Crews Wall Off Site of Chemical Blast

Crews in West Helena, Ark., built a levee out of dirt and sand around a chemical packaging plant to keep poison-laden rainwater from entering the Mississippi River after an explosion killed three firefighters. The plant’s owner said the pesticides in the chemical-filled warehouse were not supposed to be explosive and that the 27-cubic-foot bag--about the size of a backyard garbage can--did not generate enough heat to set off the sprinklers. The explosion blew out a cinder-block wall, crushing the men and dispersing the pesticide and other nearby chemicals including fungicides and insecticides.