HOUSTON: The case against the CEO of a chemical manufacturer on trial over a toxic fire at the companys suburban Houston plant during Hurricane Harvey in 2017 ended Wednesday after the judge concluded that prosecutors had failed to present sufficient evidence to support the charge.
Judge Belinda Hill’s ruling ended the case against Arkema Inc. CEO Richard Rowe, but the company and another employee are still on trial.
Rowe had been charged with the reckless emission of an air contaminant related to the blaze at the Pennsylvania-based companys chemical plant in Crosby, northeast of Houston. The blaze caused organic peroxides made at the facility to catch fire and explode. The fire forced the evacuation of more than 200 residents from the area and sent 21 people, including first responders, to the hospital.
On Wednesday, Hill ruled that prosecutors had failed to provide enough evidence…