March 13 (Reuters) – LyondellBasell said on Thursday a fire broke out at its Bayport Choate chemical plant in Texas and its firefighting and incident response teams were working to contain the blaze.
The company added that “at this time, there is no threat to the surrounding community and no action is required by neighbors”. All personnel were safe and accounted for, it said.
LyondellBasell earlier said it was experiencing an operational issue at the site and the people in the surrounding community might see bright flames or smoke.
It added that local law enforcement and fire departments would issue any public notice if warranted.
The fire occurred at around 9 p.m. local time, the company said in an emailed response to Reuters, adding that it was receiving support from the Channel Industries Mutual Aid (CIMA), as well as firefighting teams from neighboring areas.
The La Porte Office of Emergency Management in a Facebook post said agencies from the La Porte and Pasadena Fire Departments, CIMA, Harris County Hazmat, pollution control and industrial liaisons from the Harris County Office of Emergency Management were on the scene.
The Bayport Choate site produces propylene oxide, propylene glycol, propylene glycol ether, tertiary butyl alcohol, high purity isobutylene, tertiary butyl hydroperoxide and ethyl tertiary-butyl ether, according to the company’s website.
It is also the largest propylene oxide/tertiary butyl alcohol site in the world based on production volume.
(Reporting by Noel John, Ishaan Arora and Swati Verma in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Susan Fenton)
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