Crime & Safety Shelter In Place Order Issued In Deer Park After Plant Explosion Emergency crews are battling an uncontrolled chemical fire at the ITC plant in Deer Park and have issued a shelter in place order. Reply Deer Park OEM are advising residents to shelter in place as they battle an uncontrolled fire at the ITC facility. (Shutterstock image) DEER PARK, TX — A shelter in place order is in effect in Deer Park as emergency crews battle a raging fire at the ITC plant. The fire erupted inside the plant at about 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, officials confirmed. There were about 30 ITC employees inside the plant at the time of the explosion, but there were no reported injuries. Officials said that the chemical that sparked the blaze is called petroleum naphtha, a component of gasoline which can cause severe irritation. As a result of the fire, officials closed segments of State Highway 225 in both directions until the fire can be contained. Officials said that the blaze is currently uncontrolled, and advised all residents to stay clear and stay indoors. While an evacuation has not been ordered at this time, the City of Deer Park remains under a shelter in place and residents are encouraged to stay indoors. Drivers are advised that State Highway 225 from Beltway 8 to Independence Parkway remains closed. — DeerParkOEM (@deerparkoem) March 17, 2019 (For more news and information like this, subscribe to Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)<doc-sep>The latest chemical to cause concern at the Intercontinental Terminals Co. facility in Deer Park is benzene, which was detected at elevated levels early Thursday morning and prompted shelter-in-place alerts. The benzene release comes after a massive fire burned through the tank farm for three days and created a miles-long plume of smoke visible throughout the Houston area. The fire was extinguished Wednesday, but officials previously warned of the possibility of other chemical exposure in the area. RELATED: Shelter-in-place alert issued for Deer Park after elevated benzene levels detected Fire officials said benzene leaked out from a foam blanket smothering the tank farm in Deer Park. ITC officials added that the benzene levels "are below those that represent an immediate risk." Cities were advised to shelter in place as a precaution, officials said. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Benzene is made mostly from petroleum and is used to make Styrofoam, synthetic fibers, rubbers and pesticides, among other substances. RESIDENTS WARNED TO STAY INDOORS: What does it mean to shelter-in-place? Here are the necessary steps to take Risks of benzene exposure fluctuates depending on the concentration. Short-term health effects of concentrated exposure include dizziness, nausea, headaches, drowsiness, tremors and loss of consciousness, according to a report from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. Map of the Deer Park ITC fire The tank with the fire symbol over it is believed to be the one where the fire started. The areas highlighted in red are where the fire is believed to have spread. The purple markers are tanks containing Pygas, which is the source of benzene. The blue X markers were empty tanks. The black marker shows where the containment dike breached on Friday afternoon. Created by: Ken Ellis Continuing exposure can lead to "permanent suppression of bone marrow functioning so that few new blood cells are formed, a condition known as aplastic anemia," the report said. Other chemicals that burned in the fire include Naphtha and Xylene, two components used in gasoline. The fire eventually spread to more tanks, one of which was storing Toluene, a chemical used in nail polish remover, glues and paint thinner. The fire affected up to eight tanks at one time. While air quality levels were listed as "good" or "moderate" in the Houston area for much of the fire, health officials warn of side effects from exposure to these chemicals. DEER PARK PLANT FIRE: Officials say it could last for days Naphtha can irritate the nose and throat when breathed, and poisonous gases are produced when naphtha is exposed to fire, according to earlier reports in the Houston Chronicle. Luke Metzger, executive director of the environmental advocacy group Environment Texas, previously told the Chronicle that Naphtha can cause headaches, dizziness nausea and vomiting in the short term. Long-term side effects include risk of cancer and risk to the nervous system, he said. Xylene exposure produces similar side effects, including including headaches, dizziness, confusion and change in one's sense of balance, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease registry. Exposure to Xylene at very high levels can cause unconsciousness and, in some cases, death, according to the registry. HOW TO FILE A CLAIM: ITC sets up hotline to cover damages of Deer Park fire Toluene's short-term side effects also include confusion, headaches and dizziness. Weakness, memory loss and nausea can also occur, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. HOUSTON CHRONICLE EXCLUSIVE: Deer Park company battling fire accused of intentionally polluting water during Harvey In the long-term, Toluene can cause brain damage, as well as damage to the kidneys and liver. Read more about the side effects here. HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM INVESTIGATES: Dangerous chemicals create hidden dangers in Houston Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.