Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Multiple people were hurt early on Thursday when an explosion rocked an oil refinery near Houston, authorities said.
The blast and fire occurred at the ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown, located about 25 miles east of downtown Houston. At least four people were injured and are in stable condition.
The complex, which includes several petrochemical facilities, covers 3,400 acres and can process more than a half-million barrels of crude oil a day.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office tweeted that Thursday's explosion was a "major industrial accident."
Refinery manager Rohan Davis told reporters that a fire broke out in a unit that produces gasoline.
"All other personnel at the site have been accounted for, and we're ensuring that [the injured] are receiving the best care possible," Davis said, according to KTRK-TV.
Davis added that there was no impact to the air quality.
BULLSHIT THERE ARE ALWAYS AIR QUALITY ISSUES WHEN TOXIC SMOKE IS RELEASED
Officials said the fire has been put out and the cause of the blast is under investigation.
Officials said the fire has been put out and the cause of the blast is under investigation.
'SHOOK MY HOUSE'
Exxon ‘explosion’: Huge blaze at Texas ExxonMobil oil refinery in Baytown as cops declare ‘major accident with injuries’
Chris Bradford
Dec 23 2021
AT least four people have been injured following an "explosion" and huge blaze at an ExxonMobil oil refinery in Texas.
Harris County Cops have declared a “major industrial accident” in Baytown after reports of the fire emerged at around 1am local time.
3A large fire was reported at the ExxonMobil oil refinery in Baytown, Texas on ThursdayCredit: Reuters
3 Cops say that four people were injured and they have been hospitalized
3An explosion at the ExxonMobil facility in 2019 left 37 people needing treatment for non-life-threatening injuries (file pic)Credit: Reuters
Exxon ‘explosion’: Huge blaze at Texas ExxonMobil oil refinery in Baytown as cops declare ‘major accident with injuries’
Chris Bradford
Dec 23 2021
AT least four people have been injured following an "explosion" and huge blaze at an ExxonMobil oil refinery in Texas.
Harris County Cops have declared a “major industrial accident” in Baytown after reports of the fire emerged at around 1am local time.
3A large fire was reported at the ExxonMobil oil refinery in Baytown, Texas on ThursdayCredit: Reuters
3 Cops say that four people were injured and they have been hospitalized
Credit: Reuters
Dramatic footage shared online showed raging flames and thick black smoke billowing into the sky over the San Jacinto Bay.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at least four people may be injured. Three people were taken to the hospital by air ambulance.
Rohan Davis, a refinery manager at the ExxonMobil site, said the four people hospitalized appeared to be in a stable condition.
Social media users took to Twitter to say they had heard a "boom".
One Twitter user said: "Explosion at Exxon! It rumbled my apartment and knocked my pictures off the wall."
Another commented: “Exxon explosion made my whole f** house shake (sic).”
And a third posted: “Exxon explosion made my house jump fr LMAO wtffff.”
Some said the "boom" sounded like a "freight train connecting with cars" outside their home, while others compared it to a "sonic wave".
The Harris County Sheriff's Office tweeted earlier Thursday: "Deputies are on the scene of a major industrial accident at 3525 Decker Dr. in Baytown. The Exxon/Mobil plant. Some injuries have been reported. Please avoid the area."
The Baytown Fire Department told The Sun that its crews had not responded to the fire and confirmed a shelter-in-place order had not been issued.
The cause of the blast remains unknown and it's not known how far the fire has spread.
In a statement, ExxonMobil said: "Our emergency response teams continue to work to extinguish the fire at our Baytown Complex. Our first priority is people in the community and in our facilities.
"Air monitoring continues along the fence line. Available information shows no adverse impact at this time.
"No shelter in place has been called for our community and near neighbors. We deeply regret any disruption or inconvenience that this incident may have caused the community."
In 2019, 37 people were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, including first-degree burns after an explosion.
The 3,400-acre complex was founded in 1919 and the plant can produce up to 584,000 barrels of crude oil a day, according to ExxonMobil's website.
Around 7,000 employees work at the company's Baytown plant.
