Smoke Plume Over Houston Fades After TPC Restores Power

Texas chemical producer TPC Group Inc. has restored normal operations at its facility that spewed thick, black smoke into the Houston sky for almost four hours Monday.

The plant, which makes chemicals used to manufacture tires, lost power during a late-morning thunderstorm, TPC’s communications manager Gwendolyn Kimble said. Flames from the facility’s flare stack could be seen at least 18 miles away, producing a dense plume of smoke. Chemical plants and refineries use the flaring system to burn off hazardous gases that the facility can not treat in an emergency situation.

The plume dissipated after power was restored in the afternoon. Air pollution monitoring at the plant’s fence line didn’t show any impact outside the facility, Kimble said.

Photo: A plume of black smoke visible from miles away in Houston, Texas.