Residents living near a refinery operated by Valero Energy in Port Arthur were advised to remain indoors on Monday after an explosion triggered a fire at the facility, prompting an emergency response from local and state authorities.
Officials urged people, particularly those on the west side of the city, to stay inside their homes, shut doors and windows, and follow safety instructions while firefighters worked to contain the blaze.
The explosion sent thick smoke into the air and drew emergency responders, police, and environmental officials to the scene. Authorities also shut sections of State Highway 82 and State Highway 87 to allow rescue teams easier access to the refinery area.
In a statement, Valero said its emergency response team was coordinating with local authorities to manage the situation, stressing that the safety of workers and nearby residents remained its top priority.
Officials from the Texas Department of Emergency Management and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality were deployed to monitor air quality and assess potential environmental risks from the fire.
A spokesperson for the environmental agency, Laura Lopez, said response teams were operating under a unified emergency command structure and that updates would be shared through official social media channels as more information becomes available.
Authorities warned that the shelter-in-place advisory covered a wide area around the refinery and cautioned motorists to expect traffic disruptions due to road closures near the facility.
The refinery, located about 90 miles east of Houston, employs nearly 800 workers and processes roughly 435,000 barrels of crude oil daily into petrol, diesel, and jet fuel.
As of the time of reporting, no injuries had been confirmed, while firefighters continued efforts to extinguish the fire and determine the cause of the explosion.
