BAYTOWN, Texas – ExxonMobil’s Baytown Complex extinguished the fire that injured four people Thursday morning.
The cause of the incident has not yet been determined and an investigation is ongoing.
The blaze broke out around 1 a.m. at the refinery, located in the 5000 block of Baytown Drive.
Around 1 a.m. on 12/23/2021, a fire occurred at our facility. 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.
— ExxonMobil Baytown Area (@ExxonMobilBTA) December 23, 2021
Residents in the area told KPRC 2 they heard a loud “boom” when the incident occurred.
RELATED: Neighbors react to ExxonMobil refinery fire in Baytown
According to the Baytown Fire Department, the affected unit processes material with gasoline components.
The four people who were injured were transported to Memorial Hermann in stable condition, a spokesperson for ExxonMobil said during a press conference Thursday morning. Three of the injured were taken to hospitals by Life Flight while the fourth was taken by ambulance. The rest of the workers and crew have been accounted for.
Watch Thursday’s press conference below:
There is no known impact to air quality, the ExxonMobil spokesperson said.
In a statement, ExxonMobil said air monitoring is continuing along the fence line.
“We deeply regret any disruption or inconvenience that this incident may have caused the community,” the statement read.
The refinery, located along the Houston Ship Channel, has the capacity to process up to 584,000 barrels of crude oil each day. It employs about 7,000 people, according to the company’s website.
KPRC 2 Investigates covered the history of incidents recorded at the ExxonMobil Baytown facility in 2019. You can find that report here.
The complex has faced numerous air quality fines. In 2017, a nearly $20 million fine was levied for more than 16,000 cumulative days of air quality violations between 2005 and 2013.
A worker died after suffering severe burns in a flash fire at the complex in 2003.
Read ExxonMobil’s statement below.
ExxonMobil emergency response teams have safely extinguished the fire at the Baytown Refinery.
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. All four individuals are in stable condition. All other personnel have been accounted for.
We are in the process of setting have set up an information line for community members affected by this incident. Please call 1-800-241-9010.
The causes of the incident have not yet been determined. We are coordinating with authorities as appropriate, and all findings will be incorporated in our continuing effort to enhance our safety performance.
We deeply regret any disruption or inconvenience that this incident caused to the community.
ExxonMobil
