2 Dead, 35 Injured From Chemical Release at Refinery

The leak occurred Thursday evening and a shelter-in-place order was issued. The number of deaths/injuries could increase.

Kristen Kazarian, Managing Editor

October 11, 2024

1 Min Read
The hydrogen leak was reportedly due to work on a flange at the facility.
The hydrogen leak was reportedly due to work being done on a flange at the facility.Richard Hamilton Smith/Corbis Documentary via Getty Images

Two people have died after a chemical leak at an oil refinery on Thursday evening. Nearly three dozen others were either transported to hospitals or treated at the scene, said Harris County, TX Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

The Pemex facility in Deer Park, TX, is Mexico’s state-owned oil company.

Officials with the Pemex facility told local news ABC13 at about 6:18 p.m. that they were "dealing with an emergency" that began at 4:40 p.m., according to a statement issued hours later.

Hours after the leak began at the Pemex plant, Gonzalez said the area was still unsafe for investigators to enter and that officials may not be able to get inside until Friday.

Hydrogen sulfide leaked at the plant, setting off urgent warnings for nearby residents to stay indoors before authorities later determined that the public was not in danger.

Gonzalez said that the gas release happened during work on a flange at the facility, which is part of a cluster of oil refineries and plants that makes Houston the nation’s petrochemical heartland.

Pasadena and Deer Park officials lifted the city shelter-in-place orders after Harris County Pollution Control completed air monitoring in the area and no longer detected hazardous chemicals in the air, ABC13 reported.

Pemex said in a statement that investigations were underway and that operations had been “proactively halted” at two units with the aim of mitigating the impact.

About the Author

Kristen Kazarian

Managing Editor

Kristen Kazarian has been a writer and editor for more than three decades. She has worked at several consumer magazines and B2B publications in the fields of food and beverage, packaging, processing, women's interest, local news, health and nutrition, fashion and beauty, automotive, and IT.

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