Deer Park Chemical Plant May Burn 2 More Days, Officials Warn

DEER PARK, TX — A fire that erupted inside two tanks at the Intercontinental Terminals Company on Sunday spread to six more tanks overnight, officials said Monday. Fire fighters have battled the flames at the facility for more than 24 hours and have been unable to bring the fire under control.

Officials said Monday that the fire will likely burn for several more days, and eventually burn itself out.

The fire erupted inside the plant at about 10:30 a.m. Sunday, sending a plume of black smoke over Deer Park and surrounding communities.

There were about 30 employees inside the plant at the time of the initial explosion, but officials said there no injuries. However, concerns over air quality related to the burning chemicals prompted the Deer Park office of emergency management to declare a shelter in place order Sunday afternoon.

The order forced officials to close sections of State Highway 225, between Beltway 8 and Independence Parkway to traffic, which reopened to traffic early Monday.

Officials said Sunday that the first tank contained Naphtha and the second contained Xylene. Both are components found in gasoline, and can be harmful or fatal if inhaled or swallowed.

The other tanks also contain gasoline additives while another was empty, officials said. Meanwhile, school district officials in Deer Park and La Porte canceled classes out of an abundance of caution.

Local officials monitored air quality overnight, and announced at about 5:30 a.m. Monday that the shelter in place order had been lifted.

Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbott released the following statement on Sunday:

“The State of Texas and the Texas Department of Emergency Management are closely monitoring the fire at the Intercontinental Terminal in Deer Park and are in close consultation with local officials. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, in coordination with Harris County, is monitoring the air quality. I have ordered that all state resources be made available to local and industry officials and urge residents to continue heeding the warnings of local officials.”

While the shelter in place order has been lifted, officials warn residents that the fire can still cause hazards.

Residents in the area could experience symptoms related to the fire. Officials said some of the symptoms of exposure to some of these hazardous chemicals could result in difficulty breathing, irritation to eyes and throat, dizziness, headaches and nausea.

Anyone experiencing these symptoms are advised to seek immediate medical attention.

(For more news and information like this, subscribe to Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

Send your news tips and story ideas to bryan.kirk@patch.com