Sun Sentinel Broward Edition

No timetable for Texas chemical facility fire to burn itself out

- By Juan A. Lozano

HOUSTON — Officials said Tuesday that they’re not sure when a two-dayold fire at a Houston-area petrochemi­cals storage facility will burn itself out, but they are confident that the air quality is safe, despite the huge plume of smoke coming from the blaze.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said at a news conference that monitors show the levels of contaminan­ts in the air are safe and that the plume coming from the site in Deer Park, southeast of Houston, is reaching at least 4,000 feet up and staying high enough so that the air quality at ground level is safe.

“It’s understand­able why people would be scared,” said Hidalgo, the county’s top administra­tor. “We’re sharing informatio­n with the public so that everybody knows what we know, what we’re doing and where we’re headed.”

The plume could carry particulat­es as high as 6,200 feet, officials said, but fog is forecast for the area Wednesday morning that could drag the plume downward, making the air quality more hazardous.

“We’re prepared for any contingenc­y,” Hidalgo said.

The fire that began Sunday at the Interconti­nental Terminals Co. and remained intense enough Tuesday to create its own micro weather system, causing shifting winds in the area, officials said.

The head of the county’s health department, Dr. Umair Shah, said “there continues to be low risk to our community,” but vulnerable groups such as the elderly and pregnant women should be cautious.

The company said Tuesday that five petrochemi­cal tanks at the site were still burning, three others that had been on fire had burned out and two tanks that didn’t have anything in them had collapsed.

Firefighte­rs are using water and foam to prevent the blaze from spreading to five other tanks.

 ?? DAVID J. PHILLIP/AP ??
DAVID J. PHILLIP/AP

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States