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Marathon Oil refinery fire: Texas City residents near Bay Street ordered to shelter in place
Massive fire broke out at the Marathon Oil refinery near Bay Street in Texas City. Residents were ordered to shelter in place.
UPDATE: A massive fire erupted at the Marathon Oil refinery in Texas City on Saturday, prompting a temporary shelter-in-place order for residents near Bay Street. The order was lifted around 2:14 p.m. after the blaze was brought under control. No injuries were reported, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire.
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ORIGINAL STORY: Residents in parts of Texas City were ordered to shelter in place on Saturday after a massive fire erupted at the Marathon Oil refinery, located on 5th Avenue South near 25th Street South. The fire was reported around 12:25 p.m. No injuries have been reported as of now.
“Out of an abundance of caution, a shelter in place has been issued from Hwy 146 to Bay Street,” the City of Texas City announced in a post on X.
Marathon Petroleum confirmed the incident in a statement, saying, "Trained teams are responding to a fire at Marathon’s Galveston Bay refinery. At this time, there have been no reports of injuries and all personnel are accounted for. Air monitoring is being deployed in the community as a precaution. The safety of responders, workers and the community is our first priority as we respond to the situation."
Texas City Emergency Management added, “We are aware of an incident currently occurring at the Marathon facility. Our team is actively monitoring the situation and working closely with the appropriate stakeholders. We will provide updates as more information becomes available. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.”
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Videos from the scene show large plumes of black smoke billowing from the facility as emergency crews work to contain the blaze. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
