Orange officials monitoring air quality situation

Published 12:36 pm Thursday, July 18, 2024

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Officials in the city of Orange are monitoring a situation with potential impacts to air quality in West Orange and surrounding areas.

Deputy Fire Chief Payton Smith said local officials and the Office of Emergency Management are aware of reports from West Orange, Bridge City and other nearby areas regarding a strong chemical smell in the air.

The National Weather Service is working on plume models to determine the origins of the smell. Smith said the city has also been in contact with local refineries as they work to determine a cause.

Once the origin is determined, officials will send out a message via the Southeast Texas Alerting Network.

In a Facebook post, the City of Orange said residents are not expected to be negatively impacted.

Updates will be provided as soon as details are made available.