Fire at BP Subsidiary Nearly Extinguished in Texas

ALVIN, Texas (AP) -- A small explosion and fire at a chemical plant owned by a subsidiary of BP was nearly extinguished Thursday in the second mishap at a company facility this week.

The explosion and fire in an olefins unit forced the evacuation Wednesday night of employees. A company firefighter was flown to a hospital with heart trouble, said BP spokesman Hugh Depland.

On Wednesday, a heavy oil and gas leak occurred at BP's Gas Oil Hydrotreating Unit in Texas City, one of four units that is now shut down. The leak caused a plume of smoke that covered much of the area and prompted an order for area residents to stay inside.

In March, an explosion at the Texas City plant killed 15 people and injured scores of others. And a blast July 28 happened because contractors installed pipe in the wrong place on the Resid Hydrotreating Unit, leading to a rupture and the release of flammable hydrogen gas.

''It's very unsettling to BP as a company,'' Depland said. ''We like to think that we try to maintain and operate our facilities in a fashion that would keep them at good operating condition.''

Depland said no one knows yet what caused Wednesday night's fire at the plant owned by the subsidiary Innovene, ''but when you have events like this, it does sort of focus the mind on what we need to do as a company to make our operating record aligned with our aspirations.''

Lt. Becky McCall of the Brazoria County Sheriff's Department said everyone had been accounted for and there were no other injuries at the Innovene plant, formerly BP Amoco Chemical. McCall said the first call about the fire came in at 9:14 p.m. Wednesday.

Rick Perry of the Brazoria County Emergency Management Office said in a story in Wednesday's online edition of The Facts that authorities were recommending that people who live nearby remain indoors.

The plant is located near Chocolate Bayou, about 15 miles southwest of Hitchcock.

Operations in the unit, which produces ethylene, propylene and butadiene, and creates hydrogen as a byproduct, were temporarily shut down, Depland said. It was unclear how overall production at the plant would be affected, he said.

Environmental monitoring showed no effect on area air or water, Depland said.

The plant has about 400 employees. The company has two olefins units and three polypropylene units at the site.

Innovene is a wholly owned subsidiary of BP, but is in the process of spinning off as an independent operator, Depland said.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press