Fire Continues To Rage At Petrochemical Plant Near Houston
UPDATE: Houston-Area Petrochemicals Plant Fire Likely To Burn 2 More Days
DEER PARK, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A chemical fire near Houston is still burning more than 20 hours after igniting.
It was just after 10:30 a.m. Sunday when the plant that stores petrochemical liquids and gases, including fuel and bunker oil, caught fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Company in Deer Park.
This morning the fire has spread to a total of eight tanks. According to the company website the plant has a storage capacity of more than 13 million barrels.
Because of smoke from the chemicals, residents in the area were ordered to stay inside and at least one highway in the area was closed.
Officials with the Deer Creek Office of Emergency Management hired an air quality monitoring company and as of 5:30 a.m. determined that "no air quality readings have exceeded action levels" and lifted the shelter-in-place order.
As a precautionary measure the nearby La Porte Independent School District has canceled classes for the day.
Firefighters are using foam to try and extinguish the flames.
