The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board found that the ITC tank farm lacked crucial equipment to warn workers about the failure that led to the three-day fire.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released its final report Thursday on the March 17, 2019 tank farm fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Company, LLC (ITC) bulk liquid storage terminal in Deer Park.

A fire broke out at a Deer Park Shell plant the day after a public hearing on renewing the permit for ITC, a nearby facility that caught fire in 2019, sparking a Texas Tribune/Public Health Watch investigation that documented failures in state and federal oversight.

In Deer Park near Houston, memories of the massive ITC fire are still fresh. Residents told state environmental regulators they should reject the company’s permit renewal, but officials said the fire won’t be part of the decision.

Regulators repeatedly documented — but did little to address — problems at a Houston-area tank farm. Then on March 17, 2019, a fire blew through a corner of the facility, releasing toxic chemicals into nearby communities for weeks.

While a hearing on Thursday night was about an application from Intercontinental Terminals Company to renew the operating permit for the Pasadena terminal, company representatives and state officials also faced questions related to the 2019 fire in Deer Park.

Thursday afternoon, Harris County officials provided an update on the county’s environmental monitoring and protection efforts since the 2019 ITC Deer Park fire. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, as well as other county officials and representatives from a research nonprofit and private industry spoke at the briefing. AdIn the wake of the fire, Harris County officials undertook several steps to improve the county’s environmental monitoring and enforcement efforts. $11 million was allocated towards improving the county’s preparedness and response to chemical incidents, county officials stated in a release. AdAltogether, these steps represent the county’s biggest investments in environmental protection in more than 30 years, officials stated in the release.

Houston is no stranger to impactful industrial fires, many that have claimed dozens and dozens of lives over the years.

Garcia also discusses the efforts on bail reform, flood mitigation and the health challenges being faced by his constituents on the East side of Harris County. One of those restaurants is Mikki’s Soul Food Café whose co-owner said to expect a culinary experience when eating the food inspired by his mother. “We sell soul food. When people think of soul food they think of heavy, gravy, smothered, but when I think of soul food and what my mother thought of soul food,” he said. 2 Harris County Commissionerhttps://www.hcp2.com713-455-8104Twitter: @HarrisCoPct2Instragram: @harriscopct2