A huge explosion at the ExxonMobil oil refinery shook Texas in the wee hours of the night.
Dramatic footage shared by a user online showcased huge sky-touching flames along with thick black smoke billowing the area as well as over the san Jacinto bay.
The county sheriff of Harris, Ed Gonzalez stated that “at least four people may be injured. Three people have been taken to hospital by life flight and one by ambulance.”
Twitter was smothered with users describing the huge explosion.
Social media users took to Twitter to say they had heard a “boom”.
One Twitter user said: “Explosion at Exxon! It rumbled my apartment and knocked my pictures off the wall.”
Another commented: “Exxon explosion made my whole f** house shake (sic).”
And a third posted: “Exxon explosion made my house jump for LMAO wtffff.”
Some said the “boom” sounded like a “freight train connecting with cars” outside their home, while others compared it to a “sonic wave”.
The county sheriff tweeted: “Deputies are on the scene of a major industrial accident at 3525 Decker Dr. in Baytown. The Exxon/Mobile plant. Some injuries have been reported. Please avoid the area.”
The reason for the blast is still unknown.
ExxonMobil released an official statement after the blast stating “A fire has occurred at the Baytown Refinery. Our fire teams are working to extinguish the fire. We are conducting personnel accounting.
“Our first priority remains the safety of people, including our employees, contractors, and the surrounding community. As a precaution, our Industrial Hygiene staff is commencing air quality monitoring at the site and fence line.
“We are coordinating with authorities as appropriate. We deeply regret any disruption or inconvenience that this incident may have caused the community.”
No shelter place or evacuation orders were released by the management of the oil refinery.
ExxonMobil is one of the oldest oil refineries in the United States of America. It was founded in 1919 and is established on a 3400-acre complex. The productivity surpasses 561,000 barrels a day. Texas has declared the massive blast as a “major industrial accident“
