{"id":20155,"date":"2026-05-08T19:17:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T19:17:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/chalmette-refinery-fire-and-explosion-schools-locked-down-roads-closed-after-massive-blast-shakes-area-videos\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T19:17:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T19:17:19","slug":"chalmette-refinery-fire-and-explosion-schools-locked-down-roads-closed-after-massive-blast-shakes-area-videos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/chalmette-refinery-fire-and-explosion-schools-locked-down-roads-closed-after-massive-blast-shakes-area-videos\/","title":{"rendered":"Chalmette refinery fire and explosion: Schools locked down, roads closed after massive blast shakes area | Videos"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div readability=\"39.778217821782\">\n<div class=\"storyParagraphFigure\" readability=\"35\">\n<p class=\"content\">A massive explosion and fire at the Chalmette Refining facility in Chalmette sent a large plume of smoke into the air on Friday, rattling nearby neighborhoods and prompting emergency response measures across the area.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"artImage leadImage\">\n<div class=\" \"><picture class=\"leadImageClass\"><source media=\"(min-width:768px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/ht-img\/img\/2026\/05\/08\/550x309\/Chalmette_explosion_1778266115898_1778266121867.jpg\" alt=\"Some nearby schools were reportedly placed on lockdown as a precaution while authorities assessed the situation. (Screenshot from video by Chris Welty, via AZ Intel)\"><\/source><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class>Some nearby schools were reportedly placed on lockdown as a precaution while authorities assessed the situation. (Screenshot from video by Chris Welty, via AZ Intel)<span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"content \">According to FOX 8 Local First, residents reported hearing a loud blast before thick black smoke could be seen rising from the refinery complex. Videos shared online showed flames and smoke moving high above the industrial site as sirens echoed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"content \" readability=\"35.342036553525\">\n<h2>Schools locked down, roads temporarily shut<\/h2>\n<p>The incident triggered temporary road closures near the refinery as emergency crews responded to the scene. St. Bernard Parish spokesperson Kim Gritter told local media that law enforcement had initially blocked traffic in the area, though &ldquo;all lanes near the refinery have reopened&rdquo; with officers continuing traffic control operations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div readability=\"36.424908424908\">\n<p class=\"content \">Some nearby schools were reportedly placed on lockdown as a precaution while authorities assessed the situation and monitored air quality concerns following the explosion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"content \">Authorities said all refinery personnel have been accounted for and no injuries were immediately reported after the blast.<\/p>\n<p class=\"content \"><strong>Also Read: <\/strong><strong>Manhattan building fire update: Three dead, over a dozen injured in &lsquo;serious&rsquo; Inwood blaze<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"internal-linking-related-contents\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/12-weeks-jail-for-school-it-support-technician-who-took-upskirt-videos-of-teachers\/\" class=\"template-1\"><span class=\"cta\">News :<\/span><span class=\"postTitle\">&lt;div&gt;12 weeks' jail for school IT support technician who took upskirt videos of teachers&lt;\/div&gt;<\/span><\/a><\/div><p class=\"content \">First responders managed to contain the fire, and officials described the situation as &ldquo;stable&rdquo; as crews continued monitoring the refinery site.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div readability=\"31.279591836735\">\n<p class=\"content \">Emergency teams remained at the scene Friday as investigators worked to determine what caused the explosion.<\/p>\n<div class=\"content \" readability=\"33.510791366906\">\n<h2>Videos show towering smoke plume<\/h2>\n<p>Social media footage from residents in and around Chalmette captured the moment thick smoke spread across the skyline after the explosion. Witnesses described windows shaking and hearing a thunder-like boom shortly before the fire became visible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"content \"><strong>Also Read: <\/strong><strong>Lowell fire update: Family home on fire on Bridge Street, Massachusetts; scary visuals emerge<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div readability=\"39\">\n<p class=\"content \">Officials have not yet released details on the exact source of the explosion inside the refinery complex.<\/p>\n<p class=\"content \">The cause of the refinery explosion remains under investigation. Authorities have urged residents to avoid the immediate area and follow guidance from local emergency officials as crews continue response operations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"internal-linking-related-contents\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/migrant-acquitted-in-first-trial-over-us-border-military-zones\/\" class=\"template-1\"><span class=\"cta\">News :<\/span><span class=\"postTitle\">Migrant acquitted in first trial over US border military zones<\/span><\/a><\/div><p class=\"content \">The situation remains developing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><sub>Chalmette refinery fire and explosion: Schools locked down, roads closed after massive blast shakes area | Videos<\/sub><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A massive explosion and fire at the Chalmette Refining facility in Chalmette sent a large plume of smoke into the air on Friday, rattling nearby neighborhoods and prompting emergency response measures across the area. Some nearby schools were reportedly placed on lockdown as a precaution while authorities assessed the situation. (Screenshot from video by Chris&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/chalmette-refinery-fire-and-explosion-schools-locked-down-roads-closed-after-massive-blast-shakes-area-videos\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Chalmette refinery fire and explosion: Schools locked down, roads closed after massive blast shakes area | Videos&rdquo;<\/span> &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20156,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20155\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}