EMBED >More News Videos ABC13's Stefania Okolie has brief details on the fire at the ExxonMobil plant. BAYTOWN, Texas (KTRK) -- Officials are still investigating the cause behind a fire at the ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown.Emergency teams are responding to the fire Saturday around 1 p.m. at the complex located 5000 Bayway Drive.ExxonMobil confirmed the fire at the facility, but we are unsure of the cause.Since then, the fire at the refinery was contained and no injuries were reported.Pollution control teams say they are continuing to monitor the air in La Porte and Clear Lake.<doc-sep>Juan A. Lozano AP HOUSTON – A large fire at a Houston-area petrochemicals terminal will likely burn for another two days, authorities said Monday, noting that air quality around the facility was testing within normal guidelines. The fire erupted Sunday at Intercontinental Terminals Company in Deer Park, about 15 miles southeast of Houston. Firefighters were working to control the blaze, and the company said the risk of explosion remained “minimal.” ITC has said all employees have been accounted for and no injuries have been reported. A huge plume of smoke could be seen for miles, including from the Galveston Ferry, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) southeast of the blaze. Officials estimated the plume rose 3,000 feet (914 meters) to 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) into the air. The company said the fire spread to seven storage tanks holding components of gasoline and also used in nail polish remover, glues and paint thinner. ITC initially said the fire had spread to eight tanks, but company official David Wascome scaled back the number Monday, saying one of the tanks was empty. Monday afternoon, ITC spokeswoman Alice Richardson said fire crews had made progress battling the blaze as three of the tanks were now only intermittently on fire. A report done by the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, a local environmental consultant hired by ITC, shows the air quality around the facility was below levels that would represent a health concern, Richardson said. Data for the company’s report was collected from multiple locations in Deer Park and in surrounding communities from Sunday through Monday morning. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Monday the county is monitoring air quality and reviewing data from the state. “The latest information available doesn’t show levels beyond a threshold that would make this dangerous,” she said. Hidalgo, the highest elected official in the county, said if conditions change, residents would be alerted about any potential health hazards. A shelter-in-place order was issued Sunday for Deer Park, which has about 34,000 residents. The order was lifted early Monday after air-quality tests showed no unsafe levels of chemicals, according to the city. But city and county officials warned that smoke from the fire could cause skin and eye irritation, and respiratory issues. Schools in the area were closed Monday as a precaution. Deer Park and the school district in neighboring La Porte planned to resume classes on Tuesday. Fire crews used foam to protect storage tanks that have not caught on fire “We are controlling the fire and keeping it off the rest of the tanks,” said Ray Russell with Channel Industries Mutual Aid, an organization that coordinates rescue and emergency capabilities of the local petrochemical industry. Russell estimated the fire would burn for another two days. He said firefighters were now in a defensive mode. Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen said investigators from her office are on the scene of the fire and are still determining a cause of the blaze. The fire was the second in as many days at a Houston-area petrochemical facility. A fire at an ExxonMobil plant in nearby Baytown that broke out Saturday has been contained. John Mone, AP writer in La Porte, contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
UPDATE: Eight tanks now on fire at Deer Park plant A fire that broke out Saturday afternoon at Exxon Mobil's Baytown refinery has been contained by emergency officials. No injuries were reported, according to a statement from company spokesperson Sarah Nordin. The company was monitoring air quality but said they did not yet see evidence of "adverse impact." The blaze broke out around 12:30 p.m., affecting a unit that the company said processes motor gasoline. It sent a thick cloud of dark smoke into the sky, captured in videos posted to social media. Exxon and La Porte Office of Emergency Management officials both said that there was no need to find shelter-in-place locations. BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: Get your Houston breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox "Pollution Control is still monitoring the air south of the plant around La Porte and Clear Lake with no reading at this time," Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said. The smoke had spread across much of the Houston skyline and could be seen from miles away. By 4 p.m., it was no longer visible at the site. Exxon Mobil in its statement said the cause of the fire would be investigated. "We deeply regret any disruption or inconvenience that this incident may have caused the community," the statement said. Other safety issues have surfaced at the plant at 5000 Bayway Drive in Baytown. In 2016, a pipeline leak of a highly flammable chemical outside the plant prompted evacuations. It came two months after a shelter-in-place was called due to another release. 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.