NATION in Brief : TEXAS : Blaze at Chemical Plant Extinguished

Firefighters in Pearland, Tex., extinguished a fire at a chemical packaging plant in which barrels exploded like a string of firecrackers, burning two workers. The blaze at the Solvents & Chemical Inc. plant, which began late Friday morning and burned for 20 hours, was declared out at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, Police Capt. R.J. Cuna said. Investigators expected to pinpoint by Monday what triggered the disaster, Cuna said. Eloy Salazar, a 26-year-old employee, was the most seriously injured with second- and third-degree burns. Another employee, Alexander Jacky, 49, was treated for minor burns and released.