Preliminary reports indicate a gas line near the DCP Midstream East Texas facility ruptured, officials said. The first explosion happened around 10:15 a.m. and a second occurred when emergency personnel were on the scene, the Panola county Sheriff's Office said.
Several companies have gas lines feeding into the processing facility. DCP Midstream said identifying the cause could take several days.
Employees were evacuated after the first explosion and the plant was shut down, a company statement said. A highway nearby was closed.
Homes within a mile and a half of the plant were being evacuated, Shreveport, La., television station KSLA reported.
Carthage is near the Lousiana border, about 175 miles east of Dallas.
The plant is operated by DCP Midstream LLC, which co-owns it with another company, DCP Midstream Partners LP.
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