According to Mark Calhoun, operations manager for Magellan Midstream Partners, the explosion erupted after a fire started at about 10:00 am near the crude oil storage tank. At the time of the incident, the tank was being cleaned and inspected.
“As far as the cause, we don’t really know just yet what happened, what caused the fire,” Calhoun said. “We will absolutely fully cooperate with the investigation … and Magellan will also complete a thorough internal investigation as well.”
Calhoun also stated that the 60 storage tanks and small refinery within the Magellan plant were unaffected by the eruption.
After the blast, a shelter in place order was issued and was lifted shortly before noon. Deputy Fire Chief Richie Quintero stated that there were no other injuries or property damage and no air contamination.
“Air monitoring was performed throughout this entire incident of which there were zero readings of concern on any types of gas or chemicals” at the site, Quintero said.
Firefighters were successful in extinguishing the fire and left after 2:00 pm.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent out a statement that emergency assistance will be provided as needed by the state.
“The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is monitoring air quality in the area, and the Texas Division Of Emergency Management is on the ground to provide support,” Abbott wrote. “The state is ready to deploy additional resources to respond to this event and keep the community safe.”
This is not the first time that the area surrounding the Magellan plant has seen incidents. In September, an offshore natural gas well suffered damage from rough waters off the coast of Corpus Christi. This damage caused gas to spew from the platform. The well is owned by Houston-based Magellan E&P Holdings Inc. However, they do not have any affiliation with Magellan Midstream Partners.
In August, a dredging vessel, owned by Orion Marine Group hit an underwater propane pipeline in the Port of Corpus Christi. This accident killed four people.
The Corpus Christi Port CEO, Sean Strawbridge said that the explosion this past Saturday did not affect the port. The port will have no role in the investigation as the plant is not on port property.
Source: ABC News
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Daisy Chaparro
Daisy Chaparro was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. A graduate from El Dorado High School in 2008 and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Philosophy from St. Mary’s University in 2012. Daisy then obtained her Juris Doctorate (magna cum laude) from Texas Tech University School of Law in 2015.
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