(KPRC) More than 30 people suffered minor injuries Wednesday in an explosion and subsequent fire at the ExxonMobil plant in Baytown, Texas.

Jason Duncan, manager of the ExxonMobil plant, said 37 people suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. He described the injuries as minor burns. Officials said 66 people were taken for medical evaluation.

Duncan said the unit that is involved in the fire was isolated.

The ExxonMobil plant in Baytown is one of the largest of its kind in the world, and is no stranger to violations.

According to the Harris County attorney, the plant could be facing a lawsuit after it burned for several hours Wednesday, leaving residents in the area worried about their health and wanting answers. </s> 66 people sent for medical attention after ExxonMobil refinery explosion in Texas

The facility processes light hydrocarbons including propane and propylene, materials used to make plastic and industrial products. </s> An explosion and fire at an ExxonMobil oil refinery outside of Houston Wednesday has left at least six people injured, reports say.

A unit containing polypropylene material ⁠— a noncarcinogenic plastic ⁠— burst into flames late Wednesday morning at the ExxonMobil Baytown Olefins plant, sending parts of the city into a mandatory shelter-in-place, according to Fox 26. The flames and black smoke from the fire could be seen for miles.

"Our first priority remains the safety of people, including our employees, contractors and the community," ExxonMobil Baytown Area said in a statement. "As a precaution, our industrial hygiene staff is conducting air quality monitoring at the site and at the fence line, and we are cooperating with regulatory agencies."

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At least two school districts in the area that didn't fall within the shelter-in-place order for Baytown are also implementing shelter-in-place precautions for their summer activities, according to Fox 26.

Some workers have begun returning to the plant's entrance after evacuating and ExxonMobil will hold a press conference about the incident at 2:30 p.m. ET. </s> Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.

Authorities say 66 people were sent for medical evaluation after an explosion and fire at an ExxonMobil oil refinery in Texas on Wednesday.

The fire began after an explosion just after 11:00 a.m. at an ExxonMobil plant in Baytown, about 25 miles east of Houston. The facility processes light hydrocarbons including propane and propylene, materials used to make plastic and industrial products.

Right after the explosion, the fire sent large plumes of black smoke into the sky. By Wednesday afternoon, the smoke had lessened. The fire was not fully extinguished by Wednesday evening, but authorities lifted a shelter-in-place order that impacted approximately 5,000 people in the area once the blaze was contained.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality was on scene monitoring for air quality issues, but did not report any concerning contaminants.

Harris County Homeland Security and Emergency Management released a statement after the fire was contained that ExxonMobil reported 66 of its employees and contractors were sent for medical evaluation.

Jason Duncan, the plant manager, said earlier that many of those hurt suffered minor burns and all were being treated at a local clinic.

All employees at the plant had been accounted for, officials said.

"It is our number one priority to protect the people in the community and the people that work for us," Duncan said.

The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the what caused the fire.

Wednesday's fire is the latest at a Houston-area petrochemical facility this year, including one at another facility on the ExxonMobil Baytown complex.

On March 16, a fire erupted at a refinery at the complex. The fire was extinguished hours later, but Harris County officials say it continued to release toxic pollutants for eight more days. The county has sued ExxonMobil, accusing the company of violating the federal Clean Air Act.

Also in March, a fire burned for days at a petrochemical storage facility owned by Intercontinental Terminals Company in nearby Deer Park and caused chemicals to flow into a nearby waterway. After the fire, the Harris County District Attorney's Office filed water pollution charges against ITC.

In April, one worker died after a tank holding a flammable chemical caught fire at a plant operated by KMCO LLC in nearby Crosby.

Prior to Wednesday's fire, Harris County had conducted an analysis of how local officials and agencies respond to such incidents in the wake of the petrochemical complex fires from earlier this year, said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

Some of the steps the county is taking as a result of this analysis include asking for more air monitors, improving how the public is informed about such incidents and improving communication between agencies that respond to such incidents. Hidalgo said the county fire marshal's office is also working to increase its inspections of area petrochemical facilities.

"It's not right for us to live next to a petrochemical complex and live in fear sometimes. So we have to improve on the situation and we are doing so," said Hidalgo, who is the top administrator in Harris County, where Houston is located.

The plant in Wednesday's explosion and fire is part of the company's 3,400-acre refinery complex in Baytown.

According to records kept by the Environmental Protection Agency, the plant had 68 tons of ethylene on site in 2017. It also had large quantities of other potentially hazardous chemicals, including ammonia, benzene, and propylene.

