FREEPORT, Texas – The All Clear has been issued after a plant fire in Freeport Monday morning.
According to officials, flames broke out in the early morning hours of Monday morning at the Shintech Freeport Plant located at 5618 E Highway 332.
Recommended Videos
Plant manager Nathan Ferrington said that there was an electrical fire on the upper floors of the facility.
Ferrington said that emergency personnel quickly responded to and extinguished the fire with the help of Clute, Freeport, Lake Jackson and Oyster Creek Fire Departments, as well as the BASF fire response team.
All staff members were accounted for and remained sheltered in place onsite as crews responded.
Ferrington sent KPRC 2 the following statement:
“In the early hours of the morning on Monday, January 29, K-Bin’s A Plant at Shintech’s Freeport, Texas site experienced an electrical fire on the upper floors of the facility. K-Bin and Shintech emergency personnel quickly responded to and extinguished the fire, aided by the Clute, Freeport, Lake Jackson and Oyster Creek Fire Departments, as well as the BASF fire response team. All personnel were accounted for and remained sheltered-in-place onsite as crews responded. Notifications were made to appropriate officials and agencies. Emergency response teams remained onsite to assess the impacted area before issuing an all-clear. K-Bin A units were shut down during assessment; other units onsite remained in production.
Shintech’s primary focus is the safety and security of its employees, the community and the environment in which we operate. As a precaution, independent environmental assessment teams are onsite evaluating any potential offsite impacts resulting from the incident. Shintech will continue to coordinate with the appropriate officials and agencies to document findings and prevent reoccurrence.”
According to the company’s website, the Shintech PVC plant began production in 1974. Freeport became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shin-Etsu in 1976. The site currently consists of three independently operating PVC plants. Notably, Shintech Freeport is recognized as the world’s largest PVC resin manufacturing facility for many years.