5 hurt after fire at Houston-area Shell petrochemical plant
A fire at a petrochemical plant in Texas has left five workers hospitalized. The cause of the fire is unknown.
HOUSTON, Texas (AP) - A fire broke out at a Houston petrochemical facility on Friday. Five workers were hospitalized. The smoke plume was visible for miles.
Around 3 pm, emergency responders were dispatched to the Shell facility in Deer Park. This suburb is located east of Houston. In an advisory, the city of Deer Park stated that residents were not required to shelter in place.
Ed Gonzalez, Harris County Sheriff, said that five employees contracted by the company were hospitalized as a precaution. He added that they had not been burned. He said that they were hospitalized due to heat exhaustion, and the proximity of the fire.
Gonzalez confirmed that there was no explosion, despite the fact that initially, emergency calls were answered by the sheriff's department claiming an explosion.
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Fire breaks out at the Shell Chemical facility in Deer Park on Friday, May 5, 2020, east of Houston. A fire at a chemical plant in Houston has sent a plume of smoke high into the air. The Harris County Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday that the fire occurred at a Shell USA Inc. plant in Deer Park - a suburb to the east of Houston. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle, via AP).
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Fire breaks out at the Shell Chemical facility in Deer Park on Friday, May 5, 2020, east of Houston. A fire at a chemical plant in Houston has sent a plume of smoke high into the air. The Harris County Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday that the fire occurred at a Shell USA Inc. plant in Deer Park, an east Houston suburb. (Raquel Natalielicchio/Houston Chronicle, via AP).
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Fire breaks out at the Shell Chemical facility in Deer Park on Friday, May 5, 2020, east of Houston. A fire at a chemical plant in Houston has sent a plume of smoke high into the air. The Harris County Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday that the fire occurred at a Shell USA Inc. plant in Deer Park, an east Houston suburb. (Raquel Natalielicchio/Houston Chronicle, via AP).
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Fire breaks out at the Shell Chemical facility in Deer Park on Friday, May 5, 2020, east of Houston. A fire at a chemical plant in Houston has sent a plume of smoke high into the air. The Harris County Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday that the fire occurred at a Shell USA Inc. plant in Deer Park - a suburb to the east of Houston. (Raquel Natalielicchio/Houston Chronicle, via AP).
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A fire breaks out at Shell USA Inc. in Deer Park on May 5, 2023. The fire at a chemical plant in Houston has sent a plume of smoke high into the air. The Harris County Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday that the fire occurred at a Shell USA Inc. plant in Deer Park. This is a suburb located east of Houston. (Raquel Natalielicchio/Houston Chronicle, via AP).
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Fire breaks out at the Shell Chemical facility in Deer Park on Friday, 5 May 2023, east of Houston. The fire at a chemical plant in Houston's area sent a plume of smoke high into the air. The Harris County Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday that the fire occurred at a Shell USA Inc. plant in Deer Park - a suburb to the east of Houston. (Raquel Natalielicchio/Houston Chronicle, via AP).
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A fire breaks out at Shell USA Inc. in Deer Park on May 5, 2023. The fire at a chemical plant in Houston has sent a plume of smoke high into the air. The Harris County Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday that the fire occurred at a Shell USA Inc. plant in Deer Park - a suburb to the east of Houston. (Raquel Natalielicchio/Houston Chronicle, via AP).
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Gonzalez stated that the fire had not yet been contained as of Friday evening.
The cause of this fire is still under investigation. Officials have said that they are monitoring the air to see if there is any impact of the fire, but nothing has been found yet.
Shell Deer Park Chemicals reported on Twitter that the fire started in the olefins section at around 2:56 pm. Shell Deer Park says that the product that caught fire was cracked heavy gas, cracked light gas, and gasoline.
Shell Deer Park stated that the cause of the fire would be investigated in the future. Our immediate priority is the safety of our people and the environment.
Kaitlyn Blujacket, spokesperson for Deer Park, stated that Shell conducted its own monitoring of air quality, but they have not yet received an update. Shell has told her that at this time, there is no reason to shelter in place. However, the city will update residents if the situation changes.
The plant's fire crews, as well those from nearby plants, responded.
The wind conditions were ideal for fighting the fire, even though temperatures in Houston reached near 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
James Singleton, the Harris County Fire Marshal's Captain, said that his office will be in Deer Park for the entire weekend to investigate what happened.
Singleton stated that 'you're dealing with a lot of people who need to be interviewed'. Singleton said that 'everyone who was in the unit when the fire broke out, the controllers and management, anyone that called 911" were all needed to be interviewed.
Houston meteorologists reported that smoke plumes could be seen from satellites.
The presence of a large petrochemical sector in the region makes it common for fires to occur at facilities. An explosion and fire broke out at a facility belonging to INEOS Phenol, located in nearby Pasadena Texas. One person was injured.
In 2019, a fire at an Intercontinental Terminals Company facility burned for several days, causing air quality alerts even though no one was injured.
Coronado reported in Austin, Texas.