Operations & Training

Official: TX Chemical Fire Likely to Last Two More Days

March 18, 2019

A massive blaze at a Deer Park chemical company outside Houston has already been burning for more than a day and threatens to continue, according to a fire official.

By Sarah Sarder

Source The Dallas Morning News

Firefighters continue to battle a chemical fire at a Deer Park industrial company outside Houston.

Firefighters battled a massive chemical blaze at a Houston-area petrochemical storage facility for a second day Monday.

The fire began about 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Intercontinental Terminals Company in Deer Park, about 20 miles southeast of Houston. No injuries were reported.

“We have several foam engines and foam aerials that we’re currently using, and we’ve had pretty good success controlling fire and keeping it off the rest of the tanks,” Ray Russell of Channel Industries Mutual Aid said in a Facebook post. “[This response] will likely be for two days.”

The blaze initially involved two tanks, spreading to five more by 1:30 a.m. Monday. The tanks held chemicals used in gasoline production or nail-polish remover, according to ITC.

The company said the risk of explosion was "minimal."

Officials determined the air quality in Deer Park was not hazardous Monday, and city officials lifted a shelter-in-place order. All Deer Park and La Porte ISD campuses remained closed Monday.

ITC officials said it was working to further reduce the chance of explosion by reducing the amount of combustible chemicals in the tanks.

"ITC officials continue to work closely with first responders to contain the fire," the company said in a statement Monday. "The safety and well-being of the surrounding communities, our employees, our first responders, and the environment remain our top priorities."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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