Fire and Explosion at Celanese Chemical Plant

Fire crews responded to the Celanese Corporation chemical plant in Pasadena, TX last Saturday afternoon after an explosion and fire were reported at the facility, the company said in a press release. 

The incident occurred at the firm’s Clear Lake plant at about noon. Emergency personnel employed by Celanese managed to put out the flames quickly, according to the company. No injuries were reported.

Local emergency officials did not issue a shelter-in-place order during the response. The scene was cleared by about 4:30 p.m.

“At this time, Celanese unit operations including acetic acid and vinyl acetate are down. The Fairway ethanol unit is also idle,” the release stated. “Shipping operations at Clear Lake and associated terminals are expected to continue without interruption. Celanese will leverage its global network capabilities to service contract customers. Site restart efforts are underway.”

A Celanese spokesperson told ABC News affiliate KTRK that the blast and the fire occurred a carbon monoxide unit in the plant. 

The cause of the incident is under investigation. 

For more news headlines, articles, and equipment reviews, visit our Equipment Zones

More Celanese articles:

Celanese to Boost Methanol Capacity at Texas Plant

Chemicals Firm Celanese Names Lori Ryerkerk as New CEO

Celanese to Boost Thermoplastic Co-Polyester Capacity