Leak forces Mont Belvieu evacuations
Residents allowed to return at night after fire is put out
Evacuations were ordered Sunday for portions of Mont Belvieu near “The Hill” in Chambers County after a report of a leak from a pipeline storage facility that may have contributed to a well fire nearby.
Portions of Texas 146 were closed and evacuations were ordered as a “precaution” for an area near Texas 146 and Winfree Street, according to the city’s local emergency officials.
A nearby well fire sent flames shooting into the sky but appeared to have been extinguished by late afternoon.
The highway was reopened and the evacuation orders lifted by 7:45 p.m. Sunday.
No injuries were reported, and officials with LyondellBasell reported that air monitors indicated no concerns for surrounding areas.
The Hill — a formation caused by an underground salt dome that has been one of the world’s largest storage sites for volatile hydrocarbons — was once home to downtown Mont Belvieu.
But the downtown area was relocated after an underground gas leak in 1980 forced the evacuation of 72 families from the salt dome for nearly five months.
Numerous other incidents also have occurred over the years, including an ethylene leak that closed Texas 146; a Dow Chemical pipeline explosion that leveled a home and released a large gas cloud; and two underground storage wells that exploded and burned for 43 days.
According to a statement from LyondellBasell, monitors indicated a build-up of pressure in a wellhead at the company’s pipeline storage facility off Texas 146.
Company officials worked into the evening Sunday to reduce pressure in the line.
The well stores light hydrocarbons that are used for production of rubber and tires, according to a statement released by the company.
“We are working closely with local authorities and other area facilities to ensure continued safety of the public,” according to the statement.
LyondellBasell officials said the fire was at a nearby facility operated by another company. It was not immediately known what may have sparked that fire or whether it was caused by the leak.
The Mont Belvieu facility is one of two storage facilities operated by LyondellBasell’s pipeline group in the Texas Gulf Coast area.
The 42-acre facility uses caverns in the salt domes to store products that are delivered by pipeline to other company facilities and to customers, officials said.