The Briefing Room
State Chapters => Texas => Topic started by: thackney on July 31, 2019, 05:57:51 pm
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Shelter-in-place issued for areas west of Exxon plant fire in Baytown and south of 330
https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/shelter-in-place-issued-for-areas-west-of-exxon-plant-fire-in-baytown-and-south-of-330/285-4308c2d5-e512-4671-bd54-3fddbfb0c02f (https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/shelter-in-place-issued-for-areas-west-of-exxon-plant-fire-in-baytown-and-south-of-330/285-4308c2d5-e512-4671-bd54-3fddbfb0c02f)
Published: 11:08 AM CDT July 31, 2019
Emergency crews are responding to a fire at the ExxonMobil Baytown Complex on Decker Drive in east Harris County.
Out of an abundance of caution, the facility has issued a shelter in place west of the plant and south of Spur 330.
(https://media.khou.com/assets/KHOU/images/4d54e512-b1db-4467-bbc4-a18196ad6dbb/4d54e512-b1db-4467-bbc4-a18196ad6dbb_750x422.png)
@rustynail for the notice on another thread.
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ExxonMobil fire: 37 people treated for minor injuries, including burns, after explosion
The shelter-in-place has been lifted.
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Explosion, fire at Exxon Mobil Baytown plant injures 37
Houston Chronicle Matt Dempsey , Jay R. Jordan , Sarah Smith and Michelle Iracheta July 31, 2019
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/ExxonMobil-s-Baytown-fire-the-latest-in-a-14270558.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/ExxonMobil-s-Baytown-fire-the-latest-in-a-14270558.php)
A fire at an Exxon Mobil plant in Baytown Wednesday morning injured 37 people and sent a plume of smoke over a Houston-area chemical facility for the fourth time since April.
It was the second fire this year at an Exxon Mobil facility in Baytown. The company’s operations in the east Harris County city have a history of environmental violations stretching back to 2013.
The cause of Wednesday’s fire was not immediately known, although the company said the blaze began with an explosion. Jason Duncan, the plant manager of the Olefins unit where Wednesday’s fire occurred, said most of the injured suffered burns and none had to be hospitalized.
Harris County monitors did not show air toxins at a concerning level as of the afternoon. An order that residents in adjacent neighborhoods shelter in place was lifted after a few hours.
Company officials said the fire started in an area used to purify the chemical propylene, which is used as a fuel and in making plastics.
Joshua Howell, who lives in the Craigmont neighborhood near the plant, said he felt the explosion as he was driving home from work.
It was loud enough to “shake windows and upset the dogs,†he said.
Exxon Mobil is the defendant in a lawsuit filed by Harris County alleging environmental violations stemming from a fire at a Baytown facility in March. Fires also occurred in March at the Intercontinental Terminals Co. plant in Deer Park and in April at the KMCO chemical plant in Crosby.
A Houston Chronicle investigation from 2016 found that a major chemical incident occurs once every six weeks in the greater Houston area. Advocates said Wednesday’s fire again demonstrated the need for stronger enforcement of safety and environmental rules.
More at link.
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I'm glad no one was seriously injured.