© Reuters.
Written by Erwin Spa
HOUSTON (Reuters) – A fire at Shell’s Deer Park (LON:) plant, Texas, was contained by 6 p.m. CST (2300 GMT), Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at a news conference.
Gonzalez said five people were flown in to assess possible injuries from exposure to chemicals burned in a fire at the olefins unit at Shell’s plant in the Houston suburb of Deer Park.
Shell said in a statement that the fire broke out shortly before 3pm CET.
“The cause of the explosion will be investigated in the future,” Shell said.
A large plume of black smoke can be seen rising from the fire at the olefins unit located near Interstate 225 in southeast Houston.
All workers at the plant at the time of the fire were accounted for by 4pm CST.
Sources familiar with the refinery’s operations said operations at the nearby Pemex refinery are continuing despite the fire at the chemical plant.
Pemex issued a statement saying that the fire was not in one of its units and that its emergency response team was helping to put out the fire.
The fire is being monitored by the Houston Fire Department, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has deployed monitoring units in the area to check air quality.
No orders were issued to secure a place because of the fire.
Olefins such as ethylene, propylene, and butadiene are used to make plastics and other products such as detergents and rubber.