A deadly fire has broken out at the Chevron Pascagoula Refinery, with one reported death so far, according to local news agencies.
A fire broke out following an explosion at 2a.m. on the morning of 15 November at one of the refinery’s processing units, killing one person, whose name has not been released.
An early morning press release from Chevron stated that "The Chevron Pascagoula Refinery experienced a fire at one of its processing units at approximately 2 a.m. this (Friday) morning. Refinery teams have responded to the emergency, and the site is secure. There is no danger to the community. We will provide more information as it becomes available."
Hours later, Chevron said that a detonation had preceded the fire, killing one worker.
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Around 30 firefighters and police officers responded to the emergency.
The fire at the Mississippi refinery follows another incident in Texas yesterday, when a pipeline exploded in a small town south of Dallas, prompting the evacuation of nearby homes and a school district.
The pipeline exploded just south of Milford, Texas, when a construction crew accidentally drilled into a 10-inch liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) line, operated by Chevron with an 80% share.
There were no injuries reported in the incident, but the explosion caused an ensuing fire in an open field near Milford, population 700.
Some 200 students have been evacuated and road around the fire have been closed off.
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The pipeline was part of the West Texas LPG Pipeline Limited Partnership, a 2,295-mile system that runs from New Mexico through Texas.
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"The flow of product in the pipeline has been shut off and residual burn continues," Chevron said in a statement.
Milford's volunteer fire chief, Mark Jackson, told Dallas' WFAA-TV that about 200 students in the town's school district were evacuated, and officials closed off numerous roads around the fire.
By. Joao Peixe of Oilprice.com
