Two explosions shook a flooded chemical plant near Houston early Thursday, sending a plume of black smoke into the air and triggering an intense fire that continued to burn.

by JULIA BAGG, ALEX JOHNSON and JASON CUMMING

(NBC News) - Authorities warned that further blasts were likely to occur on site since chemicals weren’t being stored at the appropriate temperatures after the facility lost power following Hurricane Harvey.

Residents in a 1.5-mile radius of the Arkema Inc. plant were first evacuated Tuesday, and the water levels there remain too dangerous for workers to assess the situation from the ground, officials added.

“That’s why we want people to respect [the] radius. It’s not over. This is very serious and we know that,” Richard Rennard, of Arkema Group, said at a news conference.

#Breaking Just saw plume of smoke over flooded chemical plant in Crosby, TX. Firefighters evacuating us @nbc6 pic.twitter.com/9pN8drDCcq

— Julia Bagg (@JuliaNBC6) August 31, 2017

He added that the explosions were not massive, and that the pressure building up inside the containers where the chemicals are located eventually produces a “popping sound.”

The smoke that was emanating from the facility irritated the eyes and throats of more than a dozen law enforcement officers who were monitoring the scene, said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. Some of them went to the hospital out of precaution.

“It’s basically like standing over a barbecue pit or something like that, where you get smoke in your eyes,” he added.

The plant in Crosby, Texas — about 20 miles northeast of Houston — was inundated by more than 40 inches of rain from Harvey and has been without electricity since Sunday.

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