US safety agency sends investigative team to site of West Virginia explosion - ICIS

HOUSTON (ICIS)--The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has sent a team to investigate the explosion earlier this week at a chemicals production facility in Belle, West Virginia, operated by Optima Chemical, the safety agency confirmed on Thursday.

Optima leases space at the site from Chemours, according to the US-headquartered producer.

Optima has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

The blast caused one fatality and injured two others who have been treated and released from an area hospital, according to television news network CNN.

Optima Chemicals produces specialty chemicals using technology that has evolved from organometallic chemistry, according to the company's website.

Front page picture: Chemicals facilities in Belle, West Virginia seen on the left are close to the town's residential areas, on the right
Picture source: Google Earth