Explosion at Valero Refinery in Port Arthur Triggers Evacuations
A large blast shook the Valero oil refinery in Port Arthur, Texas on Monday but no one was reported injured, even though nearby residents were forced to evacuate their homes.
A large column of black smoke covered the refinery as city and state leaders responded. Refinery spokeswoman Carol Herbert was quoted by CBS News as saying, “All personnel have been accounted for. Valero’s emergency response team is responding and coordinating with local authorities. … As always, the safety of our workers is our top priority.”
Major Refinery Fire Contained Overnight
The refinery is the work site of nearly 770 employees. It has the capability of processing an estimated 435,000 barrels of oil per day and refines heavy sour crude oil into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
An evacuation order around the refinery was lifted nearly 12 hours later. By early Tuesday morning, the blaze was extinguished, according to Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick.
“As of 3:28 a.m. the major fire at Valero was out,” Branick said, adding that air monitoring performed by Valero, the EPA, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and others “did not indicate exceedances of safe thresholds at this point.”
Emergency Response and Community Impact
According to 12 News Now, a local tv station, Branick spent the night at the incident command center.
“I was impressed by the well trained and highly skilled emergency response personnel of Valero. They understood the processes, products and procedures and they worked together under the incident command and control framework in a collaborative and effective way.”
The station said two nearby schools had been set to be closed Tuesday but when the shelter-in-place order was lifted, classes were allowed to resume.
Cause of Explosion Under Investigation
Valero has not publicly commented on what caused the explosion. But Jefferson County Sheriff Zena Stephens said the incident may have involved a heater unit.
The incident highlights the risks associated with large-scale oil refining operations, even as facilities maintain extensive safety and emergency response protocols.