A fire at an Exxon Mobil refinery in the Houston, Texas area is sending a large plume of smoke and flames into the air, prompting a shelter-in-place order to be issued.
The refinery is located at a facility in Baytown, which is about 25 miles east of Houston. The blaze is in an area that contains polypropylene, leading to the City of Baytown issuing a shelter-in place-order as recommended by the company.
The City of Baytown is issuing a precautionary order to Shelter in Place due to an emergency at ExxonMobil Baytown Area. Areas west of ExxonMobil should Shelter In Place. See the map below. Please RT. pic.twitter.com/WWXOg3RpNf
— City of Baytown, TX (@CityofBaytown) July 31, 2019
According to witnesses interviewed by the Houston Chronicle, the fire began with an explosion. Joshua Howell, a nearby resident, said he could feel the blast as he was driving home Wednesday.
Howell said the bang was loud enough to “shake windows and upset the dogs.”
Exxon Mobil released a statement that said it was monitoring the air quality around the fire and that safety was its top priority.
“We are conducting personnel accounting,” the statement read. “Our first priority remains the safety of people, including our employees, contractors and the community. As a precaution, our industrial hygiene staff is conducting air quality monitoring at the site and at the fenceline, and we are cooperating with regulatory agencies.”
