Two people died and more than two dozen were treated Thursday when a chemical leaked at a Houston-area industrial plant, officials said.
A hydrogen sulfide leak was reported Thursday evening at a Pemex facility in the Houston suburb of Deer Park, the city said.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said workers were working on a flange when there was a leak of the chemical.
Two people were confirmed dead, and 35 employees were either “transported or triaged at the scene,” Gonzalez said.
A shelter-in-place order was issued shortly after 7 p.m. local time “out of precaution,” and Deer Park asked nearby residents to stay inside and close doors and windows.
The order was lifted at 9:30 p.m. after air monitoring reports found no hazardous pollutants, the city said.
Pemex Deer Park said a “gas release” was reported at one of its operating units at 4:40 p.m.
“The incident is contained to our site and has been isolated,” Pemex said in a statement to NBC News affiliate KPRC-TV of Houston.
“Some members of the community may see flaring as we safely contain the situation. We are closely monitoring air quality and are not detecting any offsite impacts,” the statement said.
Television news crews showed multiple ambulances and emergency vehicles at the scene.
The facility is co-located at a Shell refinery site, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which said it was aware of the incident.
Houston, the country’s petrochemical heartland, is home to a cluster of refineries and plants.