The facility is one of eight plants that ExxonMobil agreed to retrofit with anti-pollution technology in a settlement with the U.S. government. The company also agreed to pay $2.5 million in fines to federal and state authorities after being accused of violating the Clean Air Act with industrial flares from its factories. </s> BAYTOWN, Texas — A fire at the ExxonMobil Baytown Complex in east Harris County has been contained, according to the Harris County Office of Emergency Management.

Air monitoring is expected to continue until the fire is fully extinguished, the emergency management office said.

Jason Duncan, the plant manager, said the fire is a result of an explosion that happened at one of the units in the plant on Decker Drive.

Thirty-seven people were treated for non-life threatening injuries, including first-degree burns, Duncan said.

A shelter-in-place was issued for areas west of the plant and south of Spur 330 minutes after the plant exploded. The shelter-in-place has since been lifted.

The explosion happened at approximately 11:07 a.m., officials said. The City of Baytown said as the fire and smoke filled the air, they activated their emergency center and alerted all of their residents to let them know about the precautionary shelter.

As fire and a plume of smoke filled the sky, the City of Baytown activated their emergency center and alerted all of their residents to let them know about the precautionary shelter in place.

Crews are currently working to shut down the affected units and isolate the source of the fire.

The cause of the explosion is unknown at this time, but officials said they are working diligently to figure it out.

"I understand for the people of Baytown it's difficult to look out your window and see a plume of smoke especially what's happened before, said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is at the plant and will provide more information as it becomes available.

The plant's Industrial Hygiene staff said they are monitoring air quality at the site and fence line and at this time there are no adverse impacts to the community.

Joshua Howell, who lives near the plant, said he heard and felt the explosion from his home.

“Sirens going off like crazy, news helicopters overhead. Low constant hum audible from my home. Not sure what exploded but it shook the neighborhood,” Howell tweeted. He said he can see the smoke from his front yard.

Serena Dodds is a manager at Extra Space Storage, which is right across the street from the Exxon plant. She said the fire shook her entire office and lit up the interior of her office walls.

“It made the sound of a jet flying too low to the ground,” said Dodds. “[It] just grew and grew and then boomed and the light from it lit up my whole office.

READ: What we know about the ExxonMobil Olefins plant in Baytown

The plant released the following statement on Twitter:

"A fire has occurred at our Baytown Olefins Plant and our fire team is working to extinguish the fire. We are conducting personnel accounting. Our first priority remains the safety of people, including our employees, contractors and the community. As a precaution, our industrial hygiene staff is conducting air quality monitoring at the sire and at the fenceline, and we are cooperating with regulatory agencies. We regret any disruption or inconvenience this incident may have caused the community."

Several KHOU 11 viewers have sent in photos and videos of the plant fire.

KHOU 11 Investigates looked into ExxonMobil Baytown Complex and found the Texas Commission on Environmental Agency has fined the plant 22 times in the last decade, resulting in nearly one million dollars in penalties.

A half million of that stems from a single incident in 2009 in which, according to documents, the plant failed to prevent unauthorized emissions from a number of its units.

We have a crew at the scene gathering more details.

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• Army identifies two soldiers killed in Afghanistan during Operation Freedom's Sentinel
• Victims ID'd after man shoots his ex and murders her family in Fort Bend County: deputies </s> City officials said via Twitter Wednesday afternoon that the advisory had been lifted after monitoring failed to detect "any levels of concern" in the air.

Officials said 66 employees and contractors were examined at a health clinic, with some receiving first aid. All were released.

The fire had been contained by the evening.

"We realize the people who live here in Baytown and our surrounding communities are worried," ExxonMobil spokeswoman Natasha Barrett told reporters. "We understand that and we've been working hour after hour to check on things, to monitor air quality."

