ABC13 Eyewitness News
(3/30/04 - TEXAS CITY, TX) — A shelter in place has been issued for residents in Texas City after a series of explosions rocked the area.
According to eyewitnesses the first blast at the bp Amoco chemical plant occurred around 7:15pm. Some witnesses say there were at least four explosions - the fourth being the loudest.
According to B.C. Clawson with the Texas City Emergency Management, the fire occurred in the furnace area. After the explosion, hydrocarbon feed stock was burning off.
It doesn't appear the smoke is toxic, but authorities issued a shelter in place order. Residents in the area should stay indoors. Police have shut down State Highway 146 near the plant.
Texas City firefighters are trying to get a handle on the flames and some witnesses say the flames are beginning to die down a bit.
"We're about five miles away where the incident occurred and we were standing out on the porch and saw the explosion and saw a big burst of flames right off the bat," said eyewitness Steve Letterman.
All workers have been accounted for, and no injuries have been reported.
Stay with ABC13 Eyewitness News for the latest on this developing situation.
(Copyright © 2004, KTRK-TV)
Series of explosions rocks Texas City refinery
Moderator: S2k Moderators
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Anonymous
March 25, 2004, 11:10AM
Texas refineries alerted to election-time threat
From staff and wire reports
The FBI issued an advisory Wednesday in response to intelligence it received that oil refineries in Texas may be targeted for terrorist attacks.
FBI spokesman Bob Doguim told the Houston Chronicle that the agency's Houston office has been meeting with officials of local law enforcement agencies and oil refineries.
"It's prudent and responsible to analyze and share what we have," Doguim said. "When you look across the country, this is obviously something we just can't dismiss."
The possible terror attacks could come around elections this November, but there are no specific, corroborated details of any potential threats, FBI and industry sources said today.
An FBI official who declined to provide details of the advisory noted that the agency has processed 7,000 threats in the last year, and added, "These communications go out on a daily basis."
But a petroleum industry source in Texas who has seen the notification said, "The alert mentioned threats to pipelines and facilities in Texas to coincide with the election in November."
The source said there have been at least a half dozen of these types of warnings from the FBI in Texas since last summer.
U.S. retail gasoline prices soared to a record-high this week on tight supplies. Any damage to a major refinery or pipeline would constrict supplies even more.
But news of the FBI alert had little impact on today's U.S. crude oil prices, which fell sharply on reports that OPEC was having trouble carrying out a planned cut in production. Traders said such security alerts appeared to be relatively common.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in Washington and New York, U.S. oil refineries have adopted tougher security measures that include more scrutiny of visitors.
The National Petrochemical and Refiners Association said it asked its Texas members to be more vigilant about security after the warning.
Maurice McBride, director for security with the trade group, said the FBI and other federal agencies were still analyzing the intelligence information they received about a possible attack.
"We've talked with the FBI and there's not much more that is going to be said," McBride said.
The oil refiners trade group is asking members to "be more watchful and vigilant, as circumstances permit," McBride said. "I'm very confident that they are doing virtually everything that should be done. Protecting themselves is in their own self-interest."
The FBI was meeting with oil industry officials to discuss the threat, but it is the latest of a series of meetings about security, McBride said.
"The FBI in Houston meets regularly with the oil industry. It's not like there is a special briefing that has been called," he said.
"The oil industry generally is something that Middle Eastern terrorists know about," McBride said. "We (U.S. refineries and pipelines) are something that is on their minds," McBride said.
Reuters News Service contributed to this report.
Texas refineries alerted to election-time threat
From staff and wire reports
The FBI issued an advisory Wednesday in response to intelligence it received that oil refineries in Texas may be targeted for terrorist attacks.
FBI spokesman Bob Doguim told the Houston Chronicle that the agency's Houston office has been meeting with officials of local law enforcement agencies and oil refineries.
"It's prudent and responsible to analyze and share what we have," Doguim said. "When you look across the country, this is obviously something we just can't dismiss."
The possible terror attacks could come around elections this November, but there are no specific, corroborated details of any potential threats, FBI and industry sources said today.
An FBI official who declined to provide details of the advisory noted that the agency has processed 7,000 threats in the last year, and added, "These communications go out on a daily basis."
But a petroleum industry source in Texas who has seen the notification said, "The alert mentioned threats to pipelines and facilities in Texas to coincide with the election in November."
The source said there have been at least a half dozen of these types of warnings from the FBI in Texas since last summer.
U.S. retail gasoline prices soared to a record-high this week on tight supplies. Any damage to a major refinery or pipeline would constrict supplies even more.
But news of the FBI alert had little impact on today's U.S. crude oil prices, which fell sharply on reports that OPEC was having trouble carrying out a planned cut in production. Traders said such security alerts appeared to be relatively common.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in Washington and New York, U.S. oil refineries have adopted tougher security measures that include more scrutiny of visitors.
The National Petrochemical and Refiners Association said it asked its Texas members to be more vigilant about security after the warning.
