Explosion at Angus Chemical Plant in Sterlington killed 8 on May 1, 1991
The explosion injured 42 people in the plant and 70 people in the community of Sterlington.
MONROE, La. (KNOE) - On the afternoon of May 1, 1991, an explosion in the nitroparaffin unit of the Angus Chemical Plant shook the town of Sterlington.
Eight people were killed in the explosion. Inside the plant, 42 people reported injuries. Outside the gates another 70 people were injured. Fifteen hundred homes were evacuated.
IMC Fertilizer operated the plant under contract to Angus Chemical. A large section of the NP plant was destroyed.
An OSHA report shows shrapnel was shot north and east of the plant, with large pieces of up to 150 pounds sent almost a mile away.
It took months for the damage to be repaired. Angus eventually sold the plant.
IMCF was charged $10 million in federal fines due to the lack of sufficient safety protocols.
As part of the plant settlement, the Ouachita Parish Public Library received a stipend to build and name a library branch in the town in memory of those injured and killed.
In addition, a granite memorial was erected at the site of what was then the Town Hall. Forty-five years after the incident, it is now the headquarters for Sterlington Police.
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