A fire broke out overnight at the Baytown, Texas, ExxonMobil plant, which left four people injured, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO).
The HCSO classified the incident, which occurred around 1:00 a.m. local time, as “a major industrial accident” in a tweet early Thursday.
“Initial reports indicated some type of explosion occurred inside the plant,” tweeted Sheriff Ed Gonzalez of the HCSO, but noted information is still preliminary.
Fire crews responded to a "major industrial accident" at an Exxon Mobil plant in Texas that appeared to be from an explosion, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said, adding that "some injuries have been reported." https://t.co/85Pou2T32w pic.twitter.com/G5N7VVoDf0
— ABC News (@ABC) December 23, 2021
Three people were transported via life flight, while another was taken to a hospital via ambulance, according to the HCSO. No fatalities have been reported.
Refinery manager Rohan Davis said everyone else on the scene had been accounted for, per the Associated Press. Davis also stated the four who were transported were in stable condition, CNN reported.
Davis, who spoke at a 5:30 a.m. press conference, could not confirm whether an explosion took place, according to NBC news.
“At this time, we’re still collecting all that information,” he said before adding, “We will conduct a full and thorough investigation.”
🇺🇸 — NEWS: At least 4 people were injured overnight in a major industrial accident at an Exxon Mobil at a refinery in Texas, about 25 miles east of Houston, the company said.
— Belaaz News (@TheBelaaz) December 23, 2021
Davis said the fire occurred in a portion of the plant that manufactures gasoline, according to CNN. The manager added that the refinery’s emergency workers were still battling the blaze before sunrise.
Four injured in fire at Exxon's Baytown, Texas plant https://t.co/Ef9SB2ElmK pic.twitter.com/xfsZBFrtax
— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) December 23, 2021
“ExxonMobil said air quality monitoring has not revealed any issues,” the Associated Press reported. “No evacuations or shelter-in-place orders have been issued.”
ExxonMobil’s Baytown operations are located on roughly 3,400 acres along the Houston Ship Channel — some 25 miles east of Houston — according to the company’s website. The Baytown operation “is comprised of four manufacturing sites, including one in nearby Mont Belvieu, and a global technology center. ”
The plant employs approximately 7,000 workers and can manufacture 584,000 barrels of crude oil each day, according to Exxon Mobil.
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