Maurice McBride, director for security with the trade group, said the FBI and other federal agencies were still analyzing the intelligence information they received about a possible attack.
"We've talked with the FBI and there's not much more that is going to be said," McBride said.
The oil refiners trade group is asking members to "be more watchful and vigilant, as circumstances permit," McBride said. "I'm very confident that they are doing virtually everything that should be done. Protecting themselves is in their own self-interest."
The FBI was meeting with oil industry officials to discuss the threat, but it is the latest of a series of meetings about security, McBride said.
"The FBI in Houston meets regularly with the oil industry. It's not like there is a special briefing that has been called," he said.
"The oil industry generally is something that Middle Eastern terrorists know about," McBride said. "We (U.S. refineries and pipelines) are something that is on their minds," McBride said.
Reuters News Service contributed to this report.
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Anonymous
Getaway Gunman Shoots Chemical Plant Guard
Saturday, January 24, 2004
FREEPORT, Texas — A security guard at a BASF Corp. (search) chemical plant was shot in the shoulder Saturday after he approached a suspicious truck and talked to a man who said he had been taking pictures, authorities said.
The guard's name was not released, but Freeport police said he was doing well at a Brazosport hospital following the Friday night shooting.
The guard told police the gunman was a man of Middle Eastern descent with bushy hair and a mustache. The man was driving a white pickup with tinted windows and a black stripe.
BASF spokeswoman Sharon Rogers said there was no indication the shooting was linked to terrorism.
"We'll just have to see what the investigation will reveal," she told The Brazosport Facts for a Saturday story.
FBI (search) officials in Houston confirmed they were notified of the shooting but would not comment further, saying the Freeport Police would handle the investigation. Shortly after the incident, local police searched the area with a canine unit and found gun power on the scene, as well as the bullet used in the shooting.
The suspect left after the shooting and did not get inside the plant. The guard had been patrolling the plant's perimeter outside the gate and near a water tower but in view of the plant's ammonia tank (search), officials said.
The injured guard managed to drive to the nearest plant gate, where an off-duty sheriff's deputy working security at the plant called police.
Fox News' Scott Biederman contributed to this report.
Saturday, January 24, 2004
FREEPORT, Texas — A security guard at a BASF Corp. (search) chemical plant was shot in the shoulder Saturday after he approached a suspicious truck and talked to a man who said he had been taking pictures, authorities said.
The guard's name was not released, but Freeport police said he was doing well at a Brazosport hospital following the Friday night shooting.
The guard told police the gunman was a man of Middle Eastern descent with bushy hair and a mustache. The man was driving a white pickup with tinted windows and a black stripe.
BASF spokeswoman Sharon Rogers said there was no indication the shooting was linked to terrorism.
"We'll just have to see what the investigation will reveal," she told The Brazosport Facts for a Saturday story.
FBI (search) officials in Houston confirmed they were notified of the shooting but would not comment further, saying the Freeport Police would handle the investigation. Shortly after the incident, local police searched the area with a canine unit and found gun power on the scene, as well as the bullet used in the shooting.
The suspect left after the shooting and did not get inside the plant. The guard had been patrolling the plant's perimeter outside the gate and near a water tower but in view of the plant's ammonia tank (search), officials said.
The injured guard managed to drive to the nearest plant gate, where an off-duty sheriff's deputy working security at the plant called police.
Fox News' Scott Biederman contributed to this report.
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Anonymous
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wx247
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oh my... keep us updated!
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Personal Forecast Disclaimer:
The posts in this forum are NOT official forecast and should not be used as such. They are just the opinion of the poster and may or may not be backed by sound meteorological data. They are NOT endorsed by any professional institution or storm2k.org. For official information, please refer to the NHC and NWS products.
The posts in this forum are NOT official forecast and should not be used as such. They are just the opinion of the poster and may or may not be backed by sound meteorological data. They are NOT endorsed by any professional institution or storm2k.org. For official information, please refer to the NHC and NWS products.
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GalvestonDuck
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Anonymous
99.9% of these breaking news events will not be terror related...you just like to keep a close watch on them, esp when the FBI issues certain warnings.
NEW YORK, March 30 (Reuters) - BP Plc <BP.L> shut an aromatics recovery unit at its 460,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in Texas City, Texas, after a power failure late Monday, regulators said.
The unit was shut in an emergency shutdown procedure, according to the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission Web site.
Aromatics recovery units crack high aromatic naphtha, for components used for gasoline blending and in making plastics.
The refinery has a total aromatics recovery capacity of 42,800 bpd.
http://www.forbes.com/business/energy/n ... 16658.html
NEW YORK, March 30 (Reuters) - BP Plc <BP.L> shut an aromatics recovery unit at its 460,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in Texas City, Texas, after a power failure late Monday, regulators said.
The unit was shut in an emergency shutdown procedure, according to the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission Web site.
Aromatics recovery units crack high aromatic naphtha, for components used for gasoline blending and in making plastics.
The refinery has a total aromatics recovery capacity of 42,800 bpd.
http://www.forbes.com/business/energy/n ... 16658.html
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