<doc-sep>An intense fire churned through massive chemical storage tanks Monday at a facility east of Houston, continuously pumping plumes of black smoke that drifted across the region as firefighters fought to contain the blaze for a second straight day. Although the fire is expected to burn another day or two at the Intercontinental Terminals Company in Deer Park, local health and emergency officials said early air quality tests indicate the fire has not posed a serious health risk to residents. No injuries were reported. By late Monday, the fire was believed contained within six storage tanks at the ITC site, where gasoline components and other chemicals are housed in 80,000-barrel tanks. "Right now, what we're seeing is no elevated levels (of pollutants) because the plume is high enough that it's not affecting us here close to the ground," Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said during a press conference early Monday afternoon. The plume of smoke rose up to 4,000 feet Monday afternoon, aided by relatively dry and clear conditions, allowing particles to dissipate above the ground. County officials said the plume could fall to a height of about 400 feet overnight — a distance still unlikely to impact residents' health — as the air cools and grows heavier. "I don't expect a large number of people to have their health affected unless circumstances change or the fire worsens," said Arch Carson, a medical toxicologist at the School of Public Health at UTHealth. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Map of the Deer Park ITC fire The tank with the fire symbol over it is believed to be the one where the fire started. The areas highlighted in red are where the fire is believed to have spread. The purple markers are tanks containing Pygas, which is the source of benzene. The blue X markers were empty tanks. The black marker shows where the containment dike breached on Friday afternoon. Created by: Ken Ellis Government officials on Monday eased some directives issued in the hours after the tanks caught fire, lifting a shelter-in-order for the city of Deer Park and reopening a stretch of Texas 225 near the plant. Deer Park and La Porte ISDs, which combine to serve about 20,500 students, canceled classes Monday but will reopen Tuesday. Deer Park ISD also tweeted that it would be "restricting outside activities for the duration of the incident." Portions of Independence Parkway, the main road off which ITC is located, will remain closed until further notice. "Everything from the local level, from the Deer Park school district and the city, we're being very cautions in how we deal with this, because we want to make public safety the number one priority," Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton Jr. said. "It is a very dangerous and active event that is occurring, and it's still going on." DEER PARK FIRE: What you need to know about the chemicals The fire ignited on the grounds of the 47-year-old ITC site located about two miles north of Texas 225 near the Battleship Texas State Historic Site and Buffalo Bayou. The company's storage facility contains 242 tanks capable of holding petrochemical liquids and gases, as well as oil products. It is located along the Houston Ship Channel in an area dominated by energy-producing corporations synonymous with Houston. Intercontinental Terminals Company is owned by the Japanese behemoth Mitsui & Co., which once owned Toyota and Toshiba. Mitsui is one of the largest trading companies in Japan and owns several other Texas-based companies, including the oil and gas investments company MEP Texas Holdings, Houston-based methanol production facility MMTX Inc and feed additive manufacturing plant Novus International. About 300 people work at the Deer Park facility. ITC officials said the fire started in tanks containing Naphtha and Xylene, both components of gasoline, and spread to a small patch of containers that included Toluene, a chemical used in nail polish remover, glues and paint thinners. Exposure to harmful levels of the chemicals can cause headaches, dizziness, vomiting and irritation of the nose and throat, among other effects. The risk of additional tanks catching fire remained minimal, company officials said late Monday. ITC leaders initially said seven tanks caught fire, but they later said one of those containers emerged unscathed. "We have made some headway that (only) three of our tanks are still on fire," ITC spokeswoman Alice Richardson said. "Three others are intermittent fires. They flare up and they go down." Carson, the UTHealth toxicologist, said the primary hazard from petrochemical fires typically involves smoke descending over residential areas and leaving particulates in its path, primarily causing breathing-related issues. He said even if the smoke drops to 400 feet, as predicted, that would be too high to cause health effects. HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM INVESTIGATES: Dangerous chemicals create hidden dangers in Houston Local and state government officials said they are watching fixed testing sites that monitor air quality on an hourly basis, while also deploying mobile testing devices to various areas in the county. A fixed monitor site about five miles southwest of the plant reported elevated levels of carbon monoxide and nitric oxide — two by-products of fuel burning — but neither came close to exceeding government-established limits for safety. Measures for particulate matter were lower than those taken several other days in March before the fire. In addition, ITC's third-party independent air monitoring contractor, Kemah-based Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, found no dangerous particulate measurements. The center used handheld devices to measure air quality at several dozen locations throughout Deer Park, Pasadena, southern Houston and eastern Harris County. The results, however, were not enough to quell concerns of environmental activists and residents living near the plant. Neil Carmen, the Sierra Club's Texas Clean Air Program director, said air quality measurements also should be taken above-ground, in the area of the smoke billow. Air-bound tests can measure larger swaths of the region and more particles. Elena Craft, senior director of the Environmental Defense Fund, said environmental consequences will extend well beyond the initial fire. "The chemicals and flame retardants used to put the fires out get into the environment — and some of those are serious contaminants," Craft said. "There are long-term consequences of these events, and the fact that we have them so frequently is just amazing." SEE WHAT HOUSTON SEES: Submitted photos