Acxiom Corp., Little Rock, shut its Conway, AR facility after a nearby chemical plant fire caused authorities to evacuate the area. The 1,800 employees located there left within an hour without incident, according to Dale Ingram, an Acxiom spokesperson. The chemical company, Detco Industries, is located within two miles of Acxiom’s Conway building.
The Little Rock headquarters, which is 25 miles from the Conway location, was unaffected. Administrators were able to transfer operations to Acxiom’s Little Rock and Downer’s Grove, IL, facilities, Ingram said. Acxiom employs 5,500 people worldwide, including the 1,800 in its Conway office and 700 in its headquarters.
An initial explosion rocked the chemical plant at 11:30 am Central time, according to a wire service report. Several explosions followed within the hour.
According to a published report, the Detco plant, which manufactures cleaning supplies, pesticides and aerosols, housed hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid and methanol.
