What authorities are calling a “major industrial accident” led to a huge fire early Thursday at an ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown, Texas, near Houston.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a tweet that “initial reports indicated some type of explosion occurred inside the plant.”
His office tweeted that there were some injuries.
Flames are seen from a distance at the ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown, Texas early on December 23, 2021. / Credit: @ironick_
ExxonMobil said in a statement that its “fire teams are working to extinguish the fire” and it was trying to account for everyone who might have been on-scene at the time.
“Our first priority remains the safety of people, including our employees, contractors and the surrounding community,” the statement said, adding that, “As a precaution, we are beginning to conduct air quality monitoring at the site and fence line” and it was “cooperating with regulatory agencies.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for further developments.