show giant smoke cloud hanging over Houston As she sat in her car alongside the road leading to ITC's facility, Deer Park resident Jodie Thompson worried the fire would differ from the flares she has seen during her 34 years living in the area. "I trust that they actually know what they're doing, but inside, I have this doubt," Thompson said, watching the flames from her driver's seat. Late Monday, ITC established a website (ITCclaims.com) for "businesses and individuals" to submit damage claims. The statement said "ITC is aware that claims have arisen as a result of the 3/17/19 incident." Company representatives did not immediately elaborate on the number of claims and the nature of the possible damage. The ordeal, in some ways, is part of life in Deer Park, an east Harris County city of more than 33,000 people. Residents said they were familiar with the risks that come with living by the refineries and chemical plants. Heather Trevino, 42, grew up in Deer Park and lives there now with her 9-year-old daughter. She had taken shelter before, but didn't recall an incident as long and intense. Trevino saw the smoke rising above her neighbor's roof Sunday, her eyes and throat itching. When she got the alert to shelter-in-place, she knew to bring in her two dogs and shut off the air conditioning. "We kind of get it ingrained in us," Trevino said. "Living here, it's just kind of part of what you accept, that there's something that could possibly happen." Staff writers Matt Dempsey, Emily Foxhall, R.A. Schuetz and Sarah Smith contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
UPDATE: Deer Park fire spreads, shelter-in-place lifted Residents in Deer Park were urged to shelter in place for most of Sunday as a petrochemical fire raged at chemical storage facility in the city of 34,000. The fire started around 10:30 a.m. and residents were advised to take shelter within a half hour as authorities then shut down State Highway 225 from Beltway 8 to Independence Parkway near the Intercontinental Terminals Company plant. ITC spokeswoman Alice Richardson said the fire was feared to have spread to another chemical tank, despite efforts by the company and local emergency responders to extinguish it with foam. "It will go on throughout the night," Richardson said during a press conference as flames and thick black smoke rose behind her. She was unable to estimate when the flames could subside. One of the tanks that caught fire contained naphtha, a component in gasoline which can irritate the nose and throat when breathed, according to officials. Poisonous gases are produced when naphtha is exposed to fire, according to a fact sheet from the New Jersey Department of Health. Only on HoustonChronicle.com: Experimental Texas power plant aims to make electricity cheaper, cleaner Air quality levels near the plant were found to be normal as of Sunday evening, according to assessments conducted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Harris County Pollution Control, HAZMAT and an independent contractor in Pasadena. Map of the Deer Park ITC fire The tank with the fire symbol over it is believed to be the one where the fire started. The areas highlighted in red are where the fire is believed to have spread. The purple markers are tanks containing Pygas, which is the source of benzene. The blue X markers were empty tanks. The black marker shows where the containment dike breached on Friday afternoon. Created by: Ken Ellis "With the weather, it's kind of wafting up high, which is a good thing for us," Harris County Pollution Control Deputy Director Latrice Babin said. A shift in the wind could mean evacuations, Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia warned also at the press conference. A large smoke plume could be seen into the evening stretching across the Houston region. Luke Metzger, executive director of the environmental advocacy group Environment Texas, said concerns about naphtha were justified. "If people were exposed to the chemical, it could irritate and burn their throat and eyes and cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting," Metzger said. "Long-term, it could cause cancer and risk to the kidneys and the nervous system. So, it's nasty stuff." He recommended long term monitoring for health impacts of the chemical fire, citing a joint-effort by Texas health agencies, Rice University and the Environmental Defense Fund to collect data after Hurricane Harvey. "Given the chemical in question, given that the fire has continued for hours and that officials thought a shelter-in-place warning was necessary, that makes me think that a study is warranted to study the health impacts," he said. "As well as strong enforcement action to hold the company accountable for endangering the community." Deer Park ISD was considering canceling school Monday because of the industrial fire. A decision would be made by 6 a.m., Superintendent Victor White Jr. said in a statement The ITC terminal is the second to catch fire over the weekend. On Saturday, there was a fire at an ExxonMobil plant in Baytown. "The safety of our employees, our surrounding community and the environment is our first priority," ITC said in a press release. The Deer Park terminal can store up to 13.1 million barrels of petrochemical liquids and gases, including fuel oil and bunker oil, according to ITC's website. The company owns another terminal in Pasadena. Since 2003, the company has racked up 35 records of emitting air contaminants. There have been two formal enforcement actions for Clean Air Act violations in the past five years. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, when people are instructed to shelter in place because of chemical contaminants that may have been released into the environment, they should close windows, air vents and fireplace dampers and turn off all fans, heating and air conditioning systems and clothes dryers. Anyone who smells the chemical's gasoline-like odor or experiences adverse effects can report it to the county pollution control at (713) 920-2831. Nicole Hensley contributed to this report.