"Homeowners Join Lawsuit Against Arkema Chemical Plant That Burned

"Eleven additional plaintiffs and a new defendant have been added to a lawsuit against the company whose manufacturing plant experienced a series of chemical fires as a result of floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey."

"Eleven plaintiffs and a new defendant were added Wednesday to a lawsuit against Arkema Inc., an international chemical company whose plant near Houston spewed clouds of smoke from a series of chemical fires earlier this month after it was inundated by six feet of floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey.

The updated lawsuit alleges that Arkema and the new defendant, Bureau Veritas — an air quality monitoring company that Arkema contracted to conduct testing in the vicinity of the plant — failed to properly advise first responders and neighbors about the dangers of fumes from the fires, which spewed black smoke high above the plant in Crosby.

The lawsuit, originally filed Sept. 7 with seven first responders listed as plaintiffs, has since swelled to include six additional first responders as well as a slate of area homeowners who claim that in addition to property damage related to the fires, they suffered 'upper respiratory infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, itchy, burning eyes, tight, burning throats and the like — illnesses and injuries that did not exist prior to the explosions and fires at the Arkema facility and illnesses resulting from and exacerbated by the explosions and fire at the Arkema facility.'"

Emma Platoff reports for the Texas Tribune September 20, 2017.