A fire that had been previously extinguished reignited at a Shell petrochemical plant over the weekend, sending nine contractors to the hospital, who have since been released with minor injuries. The cause of the fire will be the “subject of a future investigation,” according to Shell Deer Park Chemicals, after the blaze shot flames from facility smokestacks and blew billows of smoke for around 4 hours. The fire was so large that it was visible from space, according to Houston meteorologists.
Oil and gas fires are common in the Houston area, as just last March, an explosion at a facility owned by INEOS Phenol left one injured, and a fire in 2019 triggered air quality warnings in the area. (KHOU11, BBC, AP, Reuters, Fox News)