Officials Investigate as Fire at Texas Petrochemical Plant Hospitalizes 9 Workers

HOUSTON - On Friday, a fire engulfed a petrochemical plant in the Houston area, resulting in the hospitalization of nine workers and the release of a massive smoke plume that could be seen for miles. Responding emergency teams arrived at the Shell facility in Deer Park, a suburb located to the east of Houston, at around 3 p.m. As of now, there are no reports of any shelter-in-place orders issued by the city of Deer Park for its residents.

According to officials from Shell Deer Park, although five contracted employees were taken to the hospital, they were not burned. The hospitalization was due to heat exhaustion and proximity to the fire, and was a precautionary measure taken. All workers were present on Friday night, with nine of them being discharged after undergoing medical evaluations as a precaution. Shell Deer Park has stated that they are still working to respond to the fire.

Contrary to initial reports of an explosion, no such incident occurred at Shell Deer Park. The Sheriff's office responded to emergency calls reporting an explosion, but these turned out to be false alarms.

The fire, which broke out during routine maintenance of the Olefins unit, was still burning as of Friday evening. However, it had died down and was contained, according to Shell Deer Park.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation. Meanwhile, air monitoring continues to check for any impact from the fire. So far, no harmful levels of chemicals have been detected, and there is no danger to the nearby community.

A fire broke out in the Olefins unit of Shell Deer Park facility at approximately 2:56 p.m. The fire was caused by a combination of cracked heavy gas oil, cracked light gas oil, and gasoline. While the cause of the fire is yet to be determined, the safety of people and environment remains our top priority. The incident is currently under investigation by the facility officials.

Shell has conducted its own air quality monitoring following a blaze at their Deer Park facility, but the city is still awaiting updates on air quality. The company informed the city that it wasn't necessary to shelter in place at the time. Fire crews from nearby plants and the Deer Park facility responded to the incident. Wind was favourable for fighting the blaze, although Houston area temperatures reached nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius) and humidity levels made it feel like it was hotter than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius).

In March, a facility owned by INEOS Phenol located in Pasadena, Texas, experienced an explosion and fire which resulted in one injury. The incident serves as a reminder of the petrochemical industry's strong presence in the area. In 2019, a fire at a facility owned by Intercontinental Terminals Company burned for several days. Although the incident caused no injuries, it led to air quality warnings. Additionally, it bears mentioning.