The fire occurred at the company's Baytown Olefins Plant, ExxonMobil spokeswoman Sarah Nordin said. The company website describes the complex as one of the largest refining and petrochemical complexes in the world. It's located about 25 miles east of Houston. Residents have been asked to shelter in place near parts of an ExxonMobil plant in Baytown, Texas. Barrett said the fire began about 11:07 a.m. local time and the precautionary shelter-in-place was issued about 10 minutes later. The blaze is in a unit that contains polypropylene material and Exxon asked that the shelter-in-place order be issued west of the plant and south of the Texas Spur 330 freeway "out of an abundance of caution," the city of Baytown said via Twitter. Flames and smoke rise from the ExxonMobil complex in Baytown, Texas. Duncan said the fire broke out at a polypropylene recovery unit, where the plastic is purified for production. He said crews were working to shut down the units to isolate the fire source. Duncan said the company is conducting air quality monitoring at the site and fence line, and cooperating with regulatory agencies. He said no adverse environmental effects had been detected. Barrett said city and county officials were also monitoring the air. The cause of the explosion is unknown, he said. </s> BAYTOWN, Texas (KTRK) -- A fire is burning at the ExxonMobil Olefins Plant off Highway 146 at Spur 330 in Baytown. The company said 66 people have suffered non-life threatening injuries.All workers are said to have been accounted for. None of those injured required hospitalization, according to ExxonMobil.A shelter-in-place that was issued for residents who live west of the plant and south of 330 has been lifted, as of 3:05 p.m. Air monitoring didn't detect any levels of concern, according to the City of Baytown.The material is easily ignited by heat, sparks or flames and will form explosive mixtures with air.Any cylinders exposed to the fire may vent and release flammable gas through pressure relief devices.When it comes to the health impacts of the gas, vapors may cause dizziness or asphyxiation without warning.Contact with gas or liquefied gas can also cause burns, severe injury and/or frostbite.Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted that his department is monitoring the situation and is ready to respond if needed.The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is headed to the scene. ExxonMobil's website states that the Baytown Olefins plant began operations in 1979 and is one of the largest ethylene plants in the world.ExxonMobil recently completed the construction of a multi-billion dollar ethane cracker at the Olefins Plant. ExxonMobil says the cracker has a capacity of 1.5 million tons per year and provides ethylene feedstock to two new high-performance polyethylene lines at the Mont Belvieu Plastics Plant, which was built in 1982. The projects were part of ExxonMobil's 10-year, $20 billion Growing the Gulf expansion program.This is the second time within a few months that a fire has broken out at an ExxonMobil plant. That previous incident occurred in March. </s> BAYTOWN, Texas (KTRK) -- If you were affected by Wednesday's fire at the Baytown ExxonMobil facility, there's a number you can call.The company released the number just over 24 hours after the fire at the olefins plant. Personal claims can be filed by calling 800-241-9010.If you missed work, saw a doctor, or have other expenses tied to the fire, you may wish to file a claim. However, attorneys advise you to make sure you understand the terms of any agreement you may be entering into. If you accept any money, you may be forfeiting your right to sue ExxonMobil in the future.Harris County filed a lawsuit Thursday morning alleging ExxonMobil violated the Texas Clean Air Act due to the release of pollutants.ABC13 has reached out to to ExxonMobil for its response to the lawsuit.The fire occurred at the facility off Highway 146 at Spur 330. The company said 66 people were evaluated. Any injuries reported have been described as non-life-threatening. None of those injured required hospitalization, according to ExxonMobil.The company said Thursday that the fire has been extinguished, and all the workers who were evaluated have been cleared to return to work.A statement said in part,ExxonMobil added that it is cooperating with regulatory agencies and is working to identify ways to enhance environmental performance. ExxonMobil's website states that the Baytown Olefins plant began operations in 1979 and is one of the largest ethylene plants in the world. </s> The lawsuit said Wednesday's fire "resulted in the emission of multiple air pollutants, including propylene, LPG, propane, and associated products of combustion." The county says the company violated the state's clean air act and asks for orders to prevent a recurrence.

The fire began late Wednesday morning at ExxonMobil's Baytown Olefins Plant at a unit that contains polypropylene material.

Residents were urged to shelter in place for hours because of concern about the air quality. The advisory was lifted after monitoring didn't detect any "levels of concern," Baytown officials said Wednesday afternoon.

Officials said 66 employees and contractors were examined at a health clinic Wednesday.

ExxonMobil is "currently reviewing" the lawsuit, spokeswoman Sarah Nordin told CNN in an email. 66 treated after fire breaks out at ExxonMobil plant in Baytown, Texas "We take public health and environmental protection seriously," Nordin said in an earlier email Thursday. "We will continue to work to identify ways to enhance our environmental performance. Nordin said the fire has been extinguished, and all workers who had been treated are cleared to go back to work. Air monitoring in the area just outside the complex shows "levels are normal," she said. Rock Owens, Harris County's lead environmental lawyer, told CNN the county is asking the State of Texas for temporary and permanent injunctions against the company to fix these alleged violations immediately, and to try to prevent potential violations from happening again in the future. Harris County, along with the state of Texas, is also also suing Exxon because of a March 16 fire at the company's refinery in Baytown, CNN affiliates KPRC-TV and KTRK-TV reported. ExxonMobil's website describes the Baytown Olefins Plant as "one of the largest ethylene plants in the world," and the Baytown complex of operations, including the refinery and chemical plant, as one of the largest refining and petrochemical complexes in the world. The cause of Wednesday's fire is under investigation.
An explosion at an ExxonMobil oil refinery in Baytown, Texas, hospitalizes 66 people.