Deer Park petrochemical fire expected to last 'throughout the night'
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Deer-Park-tells-city-to-shelter-in-place-as-plant-13695162.phpMarch 17, 2019
Residents in Deer Park were urged to shelter in place for most of Sunday as a petrochemical fire raged at chemical storage facility in the city of 34,000.
ITC spokeswoman Alice Richardson said the fire was feared to have spread to another chemical tank, despite efforts by the company and local emergency responders to extinguish it with foam.
"It will go on throughout the night," Richardson said during a press conference as flames and thick black smoke rose behind her. She was unable to estimate when the flames could subside.
One of the tanks that caught fire contained naphtha, a component in gasoline which can irritate the nose and throat when breathed, according to officials. Poisonous gases are produced when naphtha is exposed to fire, according to a fact sheet from the New Jersey Department of Health.
The fire started around 10:30 a.m. and residents were advised to take shelter within a half hour as authorities then shut down State Highway 225 from Beltway 8 to Independence Parkway near the Intercontinental Terminals Company plant....