Baytown is located around 25 miles east of Houston.
Dramatic footage shared online showed raging flames and thick black smoke billowing into the sky over the San Jacinto Bay.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at least four people may be injured. Three people were taken to the hospital by air ambulance.
Rohan Davis, a refinery manager at the ExxonMobil site, said the four people hospitalized appeared to be in a stable condition.
Social media users took to Twitter to say they had heard a "boom".
One Twitter user said: "Explosion at Exxon! It rumbled my apartment and knocked my pictures off the wall."
Another commented: “Exxon explosion made my whole f** house shake (sic).”
And a third posted: “Exxon explosion made my house jump fr LMAO wtffff.”
Some said the "boom" sounded like a "freight train connecting with cars" outside their home, while others compared it to a "sonic wave".
The Harris County Sheriff's Office tweeted earlier Thursday: "Deputies are on the scene of a major industrial accident at 3525 Decker Dr. in Baytown. The Exxon/Mobil plant. Some injuries have been reported. Please avoid the area."
The Baytown Fire Department told The Sun that its crews had not responded to the fire and confirmed a shelter-in-place order had not been issued.
The cause of the blast remains unknown and it's not known how far the fire has spread.
In a statement, ExxonMobil said: "Our emergency response teams continue to work to extinguish the fire at our Baytown Complex. Our first priority is people in the community and in our facilities.
"Air monitoring continues along the fence line. Available information shows no adverse impact at this time.
"No shelter in place has been called for our community and near neighbors. We deeply regret any disruption or inconvenience that this incident may have caused the community."
In 2019, 37 people were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, including first-degree burns after an explosion.
The 3,400-acre complex was founded in 1919 and the plant can produce up to 584,000 barrels of crude oil a day, according to ExxonMobil's website.
Around 7,000 employees work at the company's Baytown plant.
Baytown is located around 25 miles east of Houston.
3An explosion at the ExxonMobil facility in 2019 left 37 people needing treatment for non-life-threatening injuries (file pic)Credit: Reuters
At least 4 injured after 'major industrial accident' at ExxonMobil facility in Baytown, Texas
Thu, December 23, 2021
At least four people were injured early Thursday when a large fire broke out at an ExxonMobil oil refinery in Texas.
Emergency response teams extinguished a fire that broke out around 1 a.m. at the Baytown refinery, about 25 miles east of Houston, the company said in a statement. Initial reports indicated an explosion of some kind had occurred inside the plant, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said on Twitter.
Officials cautioned residents to avoid the area of the "major industrial accident" as deputies responded to the scene but did not issue an evacuation or shelter in place order.
Three injured people were taken to hospitals by helicopters and a fourth was transported in an ambulance, Harris said. No fatalities were reported.
Rohan Davis, the refinery's manager, said everyone else working at the site has been accounted for. The refinery, which can process up to 584,000 barrels of crude oil each day, employs about 7,000 people, according to the company's website.
Smoke still fills the air at ExxonMobil’s refinery on Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021 in Baytown, Texas. Crews have extinguished a large fire at a Houston-area refinery that left four people injured.
The fire occurred in a unit that produces gasoline and a section of the plant has been isolated but the rest is still in operation, Davis said. When asked if an explosion occurred, Davis said a fire broke out at the time of the event but that the company is still collecting information.
"We will do a thorough investigation to make sure an event like this doesn't happen again," Davis said. "We're really sorry for what's happened."
The cause of the fire is not yet known. ExxonMobil said air quality monitoring along the fence line has not found any "adverse impacts" to the community or employees on site.
"Our first priority is the people in the community and in our facilities," the company said in a statement. "We deeply regret any disruption or inconvenience that this incident may have caused the community."
In July 2019, an explosion and fire rocked an ExxonMobil plant in Baytown and left nearly 40 people with minor injuries, prompting the city to issue a shelter in place order.
Another fire erupted at a refinery at the complex in March 2019 that was extinguished within hours, but continued to release toxic pollutants for eight days, according to Harris County officials.
2017 settlement: Exxon settles pollution case with feds by upgrading 8 plants
Contributing: The Associated Press
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