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The fire initially ignited on Friday afternoon in an explosion
in an olefins unit, used to make plastics and rubber.
The fire was extinguished for a few hours on Saturday morning
before it reignited around 3 p.m. CDT (2000 GMT), said Shell
spokesperson Curtis Smith.
No injuries were reported from the fire. Nine people were
evaluated and released at local hospitals on Friday for possible
chemical exposure.
Water is being sprayed onto the fire to keep it under control
until the chemicals, which were being processed at the time of
the explosion, burn away, Smith said.
Water may continue to be sprayed for up to 36 hours after the
fire is extinguished to keep nearby equipment cool, he said.
Water runoff has exceeded the chemical plant's wastewater
capacity and is being diverted into the Houston Ship Channel,
Smith said. A boom has been deployed in the channel to contain
any chemicals that may be carried by the water runoff.
Smith said air monitoring in neighboring communities "has not
detected any harmful levels of chemicals" from the fire.
Jennifer Hadayia, executive director of Air Alliance Houston,
said Shell's statements about risks to the community were
self-serving.
"History has shown that these early statements are for the
benefit of industry public relations and not public health,"
Hadayia said.
Olefins units are the central units in petrochemical complexes,
producing ethylene, butadiene and propylene from hydrocarbon
feedstocks.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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