A massive explosion and a subsequent fire occurred at Exxon’s refinery and chemical complex in Baytown, Texas, near Houston, at around 1.00 AM local time (0700 GMT) on Thursday. Several people were injured from the blaze, with at least four being transported to a hospital. Local authorities declared the fire as a major industrial accident but had so far issued no evacuation or shelter-in-place orders. Local residents said in social media posts that the explosion was strong enough to rattle their homes, and huge bright flames were visible over San Jacinto Bay.
Exxon said in a statement that its fire teams were working to put the fire under control while also carrying out personnel accounting. The American oil giant said it prioritised the safety of people, including employees, contractors, and surrounding residents. It noted that air quality monitoring is being conducted at the site as a safety precaution.
The 3,400-acre Baytown complex was founded in 1919 and included a 584,000-bpd refinery and a chemical plant with a 1.5 million tons/year cracker. The complex also suffered a major incident in July 2019, with 37 people being treated for injuries, including first-degree burns.
