Houston (Texas City) New 2nd Explosion

First Ft. Worth, now this

[link to www.khou.com]

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BP explosion rattles nerves in Texas City; no injuries reported

07:08 PM CDT on Thursday, July 28, 2005

From 11 News Staff Reports

TEXAS CITY -- A loud explosion at the BP plant gave residents of Texas City quite a scare Thursday evening.

AIR 11

BP´s internal fire crews were working to contain the fire.

BP officials say no one was hurt. They say the fire is being handled by its own internal crews.

"There is no danger to the community. They are working to get the fire out," said George Fuller with Texas City Emergency Management.

No shelter-in-place was issued although residents were asked to continue monitoring news reports in case that situation changes.

Texas City Mayor Matt Doyle told 11 News this is considered a Level 2 emergency.

The explosion could be heard and felt from miles away.

"My wife was inside. She said it shook the house," said David Sells, who lives nearby. "It was... pretty good boom."

"My husband and I were outside in Santa fe about 15 miles away and heard the explosion this evening," said Billie Morris via e-mail.

Even news crews covering the shuttle at the Johnson Space Center heard the boom, according to 11 News reporter Jeremy Desel.

Texas City firefighters were on standby in case the BP firefighters need help.

It happened in the RHU unit, which processes low grade crude oil into refined oil products, according to The Daily News. Those familiar with the unit say it uses hydrogen to handle the bulk of its workload and is one of the higher pressure units at the refinery.

The explosion was a frightening reminder of the March explosion at BP that killed 15 people and injured nearly 200. The investigation into the cause of that explosion continues.