Dark smoke from plant flare hangs over Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- If you were heading into downtown Houston during the Wednesday morning commute, you might have noticed a long smoke trail heading westward over the city.

For anyone who has lived in our heavily industrial area, moments like a smoke cloud are nothing new.

Here is what we found out about the smoke trail.

What is that dark smoke trail over Houston?

The visible black smoke came from flaring at a plant.

Where did the smoke come from?

The TPC Group confirmed its Houston Operations plant located at 8600 Park Place Blvd. was the source of the flare.

What happened to cause the flare?

TPC Group told ABC13 a power outage at the plant from the night before caused facility boilers to shut down. That resulted in flaring and visible black smoke happening around 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Is this smoke harmful?

According to TPC, there is no impact that requires action by the community.

The company added that its operations personnel are "working to resolve the issue as quickly and safely as possible." It added the company is conducting off-site air monitoring to "validate there is no off-site impact."

Can I be alerted of future incidents?

Yes. The East Harris County Manufacturers Association offers the Community Awareness Emergency Response system, or CAER.

The CAER mobile app will send messages about events and general information for things like flaring, odors, smoke, drills and emergency response, among other things.

You can find out more details on the CAER Online website.