
Fire out and shelter-in-place order is lifted after oil refinery explosion near Texas coast
BNN Bloomberg
An oil refinery fire near the Texas coast was put out Tuesday and a shelter-in-place order was lifted following air-quality testing, hours after a large explosion at the complex shot plumes of smoke into the air, officials said.
No one was injured in Monday’s explosion at the Valero refinery in Port Arthur, about 90 miles (145 kilometres) east of Houston, Carol Hebert, a Valero spokesperson, said in a statement.
“All personnel are accounted for,” Herbert said.
Images and video posted online show a large plume of smoke and flames billowing out from the refinery.
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Charlotte M. Moses said she was grateful the explosion wasn’t more serious.
“With something like that, we definitely could have had mass loss of life and injuries,” Moses said. “I’m just thankful and grateful that all we encountered was a fire ... We’re safe.”

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said the U.S. was talking with a “respected” Iranian leader and claimed the Islamic Republic was eager for a deal to end the war. He also extended a deadline for Iran to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on its power plants, saying it has an additional five days.












