Welcome To Vestal's Blog: TOXIC CHEMICAL FACTORY IN CHINA IN FLAMES

A huge explosion has ripped apart atoxic chemical factory in China, with hundreds of firefighters battling the flames.

An explosion in the pumping station of the Dragon Aromatics site, in the eastern Chinese city of Zhangzhou, Fujian province, at around 6.56pm (local time) yesterday evening was the second to hit the factory in 20 months.

At least six people – four of them firefighters – have been hospitalised fighting the blaze, which the provincial government website reported as under control this morning.

Footage captured by nearby residents, broadcast on China Central Television, shows flames billowing into the sky as approximately 430 fire-fighters battle the fire.

Other news agencies claimed that the blast from the paraxylene (PX) factory, a flammable chemical used in plastics and polyester manufacturing, could be felt as far as 50km away.

Windows in houses and factories as far as 1km away were reportedly broken in the blast.

The explosion comes following protests from residents over the PX factory.

PX factories are highly controversial within China. The Dragon Aromatics site was moved from its original site – outside Xiamen – following NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) protests.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has claimed the chemical may cause harmful side effects and can be dangerous is inhaled or absorbed through the skin, damaging abdominal organs and the nervous system.