ExxonMobil’s US Baytown olefins unit still burning but contained

HOUSTON (ICIS)–A fire continued to burn late Wednesday afternoon at ExxonMobil’s olefins plant in Baytown, Texas, affecting a unit that processes light hydrocarbon including propane and propylene, the company said on Twitter.

“Our emergency response teams continue to work to extinguish the fire at our Baytown Olefins Plant,” the statement said.

The Baytown site has a capacity of 3.64m tonnes/year of ethylene and 960,000 tonnes/year of propylene, according to ICIS.

A state agency said the fire is ongoing but isolated and contained.

Thirty-seven people suffered non-life threatening injuries in the blaze but none required hospitalisation, said plant manager Jason Duncan.

It was the second fire this year at the Baytown olefins plant, about 25 miles (40 km) east of Houston that began operations in 1979, according to ExxonMobil’s website.

A previous fire in March stemmed from a leaky pipe and lasted only 30 minutes, with no injuries.

The latest fire broke out in the late morning Wednesday, and billowed black smoke that prompted a shelter-in-place for a few hours in Baytown. The shelter-in-place was lifted by mid-afternoon.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) said it dispatched emergency staff around 11:30 Houston time (16:30 GMT) to the fire.

ExxonMobil said its air monitoring has not detected any levels of concern.

“As a precaution,” said an ExxonMobil statement, “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.”

TCEQ issued a statement saying its personnel are currently conducting handheld air monitoring at the Baytown site. Staff will continue to monitor around the site throughout the day and will reassess the need for future monitoring as it is reviewed.

The state agency said it is coordinating with emergency response personnel from the city of Baytown, Harris County Pollution Control, and other state and federal partners.

In addition to the handheld mobile monitoring, TCEQ has stationary monitors located at Baytown, Lynchburg Ferry and Channelview. The agency is continuously evaluating the data from these monitors to assess any potential regional air quality impacts.

Additional reporting by Tracy Dang, Al Greenwood, Amanda Hay, Zachary Moore, Adam Yanelli and Alex Snodgrass

(updates throughout)