Ricky Giddens killed and three injured in chemical spill and explosion at PeroxyChem Bayport Plant in Pasadena, Texas

PASADENA, Texas (AP) — Police say a spill at a Houston-area chemical plant has left one person dead and three hurt. Pasadena police say the accident happened Saturday afternoon at the PeroxyChem Bayport Plant. Mitchell says there was no danger to the public in the accident on the grounds of the plant. He says one person suffered a broken arm, while two others were being treated for exposure to the cleaning solution. Police spokesman Vance Mitchell had no immediate information on what caused about 1,000 gallons of an oil-based cleaning solution to spill from a tank.

The explosion killed 63-year-old Rickey Giddens, who worked at several plants in the area as a contractor for Evergreen Industrial Services. The report does not detail what the equipment was or how it blew off the truck. The Fire Marshal's incident report stated that a piece of equipment blew off a vacuum truck during the Jan. 16 accident at the Pasadena plant of the Philadelphia-based company. Fire officials found no "active leaks" during the initial investigation, according to the incident report. Pasadena fire officials said in the incident report that the piece of equipment -- originally attached to the vacuum truck -- "suffered some sort of failure and blew off."