US: Massive fire breaks out at Exxon Mobil refinery in Baytown

A huge fire burning at an Exxon Mobil refinery in Texas is sending a large plume of smoke into the air, the latest in a series of fires in Houston area involving the petrochemical industry. The fire broke out on Wednesday at an Exxon Mobil facility in Baytown, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Houston.

The city of Baytown says the fire is an area that contains polypropylene material and that Exxon Mobil has requested that some nearby residents shelter in place as a precaution. The area has seen large fires this year involving other petrochemical companies, too.

A fire is burning at the ExxonMobil Olefins plant plant in Baytown. A shelter-in-place has been ordered. #EnergyMatters https://t.co/07CFTwmP2Z pic.twitter.com/7T0Mxnj1DN

— 12NewsNow (@12NewsNow) July 31, 2019

In April, one worker died after a tank holding a flammable chemical caught fire in Crosby. In March, a fire burned for days at a petrochemical storage facility in nearby Deer Park.

(With AP inputs)