Yesterday morning, there were reports of an explosion at an ExxonMobil plant located in Baytown, Texas that left four workers injured.
“Around 1 a.m. on 12/23/2021, a fire occurred at our facility,” ExxonMobil tweeted. “At this time, emergency vehicles and smoke may be noticeable to the community. We are coordinating with local officials, and working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.”
“Little more than a fire,” one person commented. “My house shook to its foundation miles away from you.”
Police Investigate The Cause Of The Fire
UPDATE: Exxon officials say the fire at @ExxonMobilBTA has been extinguished.
That means @hcfmo can now safely go onsite to determine the cause & origin of the incident.
Both HCFMO & Exxon say the 4 injured are still stable in the hospital + air quality readings show no issues. https://t.co/q1cxvWofK7
— Adam Bennett (@AdamBennettKHOU) December 23, 2021
Just after 5 AM, the Harris County sheriff’s office released a statement on Twitter, saying, “There have been 4 confirmed injuries, 3 of which were life flighted and 1 was taken to the hospital via ambulance. No fatalities have been reported. There is currently no shelter in place.”
According to ExxonMobil spokesperson Julie King, two of the victims were released from the hospital on Thursday. Two others remained in the hospital but were reported to be in stable condition. Three of the workers suffered flash burn injuries, and the fourth employee was being treated for a broken leg.
“We deeply regret this disruption,” said refinery manager Rohan Davis. “Clearly, this is a very unfortunate incident. We will do a thorough investigation to make sure an event like this doesn’t happen again.”
Davis later added that the fire started in a unit that produced gasoline and was exacerbated by a flammable liquid known as Naphtha, which is used to dilute crude oil.
ExxonMobil Releases Statement Concerning The Fire
“We deeply regret this disruption.” @ExxonMobilBTA isolated site of overnight fire but is operating this afternoon. Four injured workers said to be stable, no air quality impacts. But @airallianceHOU calls incident unacceptable. More: @KHOU @ 4,5,6 https://t.co/QvirsTWpP2 #khou11 pic.twitter.com/4hZEreED0K
— Jason Miles (@JMilesKHOU) December 23, 2021
Many residents took to Twitter to report their house shaking and some were asking the police department if they had to leave their homes. However, no evacuation orders were placed and officials were able to get the fire under control by 9 AM that morning.
ExxonMobile released a statement to the community, saying, “Our first priority is people in the community and in our facilities. Air monitoring continues along the fence line. Available information shows no adverse air quality monitoring impact to the community or personnel on site at this time.”
“We are saddened to inform that four people were injured and are receiving medical treatment,” they continued. “All four individuals are in stable condition. All other personnel have been accounted for.”
“We deeply regret any disruption or inconvenience that this incident caused to the community,” they concluded. They also set up an information line for community members to call who were affected by the incident.
