In a full-page ad appearing in Thursday’s Chattanooga Times-Free Press and the Cleveland Daily Banner, Wacker has apologized to the Charleston community for last week’s explosion that injured 13 people, and forced evacuations and shelters in place across the community. Plant Officials thanked local first responders, firefighters and law enforcement for their handling of the incident, and says “The plant is safe and secure.” It also says production at the plant has been “suspended” to focus on the root cause of the incident. Since the incident last week, many residents of Charleston have expressed frustration at how Wacker handled it. And an internal “shelter in place” order for Wacker employees issued five days after the incident did not help calm the community’s nerves. The company told media that the shelter-in-place order was due the presence of residual chemicals from the earlier explosion. A third-party expert is also looking into the incident.