The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is reporting at least four people were injured in a large explosion reported early this morning at an ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown, Texas. One of those people is in critical but stable condition, the other three are hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Local sheriffs are calling it “a major industrial accident.”
In a statement, the company said emergency vehicles and smoke may be noticeable in the surrounding areas. They added they were working with local officials to get the situation under control.
Rohan Davis, a refinery manager at the Baytown site, told NBC News that he could not confirm the explosion and the company is still collecting information.
However, the Harris County Sheriff said in a tweet that initial reports indicated an explosion.
The Baytown ExxonMobil refinery is located about 25 miles east of Houston. Built in 1920, it is the company’s largest oil refinery in the United States. According to the company’s website, it produces 584,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
In 2019, another fire broke out at the facility. It injured 37 people.
The Sheriff’s office has asked residents to avoid the area around the facility, but no other evacuation or shelter-in-place orders have been issued.