Crime & Safety
Victim Of Crosby Plant Fire Identified As Investigation Continues
The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office has subpoenaed records related to the KMCO explosion and fire.
CROSBY, TX — Officials have identified the man killed in an explosion and fire at the KMCO chemical plant in Crosby on Tuesday as 27-year-old James Earl "Bubba" Mangum, of nearby Daisetta.
Mangum was with two others who were severely burned in an explosion that officials believe was ignited by a chemical called Isobutylen.
Officials said Tuesday the Isobutylen gas ignited in a transfer line, and in a tank containing the substance before spreading to a building containing combustible goods.
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A plume of black smoke rose into the clear blue sky, moments after an explosion at the KMCO processing plant rocked homes in Crosby on Tuesday.
The nightmare of another mishap at one of many petrochemical plants that dot the Houston regional landscape was happening all over again.
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It was the third incident involving a refinery or petrochemical processing plant since March 16, and the first to result in injury or death.
Within hours of this latest incident, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Attorney General's Office filed legal documents citing KMCO's violation of the Texas Clean Air Act.
The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office announced in a tweet on Tuesday that they'd issued a subpoena to preserve documents and evidence related to the incident.
According to a Houston Chronicle report, KMCO isn't compliant with the federal Clean Water Act, and has numerous OSHA violations dating back nearly a decade.
Officials with the fire marshal's office returned to KMCO on Wednesday, but county investigators have not been able to enter the site.
Officials have conducted more than 50 interviews since the fire was extinguished, according to the fire marshal's office.
John C. Foley, KMCO's president, said the company is dedicated to identifying the root cause of the incident and vowed to conduct a thorough investigation.
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