An Oil Refinery Near The Coast Of Texas Went Up In Flames After An Explosion
An explosion on Monday (March 23) left the Valero Port Arthur Oil Refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, in flames. A shelter-in-place order was issued for the west side of Port Arthur as officials worked to contain the fire, which was spewing black smoke into the air.
The Port Arthur mayor, Charlotte Moses, went live on Facebook to address the situation, saying, “There’s been an explosion, yes, but we’re OK; everybody’s OK. They’re trying to put the fire out as quickly as possible.”
She also wanted to clear up any misinformation that people might be hearing. For instance, some posts she had seen said that people were being forced to evacuate, however this was not true, they were told to shelter in place.
According to AP News, residents who lived several miles away felt the explosion shake their homes. As a precaution, schools in the area closed on Tuesday (March 24).
Officials Put Out The Fire, Shelter-In-Place Lifted
The refinery, which employs 770 people, processes 435,000 gallons of oil per day, according to the company’s website. The AP reports “the plant refines heavy sour crude oil into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.”
As of 5:30 AM local time on Tuesday (March 24), the shelter-in-place order was lifted, and all roads reopened.
CBS affiliate KFDM reported that Sheriff Zena Stephens said that the explosion was probably “caused by an industrial heater.”