MOSCOW (MRC) -- Firefighters responded to a large fire at a chemical warehouse in the Channelview neighborhood of Houston, Texas, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.
Local media reported residents heard loud noises followed by a huge plume of smoke filling the air above the K-Solv facility, which stores chemicals such as hydrochloric acid, acetone, ethanol, ethylene dichloride (EDC) and other acids.
K-Solv director of environmental health, safety and security, Mikie Sopczak, said the fire started during a dump transfer operation in which one product is transferred into a smaller container. An ignition source caused the fire during a transfer, although it is unclear which chemical was burning.
The company said all employees were safe and accounted for. One person was transported to an area hospital for respiratory issues as a precautionary measure.
The Houston ship pilots association said vessel traffic along the Houston Ship Channel was not affected by the blaze. The fire happened north of the waterway through which crude oil, motor fuels and petrochemicals move in and out of the nation’s busiest energy port.
As MRC reported before, earlier this year, another US petrochemical producer - Delek US - issued a statement regarding the fire over the weekend at their El Dorado refinery. According to Delek US, the fire at the Penex unit occurred on Saturday, February 27. An on-site emergency response team along with the El Dorado Fire Department were able to extinguish the fire. The air quality was monitored following the fire and Delek US says they have not detected any adverse impacts.
EDC is one of the main feedstocks for the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's overall PVC production reached 169,200 tonnes in the first two months of 2021, down 4% year on year. All producers decreased production volumes over the reported period.
MRC