National Guard troops have been called in and residents told to stay inside after elevated levels of a dangerous chemical were detected in the air near a Houston-area petrochemicals storage facility that had erupted into massive flames and burned for days.

Harris County officials said the National Guard and hazardous materials teams have established perimeters around the Intercontinental Terminals Company in Deer Park, Texas, which is about 15 miles southeast of Houston.

The entire city of Deer Park is at a standstill and several area schools have canceled classes due to the shelter-in-place issued Thursday morning.

The company and the Texas Environmental Protection Agency had previously said that benzene levels near the facility didn’t pose a health concern.

But now authorities have issued a shelter-in-place order following “reports of action levels of benzene or other volatile organic compounds” within Deer Park, according to the city.

The fire started last Sunday, sending flames and a huge, dark plume into the air for several days after the fire spread to storage tanks holding chemicals  before crews extinguished the blaze.

Environmental groups said residents who live near the facility have experienced various symptoms, including headaches, nausea and nose bleeds.

The state Environmental Protection Agency conducted air quality tests throughout the Houston area, both on the ground and from a small airplane, and said there were no levels of hazardous concentrations.

But some residents who live near the storage facility said they didn’t have confidence in the air quality test results. One longtime Deer Park resident said “Everything has been wrapped up in this nice perfect bow in saying that there were no problems. Every air quality was perfect. Every wind was perfect blowing it away. And if everything was so perfect, why did it happen?”

And now, high levels of benzene were detected in the area. The American Cancer Society says benzene is a colorless, flammable liquid with a sweet odor. It is also a known carcinogen that has been linked to leukemia and other blood cancers.

The Biblical prophecies (2 Timothy 3) foretell that society will come to live in perilous times signaling we are nearing the end of this age and the coming of Jesus Christ.

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