Fire extinguished at INEOS in Pasadena, officials say; 1 taken to hospital, ruled accidental
PASADENA, Texas - One person was taken to the hospital after an accidental fire and explosion at an industrial facility in Pasadena on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
According to the City of Pasadena, the fire was extinguished at INEOS near Beltway 8 and SH 225 by 1:20 p.m.
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Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia says the BLEVE explosion occurred outside around 12:11 p.m. while liquid petroleum was being transferred from a tanker truck to another tank. A BLEVE is a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion.
Officials said the fire happened when the unintentional release of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from a tank trailer offloading LPG to the facility ignited.
The fire has been ruled accidental.
Witnesses on scene reported that a transfer hose from the tank trailer to the facility disconnected releasing flammable vapors from the LPG. The flammable vapors from the LPG were ignited, engulfing the tank trailer, and two additional tank trailers at the facility. An explosion resulted in the sudden release of LPG that was subsequently ignited and consumed in the fire.
Commissioner Adrian Garcia says one person was taken to the hospital. The extent of their injuries is not known at this time, but the patient was said to be in stable condition.
The explosion prompted a response by multiple agencies including the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the Fire Marshal’s Office, and Harris County Pollution Control.
HCPC is conducting air monitoring and says no detections have been made. You can check air quality levels on the agency’s website.
"I know folks are concerned about ongoing safety in the area. Our Pollution Control and Hazardous Materials teams will remain on the ground to monitor the situation and ensure there is no threat to public health or safety," Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a news release. "These incidents continue to happen too often in our community and that is unacceptable."
The entire Sam Houston Tollway Ship Channel Bridge was shut down as a precaution but has since been reopened.