TEXAS CITY, Texas — At least one worker was killed after a fire broke out at a Marathon Petroleum oil refinery plant southeast of Houston on Monday, authorities said.
The fire occurred at a unit at the oil company’s Galveston Bay facility in Texas City, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Emergency personnel responded to the fire at about 10:30 a.m. CDT, according to the newspaper. Officials said the fire posed no threat to the community, and residents did not have to shelter in place.
There is a fire at a unit at Marathon. Emergency responders are on scene. No shelter in place is needed, and there is no threat to the community.
— City of Texas City (@CityofTexasCity) May 15, 2023
Our emergency responders are closely monitoring the situation, including monitoring the air quality.
Video from KHOU-TV showed flames and smoke coming from the unit as crews worked to contain the fire. It was unclear what caused the fire, the television station reported.
The identity of the worker who was killed has not been released, according to KTRK. It was unclear if other workers were injured.
#BREAKING: Crews are battling a fire in a unit at the Marathon refinery in Texas City, according to officials. https://t.co/IYWZG5epgZ
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) May 15, 2023
“We are deeply saddened to report that a Marathon employee has passed away as a result of the fire today at Marathon Petroleum’s Galveston Bay refinery,” the company said in a statement. “We extend our deepest sympathies to our employee’s family, friends and co-workers, and our thoughts are with them as we all mourn his passing. The safety of our workers and the community is our top priority, and a full investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the incident.”
