelve hours later another fiery explosion happened. That blast led officials to issue a mandatory evacuation order for a four-mile radius around the plant.

"I have family just going in three different directions right now, just trying to find a place where they can hold up for the night until they get the all-clear back," Beck said.

As firefighters tried to tackle the flames, large plumes of smoke billowed into the air.

Everyone in Beck's family is accounted for, which has given him an extra special reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving.

"It really makes you think about what Thanksgiving really means," he said.

The plant makes chemical and petroleum-based products. State environmental officials are monitoring the air quality in the area.

Cox Media Group