Reconstruction Story

Seven people were injured after an explosion heavily damaged a Georgia-Pacific chemical plant Wednesday and sent up a cloud of irritating fumes that forced the evacuation of nearby areas with an explosion that was felt up to seven miles away.
"It really shook the building," said Sharon Mittenbergs, a worker at Jefferson Smurfit Corp., a cardboard manufacturer about a mile from the plant.
Of the injured, one person was hospitalized in critical condition. Six others, including two firefighters, were treated at local hospitals. Five were released, and one was held for observation.
One employee remained unaccounted for. Company officials said the plant employs 55 people, but only 15 were working at the time of the explosion.
Georgia-Pacific spokeswoman Sheila Weidman said that a kettle in which chemicals were being heated to form a resin overheated and exploded at 10:44 a.m.
She said two toxic chemicals -- phenol and formaldehyde -- were being mixed along with sulfuric acid to produce a non-toxic resin used as a binder in the manufacture of wood products such as plywood and particle board.

Workers say fumes burned noses, throats

Only phenol was released into the air, according to police spokeswoman Gayle Conner.
Witnesses described the odor as sweet-smelling but not overpowering, although workers at nearby buildings complained that it burned their noses and throats.
Weidman said the chemicals had been contained and that a state hazardous materials team was pumping them into containers. A spokesman for the hazardous materials team said it did not appear that significant quantities of the toxic chemicals had escaped into the air.
The blast, which blew out most of the building's walls and much of the roof, knocked power out in the immediate vicinity.
A nearby Coca-Cola plant and an elementary school were evacuated, as were residents of bordering neighborhoods. A spokesman said the evacuation order would be rescinded when tests showed that the air was clear.
The plant, which has been operating since 1970, mainly makes resins and wood products.
The Associated Press contributed to this report