Flames, smoke billow from ExxonMobil plant
HOUSTON, TX --Exxon Mobil Corp said a fire erupted at its Baytown, Texas, refining and chemical plant complex, injuring more than 30 people and sending nearby residents indoors.
Baytown Olefins Plant Manager, Jason Duncan said Exxon firefighters were working to extinguish the fire that originated from a Propylene Recovery Unit which contains a light hydrocarbon mixture of propane and propylene.
Duncan declined to comment on the fire’s impact on production at Exxon’s adjacent 560,500 barrels-per-day oil refinery.
Duncan confirmed all Exxon staff were accounted for and 37 people were being treated with minor, non-life threatening injuries at an off-site clinic.
The cause of the explosion has not been confirmed. “We're going to work diligently to figure it out so it does not happen again and then share the cause with our industry so it doesn’t happen again," Duncan said during a press conference.
ExxonMobil released the following statement:
A fire has occurred at the Baytown Olefins Plant. Our fire teams are working to extinguish the fire. We are conducting personnel accounting. Our first priority remains the safety of people, including our employees, contractors and the surrounding community. As a precaution, our Industrial Hygiene staff is conducting air quality monitoring at the site and fence line. We are cooperating with regulatory agencies. We deeply regret any disruption or inconvenience that this incident may have caused the community.
A shelter in place order for areas west of the plant was lifted several hours after the explosion, according to ExxonMobil.
Local school district, Goose Creek CISD said several schools were included in the shelter in place including, Robert E. Lee High School, Peter E. Hyland, IMPACT ECHS, San Jacinto Elementary, Travis Elementary and Baytown Junior.
“We are cooperating with regulatory agencies. We deeply regret any disruption or inconvenience that this incident may have caused the community,” Exxon spokesperson Sarah Nordin said in a statement.
Officials said air quality monitoring is also underway and the safety of the community remains a top priority.
The fire was continuing to burn residual fuel contained in a large column on Wednesday afternoon. Duncan said no adverse environmental effects have been detected.
Exxon in 2018 completed the construction of a multi-billion-dollar ethane cracker at the Baytown Olefins Plant. The cracker can produce 1.5 million tons per year and provides feedstock to two other production lines at its Mont Belvieu, Texas, plastics plant.
DEVELOPING: A shelter in place order has been issued as a fire rages at an ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown, Texas.
— ABC News (@ABC) July 31, 2019
It's the latest in a series of fires in Houston area involving the petrochemical industry. https://t.co/JXh4K5ys2t pic.twitter.com/QsZsa8ARcM
The City of Baytown is issuing a precautionary order to Shelter in Place due to an emergency at ExxonMobil Baytown Area. Areas west of ExxonMobil should Shelter In Place. See the map below. Please RT. pic.twitter.com/WWXOg3RpNf
— City of Baytown, TX (@CityofBaytown) July 31, 2019
Please see below for latest update regarding the fire at the Baytown Olefins Plant: pic.twitter.com/FNz7yT6fpM
— ExxonMobil Baytown Area (@ExxonMobilBTA) July 31, 2019
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