Emergency crews battle to contain Port Neches butadiene blaze

PORT NECHES, Texas—A fire caused by a Nov. 27 explosion at a Port Neches facility of raw materials supplier TPC Group Inc. still midday on Dec. 2.

"No one was injured and there were no offsite impacts," the company said.

The Jefferson County, Texas, Office of Emergency Management has used its Facebook page as a central source of information to many residents in recent days.

Response measures also were ongoing, as emergency crews worked to contain the fire TPC Group said. A Port Neches Response portal, offering fresh updates as well as emotional and claims support to those affected by the incident, also had been established.

Port Neches Police Chief Paul Lemoine, in a statement given Nov. 28, noted that the plan was to allow the fire to burn itself out. Emergency crews, he said, worked to shut off valves to any lines that may have been fueling the fire.

"After all valves have been located and shut off, the fire will be allowed to burn itself out and at that point the area will be covered with foam."

Three were injured on Nov. 27 after an explosion in a processing unit at the butadiene plant. The company is investigating the cause of the incident.

The blaze also resulted in the collapse of a distillation water tower Nov. 30. The company said it had anticipated the collapse of the tower and response teams managed the action accordingly.

TPC has a 426,000 metric ton butadiene extraction capacity at its Port Neches facility, with a further 417,000 tons at its Houston plant. Together, the plants represent 34 percent of the U.s. butadiene capacity, according to IHS Markit data.