A large fire at a Texas refinery sent 9 workers to the hospital. The blaze broke out at a Shell chemical refinery in the Houston suburb of Deer Park. The fire sent huge plumes of black smoke into the sky and forced an evacuation of the facility. Shell says the fire started while a unit was undergoing routine maintenance, igniting cracked heavy gas oil, cracked light gas oil and gasoline. Nine workers were treated at a hospital as a precaution due to the heat. There were no serious injuries reported.
Shell released the following statement:
"The fire started while the olefins unit was undergoing routine maintenance, igniting cracked heavy gas oil, cracked light gas oil and gasoline. All site personnel have been accounted for, including 9 contractors who were released after undergoing precautionary medical evaluations. Air monitoring is ongoing, and has not detected any harmful levels of chemicals. There is no danger to the nearby community. Our immediate priorities remain the safety of people and the environment. The cause of the fire will be the subject of a future investigation."