Houston – A large explosion, on Friday, jolted the U.S. city of Houston, with authorities saying at least one person had been hospitalised.
The blast, which was believed to be an industrial facility shattered windows of nearby buildings and was felt kilometres away.
Smoke and flames could be seen from the site in the North-West of the city.
The Houston Fire Department said emergency responders’ cordon-off the area, before transporting the injured person to the hospital.
However, following the explosion, some schools in the state announced they would close down their schools.
Students and faculty of other schools in the region had been advised to stay indoors over air quality concerns.
The cause of the blast is yet to be determined, although the facility’s owner said that a tank of propylene is believed to have exploded, with the gas being a respiratory hazard that could cause eye and skin irritation.
The Chief of the Houston Police Department, Art Acevedo, noted that while there was currently no risk of health damage by inhalation, the public should still avoid inhalation exposure out of an overabundance of caution.
(Xinhua/NAN)
