Shell’s Deer Park Chemicals facility in Texas caught fire Friday afternoon. In a press release, Shell stated that the fire began in the olefins unit, and the ignited product included cracked heavy gas oil, cracked light gas oil and gasoline. According to the Houston Chronicle, nine contractors were evacuated and taken to the hospital. They have all been released after being evaluated. Reuters is reporting that the fire was extinguished for a few hours on Saturday morning before reigning later that day. Shell confirmed that the fire was finally extinguished Sunday night.
Due to the excessive amount of water needed to fight the fire, wastewater storage capacity was exceeded at the plant. KHOU 11 reported that runoff water has been directed into the Houston Ship Channel as part of a controlled discharge, but that a boom was used to “prevent product from entering the channel.”
In a Tweet, the Deer Park Office of Emergency Management said that the fire posed no danger to the surrounding community. The organization warned residents to expect black smoke, flaring and increased noise from the facility.