Investigators said ExxonMobil Baytown fire burnt naptha, gasoline into the air for several hours

BAYTOWN, Texas - Harris County Fire Marshals are trying to determine what started the overnight fire at the ExxonMobil Baytown Complex Thursday. The fire sent four people to the hospital with injuries. 

Authorities said they were transferred to Memorial Hermann Hospital after suffering burns. One person was also treated for a broken leg. All four are in stable condition. 

BACKGROUND: Fire at ExxonMobil Baytown Complex leaves 4 injured

Residents who live nearby reported hearing a blast. 

"It was just trembling the houses and stuff like that. I heard a big bang," said Regulo Garcia. 

Just before 1 a.m. Thursday, Garcia says he was woken up from his sleep by a loud bang.

"I didn’t know what to think," he said. 

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Just a few blocks away from his house, a giant, fiery blaze had erupted from the ExxonMobil Refinery on Decker Drive in Baytown. 

The refinery is the fourth largest in the US, capable of processing up to 584,000 barrels of crude oil per day, according to the company's website.

Garcia and his family say the blasts have just become part of their normal life.

"We’re right by the plant. You never know what can happen," Garcia said. 

"I’ve lived here over 40 years. I mean there’s nothing you can do. This is my home, so we just deal with it," said Esmeralda Garcia, Regulo's mother. 

Investigators say the fire started in a unit that produces gasoline, burning a highly flammable chemical called naphtha into the air for several hours. 

"It's a common chemical that is used in gasoline and other petroleum chemicals that are produced across the greater Houston area. It's very common in the plants that we see across Harris County," said Rachel Neutzler, a spokesperson for the Harris County Fire Marshals Office.

ExxonMobil officials said the part of the plant that was on fire was isolated, but the rest of the facility was open and operating.

ExxonMobil emergency response crews safely extinguished the fire around 9 AM Thursday. 

"We're really sorry for what happened and the inconvenience that causes and stress that that's caused to our neighbors," said Rohan Davis, the ExxonMobil Baytown Refinery Manager.

According to The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, all readings have been below detection levels with no noticeable odors so far. 

RELATED: Fire at ExxonMobil Baytown plant extinguished, air monitoring continues

While ExxonMobil officials claim there was never an explosion, Harris County Fire Marshals say that remains under investigation. 

"They are interviewing witnesses and people that were at the plant at the time of the fire and/or explosion," Neutzler said. "As part of the investigation that's what we're looking at, is was there a fire and explosion, and explosion and fire, what was a sequence of events."

HCFMO investigators are also waiting until the unit is safe to enter, to begin the process of determining what started the fire.

"There was some talk about some of the equipment there at the scene, not being stable, and they were worrying about it, possibly collapsing. So, the last thing we would want to do is send investigators, and if the scene isn't safe." 

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This isn't the first incident at ExxonMobil's Baytown Complex. In 2019, an explosion and fire injured dozens of people.  

At least one lawsuit has already been filed in response to Thursday's fire. Oscar M. Aguilar, a Baytown resident, has filed a temporary restraining order against ExxonMobil, asking the company to preserve evidence for any explosion damage to his home. 

According to Aguilar's attorney, Eric Dick: "Aguilar was startled on the morning of Dec. 23rd, 2021, when he heard a loud noise, and his home began to shake. He described it as feeling like an earthquake. Now, he is afraid his Christmas is ruined as his home sustained severe property damage due to the explosion. Typical forms of explosion damage consist of nail pops, cracks in the sheetrock, and foundation movement and cracking. Mr. Aguilar did nothing to deserve the damage he incurred." 

Harris County has also previously sued ExxonMobil, accusing the Baytown facility of violating the Clean Air Act. 

MORE: Harris County sues ExxonMobil a day after chemical fire