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By JUAN LOZANO and ACACIA CORONADOMay 6, 2023 GMT
https://apnews.com/article/texas-ho...2e83/gallery/b7c4a174335a458fb9cb3a3f4ed38fd5
1 of 8
A fire burns at a Shell chemical facility in Deer Park, Friday, May 5, 2023 east of Houston. A chemical plant in the Houston area has caught fire, sending a huge plume of smoke into the sky. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said Friday the fire was at a Shell USA Inc. facility in Deer Park, a suburb east of Houston. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)
HOUSTON (AP) — Fire erupted at a petrochemical plant in the Houston area Friday, sending nine workers to a hospital and causing a huge plume of smoke visible for miles.
Emergency responders were called to help around 3 p.m. at the Shell facility in Deer Park, a suburb east of Houston. The city of Deer Park said in an advisory that there was no shelter-in-place order for residents.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said earlier in the day that five contracted employees were hospitalized for precautionary reasons, adding that they were not burned. He said they were taken to a hospital due to heat exhaustion and proximity to the fire.
Shell Deer Park officials said on Twitter Friday night that they were continuing to respond to the fire, all workers were accounted for and nine workers had been released after undergoing precautionary medical evaluations.
Nothing exploded, Gonzalez said, although the sheriff’s office initially responded to emergency calls saying there was an explosion.
As of Friday evening, the fire was still burning but had died down and was contained, Gonzalez said.
The cause of the blaze was still being investigated. The fire started while the olefins unit was undergoing routine maintenance. Air monitoring for any impact from the fire was ongoing, and had not detected any harmful levels of chemicals, Shell Deer Park said.
The fire started at about 2:56 p.m. in the facility’s olefins unit. The product that ignited includes cracked heavy gas oil, cracked light gas oil and gasoline, Shell Deer Park said.
“The cause of the fire will be the subject of a future investigation, and our immediate priorities remain the safety of people and the environment,” facility officials said.
Shell was conducting its own air quality monitoring, but the city has yet to receive an update, said Kaitlyn Bluejacket, a spokesperson for Deer Park.
The city was advised by Shell that there was no need at the time to shelter in place, but that the city would update residents if that changed, Bluejacket said.
Fire crews from the Deer Park facility and nearby plants responded.
Wind conditions were favorable for fighting the blaze, although temperatures soared to near 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius) in the Houston area, but high humidity made it feeler hotter than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius.)
Harris County Fire Marshal Captain James Singleton said his office would be in Deer Park through the weekend investigating.
“You’re looking at a large number of people that need to be interviewed,” Singleton said. “Everyone who was at the unit at the time of the fire, the controllers, management, anybody that called 911.”
Houston meteorologists said the smoke plumes were visible from space via satellite.
Facility fires are not uncommon in the area, with the strong presence of the petrochemical industry. In March, an explosion and a fire erupted at a facility owned by INEOS Phenol in nearby Pasadena, Texas, leaving one injured.
A fire in 2019 at a facility owned by Intercontinental Terminals Company burned for days and though it caused no injuries, it triggered air quality warnings.
___
Coronado reported from Austin, Texas. AP writer Lisa Baumann reported from Bellingham, Washington.
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https://apnews.com/article/texas-ho...2e83/gallery/b7c4a174335a458fb9cb3a3f4ed38fd5
1 of 8
A fire burns at a Shell chemical facility in Deer Park, Friday, May 5, 2023 east of Houston. A chemical plant in the Houston area has caught fire, sending a huge plume of smoke into the sky. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said Friday the fire was at a Shell USA Inc. facility in Deer Park, a suburb east of Houston. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)
HOUSTON (AP) — Fire erupted at a petrochemical plant in the Houston area Friday, sending nine workers to a hospital and causing a huge plume of smoke visible for miles.
Emergency responders were called to help around 3 p.m. at the Shell facility in Deer Park, a suburb east of Houston. The city of Deer Park said in an advisory that there was no shelter-in-place order for residents.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said earlier in the day that five contracted employees were hospitalized for precautionary reasons, adding that they were not burned. He said they were taken to a hospital due to heat exhaustion and proximity to the fire.
Shell Deer Park officials said on Twitter Friday night that they were continuing to respond to the fire, all workers were accounted for and nine workers had been released after undergoing precautionary medical evaluations.
Nothing exploded, Gonzalez said, although the sheriff’s office initially responded to emergency calls saying there was an explosion.
As of Friday evening, the fire was still burning but had died down and was contained, Gonzalez said.
The cause of the blaze was still being investigated. The fire started while the olefins unit was undergoing routine maintenance. Air monitoring for any impact from the fire was ongoing, and had not detected any harmful levels of chemicals, Shell Deer Park said.
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The fire started at about 2:56 p.m. in the facility’s olefins unit. The product that ignited includes cracked heavy gas oil, cracked light gas oil and gasoline, Shell Deer Park said.
“The cause of the fire will be the subject of a future investigation, and our immediate priorities remain the safety of people and the environment,” facility officials said.
Shell was conducting its own air quality monitoring, but the city has yet to receive an update, said Kaitlyn Bluejacket, a spokesperson for Deer Park.
The city was advised by Shell that there was no need at the time to shelter in place, but that the city would update residents if that changed, Bluejacket said.
Fire crews from the Deer Park facility and nearby plants responded.
Wind conditions were favorable for fighting the blaze, although temperatures soared to near 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius) in the Houston area, but high humidity made it feeler hotter than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius.)
Harris County Fire Marshal Captain James Singleton said his office would be in Deer Park through the weekend investigating.
“You’re looking at a large number of people that need to be interviewed,” Singleton said. “Everyone who was at the unit at the time of the fire, the controllers, management, anybody that called 911.”
Houston meteorologists said the smoke plumes were visible from space via satellite.
Facility fires are not uncommon in the area, with the strong presence of the petrochemical industry. In March, an explosion and a fire erupted at a facility owned by INEOS Phenol in nearby Pasadena, Texas, leaving one injured.
A fire in 2019 at a facility owned by Intercontinental Terminals Company burned for days and though it caused no injuries, it triggered air quality warnings.
___
Coronado reported from Austin, Texas. AP writer Lisa Baumann reported from Bellingham, Washington.
Shell Deer Park fire: 9 contractors evaluated and released from hospital, company says
It took crews about four hours to extinguish the fire. Video obtained by ABC13 is also showing workers having to jump over a fence to get to safety.
Texas petrochemical plant fire sends 9 workers to hospital
Officials say nine workers were released after undergoing precautionary medical evaluations after a fire erupted at a petrochemical plant in the Houston area
Shell reports 'no danger' to community as air monitoring continues at Deer Park facility
The fire was reported at 5900 state Highway 225. Black smoke was seen billowing from the...
Texas petrochemical plant fire sends 9 workers to hospital
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the fire was at a Shell USA Inc. facility in Deer Park, a suburb east of Houston.
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