Shell Says Runoff Water From Deer Park Fire Directed Into Houston Channel

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Firefighters continue to fight the blaze at Shell’s Deer Park Chemicals facility for a third day in a row and runoff water is being directed into the Houston Ship Channel, the company said in a statement.

The company stated that wastewater storage capacity had been exceeded amid ongoing firefighting efforts and runoff water from the Deer Park facility fire is being directed into the Houston Ship Channel as a "controlled discharge."

"Air monitoring is ongoing and has not detected any harmful levels of chemicals affecting neighboring communities. There is no danger to the nearby community. However, residents and neighbors may notice black smoke, flaring, and increased noise from the facility," Shell said on Sunday.

On Friday afternoon, a fire started at Shell’s Deer Park Chemicals facility in Deer Park, Texas, near Houston. The ignited product includes cracked heavy gas oil, cracked light gas oil and gasoline, company spokesperson Curtis Smith said in a statement to Sputnik. Smith said that Shell USA was going to conduct an investigation into the cause of the fire.

On Saturday, the fire was thought to be extinguished, but it reignited hours later.

No injuries have been reported, but a small number of contract employees who were exposed to the ignited product are undergoing medical evaluation as a precaution, Smith told Sputnik. Meanwhile, local media reported that five people were hospitalized as a result of the fire.

This fire is the latest chemical fire for Deer Park, TX, which sits near the Gulf of Mexico, between the Buffalo Bayou and the Burnet Bay. In 2019, a chemical fire broke out at another company's facility, Intercontinental Terminals, which sits less than two miles from the Shell facility.