PARIS—An explosion Wednesday at a French plant that produces a component of gunpowder injured eight people, one of them seriously, local officials in southwest France said. The plant located in the town of Bergerac specializes in making nitrocellulose, a highly flammable chemical compound. Jean-Charles Jobart, the deputy prefect of Bergerac, said the cause of the…

OMAHA, Neb.—A large fire that raged through a Nebraska chemical plant was extinguished by Tuesday morning and nearby residents who were initially evacuated were allowed to return to their homes, authorities said. Thick smoke billowed from the Nox-Crete facility just southwest of downtown Omaha that could be seen as far away Monday evening as the…

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia—An explosion and fire at a chemical plant in southeast Slovenia has left five people missing and feared dead, officials said Thursday. Emergency officials said another two people were hospitalized in critical condition with severe burns after the blast, which was reported around 8.30 a.m. (0630GMT) in the town of Kocevje. The Melamin factory…

WESTLAKE, La.—An explosion Wednesday at a southwest Louisiana chemical plant has left at least six people with minor injuries. The explosion occurred at an empty ethylene dichloride storage tank shortly before 11 a.m., a spokesperson for Westlake Chemical South told news outlets. Two of the injured were taken to Oschner Christus St. Patrick Hospital and…

LA PORTE, Texas—An evacuation order has been lifted in an industrial area of a Houston-area city following a chemical release earlier in the week. Dow Chemical said Thursday there’s “no longer a risk of community impact” in areas surrounding its chemical plant in La Porte, about 25 miles east of Houston. A tank-truck trailer over-pressurized…

A massive explosion strikes a chemical plant in Illinois, we spoke with a couple who helped save the day when a hostile passenger acted up on one Delta flight, and an English teacher has resigned in New Jersey over curriculum she says is hurting students.

CHICAGO—An explosion at a northern Illinois chemical plant Monday morning sparked massive fires that sent flames and huge plumes of thick black smoke high into the air and debris raining onto the ground, prompting evacuations. After 7 a.m., emergency crews rushed to the scene of the fire near Rockton, northwest of Chicago, at Chemtool Inc.,…